Tom Cruise is not pushing back on the idea that he brings intensity to a movie set. In a new GQ cover story tied to his starring role in “Digger,” the Oscar-nominated actor said the rumors about his demanding approach are accurate — and that he tells collaborators as much before production begins.
Cruise framed that intensity as part of his larger belief in cinema as a shared human experience. While making clear that he is not dismissing other formats, he told GQ, “I have nothing against cable or TV or Netflix. I think it’s great. Create jobs and everything. But what I like about cinema is it is all of us coming together in a room and sharing an experience.”
That philosophy, he said, extends directly to the way he works with cast and crew. Cruise described a process built around preparation, responsibility and the willingness to risk looking foolish in pursuit of the right result.
“When I’m working with people, I’m not afraid to, as I’m acting, to look foolish, to do it,” he said. “It’s finding our tone, finding these tools together and having an experience. And look, I work hard, and people that work with me, they know. I expect a lot and I’m upfront about it. It’s like: ‘The rumors are true. And do you want this?’ I’m like, ‘Trust me, the rumors are true. I’ll be here before you. What experience do you want?’”
Cruise says the intensity has always been there
The actor told GQ that his reputation for intensity is not a persona he developed later in his career. He said people were saying the same thing when he was young.
“Even when I was a kid, they were like, ‘Oh, come on, Tom. You’re so intense.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to say. I am intense,’” Cruise said, adding that he has “a very good sense of humor about it.”
For Cruise, that drive is linked to curiosity and mastery. “When I’m interested in something, I want to learn it. I want to understand it,” he said. “And you want to blast through the confusion and build up that ability.”
He also emphasized that his productions are not operating without structure. “It’s not like we don’t have a plan. We have scripts, we have plans, we’re going through it,” Cruise said. At the same time, he said he feels “that level of responsibility” for everyone involved.
Cruise’s comments offer a direct answer to longstanding talk about what it is like to work alongside him: he is not denying the intensity, but presenting it as something he discloses clearly and expects others to actively choose.
Why he keeps his phone away
The GQ interview also details how Cruise tries to stay present with the people around him. Whether he is on set or off, he said he keeps his phone “as far away from me as possible.”
“I’m looking and listening, and I want the least amount of time on it,” Cruise said. “And my crew and people know it’s like, ‘Don’t send me a detailed email. Come talk to me.’ I like to talk to people.”
That preference for direct communication fits with his broader comments about filmmaking as a collaborative, in-person experience. In Cruise’s telling, the work is not only about what appears on screen, but also about the way the people making it engage with one another.
Passing on what he has learned
Cruise also addressed his efforts to connect with younger actors. Glen Powell, his “Top Gun: Maverick” co-star, told GQ U.K. in 2024 that Cruise gave him a six-hour video in which Cruise broke down film history and the lessons he has learned about moviemaking over the years.
Speaking to GQ now, Cruise described the video as “very basic,” saying it was intended to help people understand lenses, framing and the development of cinema.
“It was something to have people understand, just to have a different concept of lenses and what the lens is and what the frame is,” Cruise said. He compared it to an actor onstage and described the importance of understanding “what that frame means” and the layers of storytelling and structure — knowledge that, in his view, allows performers to eventually stop thinking about the mechanics.
“There’s just different layers of storytelling, of structure, but also: to understand certain things so that you can forget about it,” he said.
Looking toward “Digger”
The GQ cover story arrives as Cruise stars in “Digger,” the latest drama from Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The role marks Cruise’s first nonaction star vehicle in years, and the actor told the magazine he is optimistic about the film’s ability to connect with audiences amid what the source describes as a strong box office turnaround in 2026.
“Hollywood has always gone through ups and downs,” Cruise said. “If you study Hollywood, they’ve been bust and bank and broke. I’m excited. I’m very excited about where movies are … You look at how many people are going to the theaters and where we are and what they want. I’m very excited about it.”
For Cruise, the throughline is clear: he values theatrical cinema, he embraces the demanding reputation that follows him, and he sees the work as a shared experience that begins long before audiences take their seats.