Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios
By Janet Susan R. Nepales
Don’t look now, but Tom Cruise and filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu have combined forces for the first time to create the satirical black comedy “Digger.”
And you will definitely not recognize Cruise here, who stars as the tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose oil drilling operation sparks a global disaster.
In a trailer teaser presentation made to the global press, we watched the trailer of the movie, the first English-language film of Iñárritu since “The Revenant” (2015), which Iñárritu also co-wrote and produced.
In a pre-recorded introduction, Iñárritu, who was at the sound stage in London finishing the sound mix for “Digger,” disclosed that he has always wanted Cruise to be in this film.
He said, “People often ask me why I chose Tom to play Digger. To me, that’s like asking somebody why you drink water when you are thirsty. Because it’s what you need.
“The film needed Tom. We have wanted to work together since the beginning of the century. I admired him as an actor for years, and that wasn’t a surprise for me. The surprise was discovering that the human being behind the actor was just as extraordinary as the performances I would see throughout his career.
“The transformation he went through was astonishing. ‘Alejandro, it took me 40 years to become this character,’ he told me once. And I think we both know what it means to carry an entire career into a single moment like this. We both knew that throughout our journeys, we had never done anything even close to this.”
Cruise, 64, who was present during the Q & A after the teaser presentation, revealed that he was an admirer of Iñárritu’s work “Amores Perros” after Cruise saw it 25 years ago.
“What a brilliant film,” he commented. “It was amazing. I was one of the first audiences, and I heard about it early on, so when I saw that film, I don’t know how you all felt, but I was like, ‘What the fuck? This guy!’
“The beauty of anyone in their field, they have a skilled eye for looking at something.
“And so, I called all my friends. I was having people over. I was like, ‘Call the studios. You’ve got to see this movie. Who’s this guy, Alejandro?’ I’d never heard of him before. And he and I didn’t meet for many, many years. Then, years later, he came to me, and we talked.
“He came to me with this project, ‘Digger,’ which he’d been working on for a couple of years by then. I guess now, seven years ago, as he was developing, working on it, and then we just worked on it together.
“I think when you see ‘Digger,’ just the level of detail, the skill, the layers of making this film… He’s never made something like this before, nor have I.”
The 62-year-old award-winning Mexican director confirmed how demanding and different this movie was. He pointed out, “Making this film demanded everything I had. I have never prepared a project with this level of precision. Every frame, every lens, every color, every costume, every face, every context, every object, every layer and symbol, nothing here is an accident. We shot on VistaVision because cinema deserves scale.
“We used a 1954-designed camera, and for the first time Chivo and I were allowed to mount some new crazy wide vintage Leica lenses designed specifically for our film.
“I was lucky enough to be surrounded by extraordinary artists, producers, collaborators, co-writers, and a dreamlike, incredible cast, and people who believe in something that, for a very long time, existed only inside my head.”
Cruise, who won his first Oscar, an honorary award recognizing his contributions to filmmaking, last year, is already creating buzz about his performance in “Digger.”
The award-winning actor shared how he created his Digger character.
“There’s nothing better than to physically and metaphorically stand on the edge of a cliff and go, ‘Let’s do this. And I trust you, and whatever we’re going to do, I know this is going to be a hell of an experience, and let’s come together and let’s do it. Let’s all do it.’
He confessed, “I have never had something that could challenge me in this way, and neither has Alejandro, ever, when we went in. And when you see this film, it’s totally original.
“The director sets the frame and the lenses and the lighting. It’s really my favorite thing. Alejandro shows me; he’s like, ‘I want you to look like this.’ And it wasn’t like he said, ‘This is the kind of character.’ So, I’m thinking, ‘This guy’s got fucking balls,” and I’m like, ‘I can’t wait. Let’s go.’
“When we’re looking for characters, we’re looking for humor, drama, certain constructs- how do we communicate this? Whether it’s Les Grossman or ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ ‘Collateral’ or ‘Risky Business,’ I’m always asking, ‘How do I communicate this?’ The physicality, the makeup, which is stuff that you find as you are learning how to communicate.
“You really have to understand the tools; it’s not one size fits all. You have to find the communication, the lenses, the color of the makeup. The level of detail of making a film like this is… Color of the cowboy boots. What are my shorts like? The sets, the color of the sets. They’re beautiful on every single level, and it’s all very… You look at the taste of this man. It’s very special.”
Iñárritu stressed how important the movie is. He exclaimed, “It took me 10 years to do this film, because I wasn’t looking for a story. I was looking for the right way to say it.
“And it’s absurd, it’s dangerous, but certainly comedic, because the source of great comedy is tragedy.”
Cruise, who was looking boyish in his black t-shirt, emphasized, “Everyone has a different point of view of life, their own experience, and it’s a lifelong journey of learning. I’ve never felt like, ‘I’m there. I’m there.’ You’re never there. It’s always the next dream, the love of this art form, and the passion; it’s all-encompassing.”
