Keck's Exclusives: First Look at Josh Holloway Back in Action

When I last saw Josh Holloway in Hawaii during the final months of Lost, he was a proud new dad excited about the possibility of becoming a movie star. Well, mission accomplished! On December 16, Josh will appear with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol as Impossible Missions Force Secret Agent Hanaway.

"He is a cocky badass who is single but involved with someone," says Josh. The top-secret mission took Josh from Vancouver to Prague. "Tom gave me great advice on my stunts, which were bigger than anything I'd done on Lost," he says. "He told me, 'This is your set. Hang out anytime you want.' He really put me at ease."

Leading up to his big PR push with Mr. Cruise, Josh has united with Nature Valley (yes, the granola company) to aid endangered tortoises in Joshua Tree National Park, as well as gain support for the National Parks Conservation Association. "I love outdoors, so the message is right up my alley," explains Josh, who turns down many more offers than he accepts. Case in point, he says he passed on three television pilots, including a chance to reteam with former costar Michael Emerson (Ben) in Lost creator J.J. Abrams' Person of Interest for CBS.

But he couldn't resist the chance to play paintball with pal Chevy Chase in Community's May 5 episode as a mystery man named Black Rider who first crosses paths with Annie on campus (the paintball action continues in Part 2 of the finale the following week). "Chevy was a huge Lost fan who used to call me at random times and leave me funny messages," Josh says. "So when this opportunity came up, I said, 'Heck yeah!'"

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