Courtney Howard // Film Critic
Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu has been exciting and entertaining cinephiles for a few decades now, starting with the groundbreaking release of AMORES PERROS. Since that time, he’s explored the human condition put up against challenging extenuating circumstances in films like 21 GRAMS, BABEL, BIUTIFUL, THE REVENANT, BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) and BARDO: FALSE CHRONICLES OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS. Yet with his latest filmmaking masterclass DIGGER – a satirical dark dramedy centered on wealthy tycoon Digger Rockwell on a mission to save the world from a cataclysmic disaster he caused – we’re promised a bigger, bolder and perhaps broader feature than ever before.
The superstar he chose to play his titular antihero Digger Rockwell is none other than “Mr. President of the Movies” himself, Tom Cruise (who also produces) – and his rousing, invigorating 40+ year career retrospective reel speaks for itself. Take a look.
A larger-than-life character deserves a larger-than-life Movie Star helping to orchestrate the script’s carefully crafted tonal notes.
At DIGGER’s recent Exclusive Trailer Launch Event held inside the Steven J. Ross Theater on the history-rich Warner Brothers Lot in Burbank, Iñárritu (via a taped introduction since he was in London finishing the sound mix) and Cruise (in person!) shared a few details with us journalists about the film’s making of and how the pair will deliver movie-making magic to the masses – in addition to debuting the bonkers, brilliant and absolutely wild trailer. Iñárritu memorably wrapped his portion of the presentation saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself, because Mother Nature loves motherfuckers. This is DIGGER. Let’s play.”
It Took 10 Years For Iñárritu to Bring DIGGER to the Silver Screen
The affable filmmaker said, “It was just after THE REVENANT when I had an idea – not script, not a film – just a relentless recurring obsession, that has endured through all these wild years. I knew who this character was. I knew how he spoke, how he survived, how he seduced reality into agreeing with him. But it took me 10 years to do this film, because I wasn’t looking for a story. I was looking for the right way of saying it.” He continued, “It’s absurd, it’s dangerous, but certainly comedic, because the source of great comedy is tragedy. 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.”
Who is Digger Rockwell?
Iñárritu described him as, “Charming. He’s funny. He’s impossible not to watch. Like all the most dangerous people, he makes you want to agree with you.” Cruise vibed with the musicality of his character and that served as the jump off point in his process. “There’s not one rhythm or comedy-fits-all, as we know. If you start to feel the musicality of the character, it has a rhythm, and it’s not a rhythm like anything else. You’re dialing it in. Alejandro understands music, and that’s the universal language that we’re all finding. I think further, ‘How do I prepare so that we have time to discover that rhythm?’ Everything that I’m doing in terms of training or language or dance, I’m going, ‘How do I prepare for these moments?’”
Choosing Tom Cruise to Play Digger Rockwell
Iñárritu explained how he selected Cruise to play the over-the-top role. “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 wanted to work together since the beginning of the century. I admired him as an actor for years. The surprise was discovering that the human being behind the actor was just as extraordinary as the performances I will see throughout his career.” He continued, “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 was equally sold on collaborating with Iñárritu: “The beauty of anyone in their field, they have a skilled eye for looking at something. Everything that he’s doing, it’s a discovery, and it’s surprising. He came to me, I guess now seven years ago, something like that, as he was developing 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 talented actor/ producer later added, “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. Let’s all do it.’ I have never had something that could challenge me in this way and neither has Alejandro when we went in, ever. And when you see this film, it’s totally original.”
Cruise is a True Collaborative Spirit
He said, “The director sets the frame and the lenses and the lighting. It’s really my favorite thing. Alejandro, he shows me, ‘I want you to look like this.’ 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?” Later he elucidated, “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, that is stuff that you find as you are learning how to communicate. You really have to understand the tools. 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.”
Cruise Has Always Had a Thirst for Knowledge
In terms of DIGGER, he stated, “The layers of filmmaking that are going on in this movie – just from the design of the film, to the performance of the film, to the development of the character and all the cast – they’re exceptional. It is discovering what is in that frame? What is the set? What is the humor? What’s igniting? Chivo and Alejandro, they knew each other since they made commercials together. I don’t know what the water was like when those guys were growing up. They’re remarkable.”
Cruise mentioned that he began observing what his colleagues in other departments on set were doing to achieve a film’s final look – beginning with cinematographer Owen Roizman on the set of TAPS – as a way to augment their brilliant work, but also elevate his own craft. And he was learning invaluable lessons. “He’s talking about lenses. He’s got to be thinking, ‘Yeah, this kids just asking me gazillion questions.’ And he’s telling me all these technical things and I was just trying to absorb what he was saying. Later on I realized it wasn’t just Owen Roizman and the knowledge that he had at that particular moment, but everyone that he learned from previously when he was the young guy loading the cameras, being there with the great masters and not so great masters. You learn from both.”
He reflected, “It’s kind of amazing to be here at this age. I think back to that kid on the set looking into different departments, and those people that were gracious enough to be able to share that knowledge, and I was like, ‘I know I don’t understand it now. One day I will understand it more,’ and I did. I feel fortunate. To be there off camera and see Paul Newman acting as Scorsese is directing him. I recognize how fortunate I was, just absorbing it.”
DIGGER is Shot on Glorious VisaVision
After seeing the camera they shot on displayed in the theater lobby, Iñárritu elucidated on its use, confirming, “We shot on VistaVision, because cinema deserves scale. We use a 1954-designed camera, and for the first time ever Chivo and I were allowed to mount on some new crazy wide vintage Leica lenses designed specifically for our film.” Cruise later added, “It’s not just shooting on VistaVision. It’s the development of the handmade lenses that we were able to make. It was wild seeing the lenses that they created to get this handcrafted look. You can see and feel the difference. Loading a camera in VistaVision, the sound of that film going through, I was like, ‘Just everyone quiet for a second. Let’s just hear it going through.’ It’s a beautiful thing. I love it.”
Tom Cruise Still Loves This Artform
Cruise said he still has the hunger for exceptional material. “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.’ You’re never there. It’s always the next dream, the love of this art form and the passion, it’s all encompassing.”
He provided a little background on his work perspective. “Since I was a kid I’ve traveled the world and I go and I watch movies with audiences, and I’m very curious about, ‘Do they feel the same way I do?’ I grew up in different places – ‘Do they feel the same way I feel?’ That’s the beauty of this art form, everyone has the things they like and their own taste. I tell people, ‘Learn these skills and go off and communicate your own stories.’ You don’t have to do it like I do. Do your thing.”
After Cruise’s discussion was over (and trust me, I could’ve listened to him talk for another hour about his experiences in the industry), we were allowed a few moments to chat one-on-one with him. I asked how he personally felt watching his career retrospective reel. He thought about it for a few seconds and answered sincerely, that he felt, “Gracious.” Still, it seems like we are truly the grateful ones, thanking him for continuing to do what he does so perfectly for our enjoyment, putting his entire body and being on the line.
DIGGER is only in theaters and IMAX on October 2.
