Tom Cruise Admits He’s an Intense Guy to Work With: “Trust Me, the Rumors Are True”

Nobody has to convince Tom Cruise to give 100%. The guy has spent decades throwing himself into movies with the kind of commitment that has him jumping motorcycles off cliffs, hanging from aircraft, and pushing himself through increasingly insane stunt work.

Cruise knows he has a reputation for being intense, and apparently, he’s heard all the stories too. While promoting his upcoming filmDigger, Cruise spoke with GQ about his approach to filmmaking, working with other people, and why he still considers the theatrical experience something television and streaming can’t replicate.

Cruise made it clear he has nothing against entertainment made for the small screen. His preference for theaters comes down to the communal experience of sitting in a room full of people and watching a movie together.

"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."

That attitude tracks with pretty much everything we’ve seen from Cruise throughout his career. His commitment to movies has become especially visible through the Mission: Impossible films and Top Gun: Maverick, where his determination to make things feel as real as possible has resulted in some ridiculous practical stunt work.

Cruise also understands that his approach can make him an intense person to work alongside. He doesn’t seem particularly bothered by that reputation. In fact, he’ll happily confirm 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. 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.'"

At least Cruise can laugh about it. For him, the intensity seems to come from wanting to understand whatever he’s working on as thoroughly as possible.

"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."

That sounds about right for a guy whose idea of learning a skill for a movie can involve piloting aircraft, performing HALO jumps, or figuring out how to survive another outrageous Mission: Impossible stunt.

Next up, Cruise is teaming with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Digger, which puts the actor under prosthetics for a story in which his character is responsible for bringing about the end of the world.

Digger arrives in theaters October 2, and with Cruise and Iñárritu working together, it’ll be interesting to see where all that famous intensity takes them.