Tom Cruise Says DIGGER Is the Most Challenging Role of His Career: "I Have Never Had Something That Could Challenge Me in This Way"

Tom Cruise has spent decades hanging off airplanes, scaling skyscrapers, flying fighter jets, and taking on just about every kind of action role imaginable. So when he says his upcoming movie Digger challenged him in a way nothing else has before, that's saying something.

Cruise is teaming up with acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu for the satirical comedy Digger, and it sounds like audiences are in for something completely different from anything the actor has done before.

The film casts Cruise as eccentric aging oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, a larger-than-life character brought to life with extensive prosthetics, makeup, and a completely transformed appearance.

Speaking with a group of international journalists, Cruise couldn't hide how excited he was about diving into unfamiliar territory with Iñárritu.

"There's nothing better than to physically and metaphorically stand on the edge of a cliff and go, ‘Let's do this,’” says Cruise, about working with Iñárritu. "I trust you, and whatever we're going to do, I know this is going to be a hell of an experience. Let's come together and let's do it. Let's all do it."

As he reflected on the experience, Cruise explained that this project pushed both him and the Oscar-winning director into new creative territory.

"I have never had something that could challenge me in this way," he explains. "And neither has Alejandro when we went in – ever. When you see this film, it's totally original."

That certainly sets some high expectations. The recently released trailer hints at a disaster story centered around an environmental crisis that threatens global catastrophe, but it also shows off a very different side of Cruise.

His character is loud, outrageous, and more than a little unpredictable, making for one of the most unusual performances of his career.

Cruise also shared how much faith he placed in Iñárritu's creative vision from the very beginning. "The director sets the frame and the lenses and the lighting. It's really my favorite thing. Alejandro, he shows me… He's like, 'I want you to look like this.' I'm thinking, 'This guy's got f*cking balls.' And I'm like, ‘I can't wait. Let's go.'"

Creating Digger Rockwell wasn't simply about putting on makeup or wearing prosthetics. Cruise explained that every character begins with figuring out how they communicate with the audience, something he's explored throughout his entire career.

"When we're looking for characters, we're looking for humor, drama, certain constructs… How do we communicate this? Whether it's Les Grossman [in Tropic Thunder] or Interview With The Vampire, Collateral or Risky Business, I'm always asking, 'How do I communicate this?' The physicality, the makeup… That is stuff that you find as you are learning how to communicate."

For Cruise, every visual choice became part of building the character. Nothing was too small to consider. "You really have to understand the tools. It's not one size fits all. You have to find the communication, the lenses, the color of the makeup.

“The level of detail of making a film like this is... [What is the] color of the cowboy boots? What are my shorts like? The sets, the color of the sets? They're beautiful on every single level, and it's all very... You look at the taste of this man. It's very special."

Even after more than 40 years in Hollywood, Cruise still approaches filmmaking as someone who genuinely loves going to the movies. During the event at the Steven J. Ross Theater on the Warner Bros. lot, he talked about why that passion continues to drive him.

"First of all, I am the audience," he tells us. "I love movies. I love all kinds of movies. I love going to opening weekend. I like being there with an audience."

He finished by explaining exactly what keeps him coming back to every new project. "I want people to be immersed in the movie, so whatever it takes to tell that story. And it takes all of us. Making movies is a beautiful thing because it's all of us together. Really, it is very special."

Everything we've seen so far suggests that Digger won't be another Tom Cruise action spectacle. Instead, it looks like a strange, ambitious, character-driven satire that allowed Cruise to stretch himself in completely new ways alongside one of today's most acclaimed filmmakers.

Whether the film lives up to Cruise's promise of being "totally original" remains to be seen, but it's hard not to be intrigued by the combination of Cruise, Iñárritu, and a cast that also includes Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma D'Arcy.

Digger arrives exclusively in theaters on October 2.

Source: GamesRadar+