"Is this really Tom Cruise?" Stripped forehead, white hair, protruding belly — radical transformation in 'Digger'

*This content was translated by AI.

Transformed to the point of being "barely recognizable," playing a greedy oil chaebol; first non-franchise film in 10 years

Hollywood's iconic handsome actor Tom Cruise appears on screen in a completely different look, revealing a broad forehead, sparse white hair, and a protruding belly.

Alejandro González Iñárritu's new film 'Digger' released a new trailer on the 10th (Korean time), drawing renewed attention to Tom Cruise's radical transformation. The film will be released in Korea on October 3.

In the released trailer, Tom Cruise looks nothing like the version we know. His hair is thinning, exposing a broad forehead; remaining white strands are awkwardly swept back. Deep wrinkles and special makeup have been added to his face, emphasizing the heavy, aged impression typical of older men instead of his once-sleek jawline. A belly protruding over his shirt and a hunched posture complete the transformation.

In one scene, he wears an ornate cardigan with a serious expression; in another, blood trickles down his forehead while he wears a dazed look. Whether seated on a private jet or walking through a vast space, there is little trace of the young, agile action star that Tom Cruise once represented.

American ABC and Good Morning America described him as "barely recognizable," while AARP highlighted sparse gray hair, a heavier body type, and special makeup as key features of this transformation.

Mexican master director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who swept the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director with 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant,' and awarded Leonardo DiCaprio his first Best Actor Oscar, is behind the direction.

Tom Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a global oil chaebol. Possessing immense wealth and power, he finds himself in a position to save humanity when environmental disasters caused by his business push the entire planet into crisis — this time claiming to be the hero who will rescue mankind.

Yet this premise itself is classic Iñárritu-style black comedy: the very person who caused the disaster now positions himself as humanity's savior. Set against a backdrop where environmental catastrophe could escalate into nuclear war, the film distorts power and human self-centeredness.

It is not just his appearance that has changed. In this film, Tom Cruise adopts a thick Southern accent and transforms into an eccentric billionaire who deeply cherishes Goyang cats. The production team indeed carried out extensive special makeup work to achieve Cruise's transformation.

For Cruise, 'Digger' is a special project even among his 40-year acting career. He previously stated while introducing the film, "It took me 40 years to step into Digger Rockwell's boots." Director Iñárritu also praised Cruise's transformation as "amazing." Cruise himself noted that this role represented a challenge unlike anything he had experienced in his acting career.

Notably, 'Digger' marks Tom Cruise's first non-franchise film since 2017's 'American Made.' Since then, he has focused primarily on massive franchises such as 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Top Gun.' This time, instead of playing a hero from a famous series, he chose to portray a ridiculous and greedy billionaire.

Most importantly, this project marks Cruise's first collaboration with director Iñárritu, whom he has long admired. Cruise revealed that he was deeply impressed after watching Iñárritu's 2000 film 'Amores Perros,' and it took approximately 25 years for the two to finally work together on a real project.

The film will be released in the United States on October 2 and will meet Korean audiences on October 3. Tom Cruise, who seemed destined to remain young forever, returns this time with the face of an eccentric, aged billionaire. It remains to be seen whether the actor who has always performed "impossible missions" himself will find new challenge in letting go of his star image.

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*This content was translated by AI.