Tom Cruise has detailed the process behind his physical transformation into eccentric oil baron Digger Rockwell for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satire “Digger,” saying the character was built through makeup, physicality and rhythm, per ew.com.
The actor discussed the role at a press event at Warner Bros. in Burbank on Thursday.
“Digger” marks his first non-franchise film since American Made in 2017 and his first new character in a decade.
Cruise, 63, appears under heavy old-age makeup as the oil tycoon. The four-time Oscar nominee said his approach centred on communication through the body.
“My process is: I’m absorbing, I’m absorbing, I’m absorbing,” he said. “With the body, we’re communicating a story. I want people to be immersed in a story.”
He said the work involved finding the right tone for each project through physical detail, lenses and colour. He cited past roles including Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, Interview With the Vampire, Collateral and Risky Business as examples of the same method.
“You really have to understand the tools, it’s not one-size-fits-all,” he said. “You have to find the communication, the lenses, the color of the makeup.”
Cruise said every element of “Digger”’s appearance was considered, from the colour of his cowboy boots and shorts to the production design. “You look at the taste of this man. It’s very special,” he said.
False teeth were key to unlocking the character, he added, imitating “Digger”’s crude catchphrase and Southern accent from the trailer.
He described each character as having its own musicality and rhythm that informs movement and behaviour. “If you start to feel the musicality of the character, it has a rhythm, and it’s not a rhythm like anything else,” he said. “You’re dialing it in.”
Cruise credited Iñárritu with helping to solidify that rhythm, describing music as a universal language on set. He said extensive preparation in areas such as language and dance allows more discovery during filming.
“Digger” is scheduled for release in cinemas October 2. Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing.
The film is directed by Oscar winner Iñárritu and co-stars Emma D’Arcy. It is Cruise’s first collaboration with the director and his first leading role outside the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises in eight years.
•Featured image: Tom Cruise in ‘Digger’/Warner Bros