‘Digger’ Cast Praises Tom Cruise’s “Relentless’ Work Ethic

Tom Cruise Was Filming ‘Mission: Impossible’ Stunts While Rehearsing ‘Digger’

Summary

• Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with Sandra Hüller and Riz Ahmed for Digger.
• The pair discuss how Alejandro G. Iñárritu pushed the cast to experiment and "throw paint at the wall" for bold, playful choices.
• They also talk about shooting in VistaVision and witnessing Tom Cruise's "relentless" ambition on set.

Tom Cruise has proven time and again that he is a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood, but his collaboration with Academy Award-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu on Digger is a whole new look for the action star — literally. Prosthetics aside, even the A-list cast is impressed by what’s been done on set. While talking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Oscar winner Riz Ahmed and Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller call the actor and producer “relentless.”

In Digger, the titular oil tycoon, Digger Rockwell (Cruise), is on a hysterical mission to prove to the world that he is humanity’s savior before a global disaster — that he caused — wreaks irrevocable destruction. In addition to Cruise, Ahmed, and Hüller, Digger also stars John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Don’t miss the full conversation in the video above, where Ahmed and Hüller discuss Iñárritu’s experimental filmmaking, what they appreciated most about filming in VistaVision, and share their experiences working with Cruise.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu Wanted the Cast to "Throw Paint at the Wall"

The director encouraged his cast to experiment on set.

Image via Warner Bros.

COLLIDER: You guys have been doing a lot of speed dating today, and I'm just going to say, really, sincerely, congrats on the movie. I really can't believe a studio made this. This is a ballsy-as-F movie.

RIZ AHMED: Thank you, Steve. That means a lot. I honestly can't believe they made it either. There’s never quite been a film like this. That sounds crazy to say, but I think it's kind of true.

I'm really just so blown away by the filmmaking on display. When you read the script, and you knew what you were getting ready to film, was there a scene that both of you were like, “How are Tom [Cruise] and Alejandro [Iñárritu] going to do this?”

AHMED: Yeah, I feel like that frequently — not about just them, about all of us. It was like, “How are we going to do it?” And Alejandro was very clear about feeling the need for us to all find this together. He wasn't like, “This is exactly what it's going to be,” up front.

SANDRA HÜLLER: Or, “This is wrong,” or “This is right.”

AHMED: Yeah. He keeps pushing us to go further, to experiment, to throw paint at the wall. And when we hit it, we all knew. So, it was kind of a crazy process that was very playful, very exhausting at times, but really inspiring.

Tom Cruise’s "Relentless" Work Ethic Left Riz Ahmed and Sandra Hüller in Awe

"It's no mistake that he is who he is."

I love Tom, I love what Tom does for the art form, but I'm just so curious: were you doing a scene with him and you realized, “He has just thought about this way more than I have?” I know that sounds crazy, but he's just so meticulous.

HÜLLER: Oh, every day. Every day. He, of course, thought about it more than I had. Of course. But he would never use it as a tool to be bigger than you or anything. It's just the amount of time he spent with this project. Yeah, of course.

AHMED: His attention to detail is crazy. I mean, Tom would be in rehearsals for this, and then he would finish the day and fly himself in a helicopter to another studio whilst running lines in a helicopter, then go and practice and do reshoots for stunts in the Mission movie in an underwater tank until, like, two in the morning. Then, in the car home, carry on running lines and then come in in the morning, and when you'd go up to him to say hello, he'd be in the middle of running lines. He's relentless. It's inspiring. It's quite unique. It's no mistake that he is who he is, I think, and that's cool to be around.

HÜLLER: We talked a lot about what kind of coffee we drink, too, because I never saw him tired at any moment.

Riz Ahmed and Sandra Hüller on the Challenges of Shooting With VistaVision

"It was quite loud."

Image via Warner Bros.

One of the things I definitely want to touch on is the use of VistaVision. As actors who've worked on numerous sets, what does that camera possibly do to the energy on set, and what was it like working in that format? Were you studying it? Because it's such a unique style and unique filmmaking. It's just not the norm.

HÜLLER: I think it makes the moment even more precious than it is already, when all of us are together and trying to find out about things. But working with this camera, yeah, it makes it even more special. That's what I felt. No, I didn't study it, and I probably won't ever in my life, but I really like to be around it. It has a very nice sound, actually.

AHMED: It was loud. It was quite loud. You could really feel the film in the camera.

Digger opens in theaters and IMAX on October 2.