Everyone knows two things about Tom Cruise: first, he does all his own stunts, and second, he loves films. Like, he really loves films. His passion shows in every project he puts his name on, which, for some, has quite literally saved cinema. But for a star that has spent so much time on the big screen, what does he think about the smaller one? Has the man behind Maverick and Ethan Hunt ever sat down to watch Traitors? If he has, he’s not sharing it, even in a new GQ interview.
In anticipation of his new film Digger, which will see him donning prosthetics and being the reason our world ends, Cruise gave a lengthy interview about the new project and plenty more. One question led him to bring up television and streaming services, and compared to cinema, there’s one thing they really can’t match.
“I have nothing against cable or TV or Netflix. I think it’s great. Create jobs and everything,” he assured. “But what I like about cinema is it is all of us coming together in a room and sharing an experience. I say, ‘Understand the tools, then go create what you want to create.’ When I’m working with people, I’m not afraid to, as I’m acting, to look foolish, to do it.”
Naturally, this level of dedication from Cruise isn’t new. It’s been more prominent than ever in the last decade or so, with work that has seen him riding bikes off cliffs or holding his breath to dangerous levels while underwater. Tom Cruise is an intense guy, and he’s fully aware the world knows it.
“I’m like, ‘Trust me, the rumors are true. I’ll be here before you. What experience do you want?’ And I’m very open,” confessed the Mission: Impossible star. “It’s not like we don’t have a plan. We have scripts, we have plans, we’re going through it. But I also feel that level of responsibility for – I guess, for everyone. 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.'”
Thankfully, the actor is willing to take it on the chin that’s resting under that world-famous smile. “I got a very good sense of humor about it, but it was like: When I’m interested in something, I want to learn it. I want to understand it. And you want to blast through the confusion and kind of build up that ability.”
It begs the question, then, what kind of abilities will be required for his new film with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, when Digger makes its arrival in theaters on October 2.
For now, though, why not check out the ranking of our favorite Tom Cruise movies here.