In Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, Paula Patton joins Tom Cruise's gang as a sexy lady-spy—as if there were any other kind—who vamps it up and gets dirty in equal measure, per the international lady-spy handbook Vamping It Up and Getting Dirty in Equal Measure: A Primer. "I was doing physical stunts," says Patton excitedly, "feet in the mud, fingernails full of dirt, shooting and fighting for my life." A cleaner, less violent Patton got her break in 2006 with a starring role in the OutKast period musical Idlewild and later played an inspiring teacher in Precious. Sadly for you, she is married to singer Robin Thicke—son of Growing Pains patriarch and proud Canadian Alan. Somehow she has figured out how to bridge the vast cultural divide between her and her in-laws: "Canadians are a lot like us, actually," Patton jokes. "I've figured out how to blend in." Spoken like a true lady-spy.