Tom Cruise has gone from Mission Impossible to Mission Unrecognisable, dishing out a dramatic transformation for his latest role in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s offbeat comedy-drama 'Digger'. The Hollywood A-lister is barely visible under layers of grey hair and a pot belly, adopting a distinctive Southern drawl as eccentric oil baron Digger Rockwell. Talk about method acting!
This bombastic, albeit slightly unhinged, portrayal marks a striking departure from Cruise's usual action-packed fare, where he's normally the one dodging bullets rather than doddering around on set. But 'Digger' promises to be anything but business as usual: this time, Cruise stars alongside an all-star ensemble including Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, and Aussie actress Sophie Wilde.
It's no secret Cruise is itching for a new challenge – he revealed at the Warner Bros. launch event in LA that 'Digger' was like nothing he'd ever attempted before: "I have never had something that could challenge me in this way, neither had Alejandro when we went in." Not one to shy away from bold statements, Cruise further guaranteed the film's originality, claiming "When you see this film, it’s totally original. I'm not sure what that means yet, but trust me – it's going to be massive!"
Cruise has long been a fan of Iñárritu's gritty dramas, citing his 2000 hit 'Amores Perros' as a major influence on his work. He gushed about the Mexican director's process, which began with him reading the entire script aloud to Cruise over several days – "It was like being part of something truly special." Iñárritu himself described how 'Digger' germinated in 2015, shortly after completing his Oscar-winning epic 'The Revenant', but it took a decade for him to nail down its narrative approach: "It's an absurd, dangerous, but certainly comedic story – the perfect antidote to what we've been witnessing on the world stage."
The movie was shot using VistaVision, a high-definition analogue process from the 1950s that’s experiencing a welcome revival in modern filmmaking. Look out for 'Digger' on the big screen worldwide this October, with UK streaming details yet to be confirmed – but one thing's for sure: with its A-list cast and Iñárritu at the helm, it'll be making waves far beyond the box office.