The 2026 movie schedule marks what might be Tom Cruise’s most ambitious performance yet. Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu are teaming up for Digger – a comedy about the world’s most powerful (and chaotic) businessman who must prevent a global disaster. Cruise really had to go through a physical transformation to play the titular Digger Rockwell, and he’s a sight to behold in the wild trailer. Funny enough, Cruise delightfully dropped an F-bomb when he first saw what had been envisioned for the character’s look.
Earlier this year, Cruise talked about playing Digger and how, in hindsight, the last 40 years of his career had been preparing him for the role. The leading man reiterated that during an event for the trailer launch, which CinemaBlend was fortunate enough to attend. Cruise said he’d “never had something that could challenge me in this way” and that it was uncharted territory for Iñárritu as well. As for the first time, Cruise got a gander at his director’s vision for Rockwell, he made a humorously bold assertion:
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.’ And it wasn't like he said, ‘This is the kind of character.’ So, I'm thinking, ‘This guy's got fucking balls,’ and I'm like, ‘I can't wait. Let's go.’
Honestly, that's an understandable take. As has been shown, Cruise sports prosthetics, a wig and a faux belly in order to play Rockwell, and he’s more than committing to the bit. That shouldn’t be all that surprising since this is the same actor who effortlessly portrayed the eccentric Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder. Digger definitely has shades of Grossman, especially when it comes to bravado. However, as the Top Gun icon explained, the process of landing on a character varies by project:
When we're looking for characters, we're looking for humor, drama, certain constructs, how do we communicate this? Whether it's Les Grossman 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. 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... 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.
That level of cerebral thinking is why Cruise has done such great work over the course of his illustrious career. He understands that there are different strokes for different folks – or characters in this case. And it’s because of that approach that Lestat de Lioncourt differs from Les Grossman, who differs from Frank T.J. Mackey, who differs from Jerry Maguire. All in all, given Cruise’s approach to his latest role, fans should be in for something special.
It would seem that the Rain Man alum’s cast and crew were also taken with his work on set as well. During this year’s CinemaCon, Iñárritu praised his star’s commitment to his craft and emphasized just how big a swing he was taking with this role. Emma D’Arcy – one of Cruise’s co-stars, also praised his work, and they even said they were taking notes on set.
All signs point to Tom Cruise giving a performance that’s a true tour de force, and I’m eager to see it on the biggest screen possible. Per the footage, I’m expecting Cruise – as Rockwell – to chew some scenery and drop his fair share of F-bombs. Be sure to check out Digger when it opens on October 2.
