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Avneet Kaur meets Tom Cruise at Digger’s London premiere as he reveals how he shot a 10-minute monologue in one take and transformed for the role.
Tom Cruise discusses his 10-minute one-take Digger monologue with Avneet Kaur.
Avneet Kaur had a special interaction with Tom Cruise at the world premiere of Digger in London. The actor, who attended the September 23 premiere, has now shared a video of her conversation with the Hollywood superstar on Instagram, where Cruise spoke at length about his dramatic transformation for the film and one particularly demanding sequence.
The two greeted each other with a hug before sitting down to discuss the Alejandro G. Iñárritu directorial. Avneet told Cruise that she had never seen him inhabit a character like Digger before, prompting him to open up about what made the role different from anything he had previously attempted.
Tom Cruise On Playing Digger
“To get this movie made, it takes a tremendous amount of skill, ability and imagination. I have never read a character like this. We just keep learning, keep creating,” Cruise told Avneet.
When she asked if there was a scene that remained particularly special to him, Cruise immediately recalled a lengthy monologue that was captured without a cut.
“Every day on set with Alejandro and the crew, it was such an outrageous character. We are looking at that monologue that I had, that was a 10 minute-monologue in one shot. It was just all one take,” he said.
Avneet admitted that the scene had caught her by surprise and told Cruise that he must have connected deeply with the character to sustain such a performance.
‘It Is A Dance, It Is A Rhythm’
Cruise explained that the sequence depended on finding the character’s rhythm and understanding every dramatic beat within the staging.
“It is a rhythm. As an actor one knows the beats to play. Alejandro’s staging is perfect and it is a dance… I only did the scene a couple of times but it is all one take. I just showed up and did it,” he said.
He added, “To be able to have that opportunity to play that, to show that transition, to show how you discover characters… the voice for Digger where it is something that is going to service the story.”
Cruise also revealed that his physical transformation came with its own challenges.
“The comedic timing, I was also wearing a fat suit which was quite heavy… so yeah it is a dance, it is a rhythm, that was so much fun to play,” he said.
What Is Digger About?
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Digger is a satirical black comedy that casts Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a powerful and eccentric oil tycoon. The official synopsis follows a man scrambling to convince the world that he can save humanity from a catastrophe that he himself helped unleash. Cruise underwent a considerable physical transformation for the role, including prosthetics and a padded bodysuit.
The film also features Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde and Emma D’Arcy. Shot entirely in VistaVision, Digger has been produced by Iñárritu, Cruise and Mary Parent, with cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. Following its London world premiere, the film began its international theatrical rollout on September 30, with its North American release scheduled for October 2.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Digger is a satirical black comedy starring Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil tycoon trying to convince the world he can save humanity from an ecological disaster he helped unleash.
Ask News18About the Author
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he\’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always…Read More
October 03, 2026, 19:04 IST