VIDEO – Tom Cruise unrecognizable in “Digger”: white hair, a large belly and prosthetics for his new role

Tom Cruise is almost unrecognizable in the first images of Digger , the new film by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The 64-year-old actor sports thinning gray hair, heavy aging makeup, false teeth, and prosthetics that completely alter his face and physique. The trailer, released this week, presents a physical transformation far removed from his roles in Mission: Impossible or Top Gun.

Grey hair, fake belly and a southern US accent

Tom Cruise portrays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric, pot-bellied oil tycoon convinced he's the most powerful man in the world. The character sports a gray forelock, a wrinkled face, a heavy gait, flashy suits, and cowboy boots. The actor also adopts a thick Southern accent. Makeup isn't just used to age Tom Cruise. Prosthetics transform the shape of his face, while false teeth alter his speech and expressions. The actor explained that every detail, from the color of the boots to the cut of the clothes, was chosen to build Digger Rockwell's personality.

“With the body, we tell a story. I want the audience to be immersed in the story,” explained Tom Cruise at the film's presentation held at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. He recounted how he immediately captured the character's energy after putting on his false teeth for the first time.

A billionaire responsible for a global catastrophe

Digger follows a businessman whose company triggers an ecological disaster that could lead to nuclear war. Digger Rockwell then embarks on a frantic race to convince the world that he can repair the damage and save humanity. The trailer shows a character as powerful as he is uncontrollable, making increasingly grandiose pronouncements as the planet teeters on the brink of chaos. The billionaire refuses to be held responsible for the disaster and tries to transform his rescue mission into a personal display of power. The film is presented as a dark comedy blending satire, ecological disaster, and tragedy. Tom Cruise thus leaves behind stunts and espionage missions for a grotesque, excessive, and overtly comedic role, even though the story hinges on the threat of global collapse.

A transformation reminiscent of "Tropic Thunder"

This metamorphosis is reminiscent of the character Les Grossman, the vulgar and hot-tempered Hollywood producer played by Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder in 2008. The actor already sported a bald head, heavy prosthetics, artificially thickened hands, and a fake belly. In Digger , the change appears even more extreme. The aging of his face, voice, posture, and gait sometimes makes it difficult to immediately recognize Tom Cruise. This is his first entirely new role in several years and his first film not part of a franchise since American Traffic , released in 2017. "I've never been faced with anything that could challenge me in this way ," the actor stated. Tom Cruise believes that the skills acquired during his 45-year career have prepared him for this performance.

Alejandro González Iñárritu had been preparing the character for 10 years.

Digger is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the award-winning filmmaker behind Birdman and The Revenant . The Mexican director began developing Digger Rockwell after finishing The Revenant in 2015. It then took him about ten years to build the film and find the right form for the story. Iñárritu had long wanted to work with Tom Cruise. The actor, for his part, had admired the director since seeing Amores Perros in 2000. During their initial meetings, the filmmaker read the script aloud to him, line by line, for several days. "The transformation he achieved was astounding ," Alejandro González Iñárritu said of Tom Cruise. The director states that neither of them had previously participated in a comparable project.

A prestigious cast surrounding Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise stars alongside Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Sophie Wilde, Emma D'Arcy, and Michael Stuhlbarg. The film was shot in VistaVision, a process using horizontally running 35mm film to achieve a particularly detailed image.

Digger will be released in French cinemas on September 30, 2026, two days before its American release. Audiences will then discover Tom Cruise in one of the most unexpected roles of his career, a far cry from the agent Ethan Hunt who dominated his filmography for nearly 30 years.