Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise returned to Seoul on October 1 for “Digger,” arriving in Korea for his 13th visit and promoting a film that takes him far away from the familiar action-hero image audiences have come to expect.
The new movie, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, places Cruise in the role of Digger Rockwell, an eccentric billionaire whose drilling operation in Greenland sets off a chain of events that develops into a global catastrophe.
But the disaster is only part of the story.
Tom Cruise Looks Almost Unrecognizable
For “Digger,” Cruise undergoes a dramatic physical transformation, appearing with gray hair, aging makeup and a very different body shape from the athletic action roles that have defined much of his recent career.
The transformation is central to the character.
Rather than playing another highly capable action hero, Cruise portrays Rockwell as an aging, stubborn billionaire whose decisions become increasingly entangled with a disaster threatening the wider world.
Cruise said the character was unlike anything he had previously encountered in a script, which was one of the reasons he wanted to take on the project.
A Small Crack Becomes a Global Disaster
“Digger” begins with a seemingly contained problem at Rockwell’s drilling facility on the Greenland ice sheet.
A small crack eventually develops into a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, forcing the characters to confront the consequences of decisions made before the disaster spirals beyond control.
The film combines disaster elements with dark comedy and a story focused on human behavior.
Cruise has described the movie as being about human nature, while the story also explores themes involving environmental consequences, greed and human mistakes.
Cruise Wanted Something Completely Different
The actor said working with Iñárritu was a major attraction.
Cruise praised the director as an extraordinary filmmaker and said the opportunity to portray a character he had never encountered before pushed him into unfamiliar creative territory.
The film was written by Iñárritu with Oscar-winning collaborators Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolás Giacobone, along with Sabina Berman, with the story credited to Berman, Iñárritu and Jez Butterworth.
Iñárritu was originally expected to accompany Cruise during the Korea visit but was unable to attend because of personal circumstances. Cruise conveyed the director’s regret at missing the Seoul event.
Why Cruise’s Korea Return Is Drawing Attention
Cruise’s latest Seoul appearance marks his 13th visit to South Korea, a milestone that has received considerable attention from Korean entertainment media.
His previous Korea visit came in connection with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” and his repeated appearances in the country have made him a particularly familiar Hollywood figure to Korean movie audiences.
This time, however, the conversation surrounding Cruise is less about spectacular action sequences and more about how dramatically he has changed his screen persona.
“Digger” Heads to Korean Theaters
“Digger” is scheduled to open in South Korean theaters on October 3. The film stars Cruise alongside Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
The official film materials describe the story as the journey of a powerful man attempting to prove he can save humanity after unleashing a disaster of his own making.
For Cruise, the project represents a noticeable departure from the roles that have dominated his recent career.
And as Korean audiences prepare to see “Digger,” the biggest mystery is no longer whether Tom Cruise can carry another blockbuster — it is what audiences will make of the radically different man underneath the familiar Hollywood superstar image.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
