Tom Cruise will soon be seen in a role that marks a real departure for him — and also one in which even his most ardent fans would be hard-pressed to recognize him.
That role is Digger Rockwell, fictional protagonist of this upcoming new movie “Digger.”
A Whole New Cruise
To play the character — an oil mogul who goes on a delusional mission to prove he’s humanity’s savior — Cruise’s chiseled good looks and toned physique are buried beneath prosthetics and makeup to make him completely unrecognizable.
In a recent interview with Empire magazine, the “Mission: Impossible” star admitted that taking on this quirky new project — directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu — represented “a real leap into the unknown” that utilized all the information that he’d gleaned from his decades of movie-making.
“It took all of my knowledge, from all of the years of every film I made, to be able to play this character and fulfill the ambition of this movie,” he told the magazine.
Meet Digger Rockwell
As a filmmaker, Iñárritu is known for such offbeat films as “Birdman” and “The Revenant.”
“The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything,” notes the official synopsis.
In addition to Cruise, Iñárritu has assembled an A-list cast that also includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman and Sophie Wilde.
As Cruise told Empire, the prosthetics and makeup became a big component of his performance.
“I can change the voice and as the makeup’s coming on, you start feeling the movement,” Cruise said of how he created the over-the-top character.
“You put the suit on, the boots, and I find my own rhythm with it,” he added.
A Unique Process
According to Cruise, he really honed in on the character during a days-long process in which Iñárritu performed the screenplay for Cruise, reading it out loud and acting out all the parts.
“I’ve always done that,” Cruise explained. “I want the writer to read me his idea, because then I can see where we’re going. We’re exploring rhythms, and I’m feeling the world. I’m literally an audience. I want to hear his voice. I want to understand, and see the world the way he sees it.”
An ‘Extraordinary’ Voice
While appearing at CinemaCon earlier this year, Cruise was effusive in his praise for Iñárritu.
“This kind of movie is why I wanted to make movies…I have to say, it took 40 years for me to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell,” Cruise said, via The Hollywood Reporter.
“His voice in cinema is extraordinary, and I’m so honored to work with you and inspired by what you create, my friend,” Cruise continued.
“Alejandro took several days during which he was just reading the script to me and I’m listening to everything that’s in his mind, so that I can understand that, and then I know how to contribute to it, and bring that collaboration together,” he added.
“Digger” arrives in theaters on October 2.
