‘Digger’ Trailer: Tom Cruise Spent Days Listening to Alejandro G. Iñárritu Read Him the Script
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Tom Cruise has revealed that Alejandro G. Iñárritu spent several days personally reading him the entire script for their new film Digger, a technique Cruise says he uses with directors to fully absorb their creative vision before contributing his own ideas. The revelation, shared at a Warner Bros. trailer launch event, underscores how the film represents a deliberate shift for Cruise, who has spent the past decade dominating blockbuster franchises like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick and is now positioning Digger as a return to serious, awards-calibre acting.
The first Digger trailer debuted on Monday, showing Cruise almost unrecognisable beneath heavy makeup and prosthetics, in what is being billed as the culmination of his 40-year career. Iñárritu, who won consecutive directing Oscars including for 2015's The Revenant, conceived the project afterwards and approached Cruise roughly seven years ago, having long admired his 2000 film Amores Perros. Cruise, a three-time acting Oscar nominee for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, called this his first character-actor role since Tropic Thunder's Les Grossman.
- Cruise says Iñárritu read him the full Digger script aloud
- First Digger trailer shows Cruise unrecognisable under prosthetics
- Film seen as Cruise's return to serious, awards-focused acting
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Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's biggest stars, best known over the past decade for action blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick. Before that, he was also recognised as a serious dramatic actor, earning Oscar nominations for films like Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia. Digger marks a deliberate change of direction, pairing him with acclaimed film-maker Alejandro G. Iñárritu for what is being described as a return to more character-driven, awards-focused work.
Iñárritu is a Mexican director known for films including The Revenant and Amores Perros, and has won multiple Academy Awards for directing. He reportedly approached Cruise about the project around seven years ago, and the trailer shows Cruise transformed by heavy makeup and prosthetics for the role. The film is being presented as a significant departure from the franchise roles that have defined much of his recent career.
The story also touches on Cruise's working methods, including his habit of having directors read him a script in full before filming, which he says helps him understand their vision. This detail was shared publicly at a promotional event held by Warner Bros. to launch the film's first trailer.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “‘Digger’ Trailer: Tom Cruise Spent Days Listening to Alejandro G. Iñárritu Read Him the Script”.