House of the Dragon's Emma D'Arcy watched Tom Cruise between takes on Digger. What impressed her had nothing to do with stunts
On Digger, Emma D’Arcy found Tom Cruise between takes compelling enough to call one side of the star ‘refreshing’ — and the experience left D’Arcy seeing things differently.
Here's something you don't see every day: Emma D'Arcy dissecting Tom Cruise's work habits on the set of a satire, and sounding genuinely changed by it. We're talking about Digger, the new Alejandro G. Iñárritu film—yeah, the one where Cruise flexes his comedy chops in a double role. If that alone hasn't piqued your interest, wait until you hear what D'Arcy saw behind the scenes.
The Cruise Masterclass
D'Arcy, who plays Lina alongside Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller, seems to have spent her downtime glued to the monitor, keen to nick whatever secrets Cruise was letting slip. Forget the jokes—D'Arcy said what struck her most was Cruise's technical precision, almost like watching a surgeon at work on a movie set.
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Here's how D'Arcy explained it in an interview with Entertainment Tonight:
He's so fluent in filmic language that he is able to translate specific kind of emotional or story beats via like tiny gesture.
D'Arcy didn't just clock Cruise's knack for subtle expression. She actually found his controlled, sometimes hyper-technical approach 'refreshing'—yes, refreshing, from a man known more for vaulting off motorbikes than micro-acting. The implication: Cruise isn't winging it, he's orchestrating every eyelid twitch.
According to D'Arcy, the technical side wasn't just an oddity—it was the bit she actively wanted to pinch for her own craft:
I think technicality and like allowing that to be kind of the headline in one's practice.
But Cruise isn't just Mr. Serious. Apparently, the real lesson D'Arcy came away with is how much fun the bloke wants everyone to have on set. She mentioned how Cruise talks about enjoying the work, and that's not only for him—it helps the whole crew loosen up and collaborate a bit more. Not what you'd picture from someone with Cruise's slightly maniacal reputation.
The Film: Satire Meets Star Power
Now, about Digger itself—this is a satirical black comedy driven by Iñárritu, who apparently took the idea with him after The Revenant nearly a decade back. As for Cruise, this is a bit of a rarity: he's playing two roles. First, he's Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon who accidentally has the fate of the world on his hands. Second, he's Curtis Markson, the actor portraying Rockwell in a climate change play-within-a-film. Meta, anyone?
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The rest of the cast: Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, and Sandra Hüller—so, not exactly lightweights there. The shoot went down at Pinewood Studios, running from November 2024 to May 2025.
Warner Bros. Pictures drops Digger in cinemas on 2 October 2026, in both the US and UK.