Tom Cruise's hardest role is not a Mission: Impossible, not Magnolia and not Eyes Wide Shut — he named it to GQ

Here we go then — Tom Cruise has done all sorts in his career, clinging to aeroplanes, jumping off cliffs, running for miles in a suit. But according to Cruise himself, none of those stunts came close to the challenge of his next big role. He says the hardest character he’s ever played is Digger, the lead in director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming dark comedy.

Cruise versus Digger

Cruise, now 64 but busier than ever, dropped this tidbit in a new interview with GQ. If you’re expecting him to name one of his blockbuster Mission: Impossible personas or some Oscar-baiting drama, tough luck — he’s picked Digger, who we’ll all meet for the first time when the film lands in cinemas in October 2026.

Asked why this project stands above the rest, Cruise said it’s basically the sum total of everything he’s learnt as an actor. Here’s how he explained it in the GQ chat:

‘It is the culmination of all my skills. I’ve never done it before. Everything that I’ve done has been very thought-out, why I did it. I have personal goals and challenges with everything I do.’

He went even further, telling the interviewer there’s no comparison with any other part he’s taken on:

‘I was so excited to be able to have this character. It’s the most challenging character ever.’

When the journalist pressed him, Cruise doubled down — ‘Oh my God, not even close. Not even close.’ Genuinely seems this one wasn’t just another day’s work on set.

Shaky roads and dark comedy

Apparently, Digger wasn’t a breeze to shoot either. Cruise said the production didn’t play it safe and he found plenty of joy — along with the requisite pain and confusion that comes from tackling something properly ambitious. In his words, going for ‘the easy road’ just wasn’t the point. Making the film, he says, was worth every difficult minute.

The film itself is a dark comedy, with Cruise name-dropping previous works like Risky Business and Rain Man while talking about how different types of comedy demand wildly different skills. There’s no cookie-cutter approach here: every role writes its own rulebook, especially where laughs are concerned.

The interviewer tried prodding about other major Cruise performances — Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, the whole Mission: Impossible run — but Cruise reckons Digger is a different beast. He points to the complexity of the performance, all about timing, rhythm, language, and a stack of different acting skills coming together in one part.

Ensemble and release

It’s not just Cruise carrying this project, either. The Digger cast is stacked — Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman, and Sophie Wilde all have their names on the poster.

Digger hits UK cinemas on 2 October 2026.