Tom Cruise: 'The Rumors Are True' About Set Intensity — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Tom Cruise told GQ that rumors of his intense on-set reputation are true, telling prospective collaborators: "The rumors are true. And do you want this?" and "I'll be here before you."
- Cruise said he has "nothing against cable or TV or Netflix" because they "create jobs," but argued cinema's unique power is audiences "coming together in a room and sharing an experience."
- Cruise keeps his phone "as far away from me as possible" on and off set, telling crew flatly: "Don't send me a detailed email. Come talk to me."
- Cruise once sent "Top Gun: Maverick" co-star Glen Powell a six-hour video essay breaking down film history, lenses, and what a frame means in storytelling — Powell first revealed the homework in a 2024 GQ U.K. interview.
- The GQ cover promotes "Digger," directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, marking Cruise's first nonaction star vehicle in years and a deliberate pivot toward character-driven drama.
- Cruise voiced optimism about Hollywood's 2026 box office rebound, noting the industry "has always gone through ups and downs" — "bust and bank and broke" — and said he's "very excited about where movies are."
Why it matters: Cruise's defense of theatrical cinema lands as studios lean on event films to sustain the 2026 rebound, and "Digger" — his first drama-only lead in years — tests whether his draw travels outside action franchises. His six-hour video mentorship of Powell also reframes his intensity as deliberate generational craft-building, not ego, at a moment when Hollywood needs to recruit younger moviegoers.
Ask SkimNews
