Exclusive interview with director of "Diggers" Aliandro Gonzalez Inarritu:
[Reporter Xu Shiying/Taipei-London Connection Exclusive Interview] "Tom Cruise" Tom Cruise completely subverted his image in the new film "The Digger" by Oscar-winning director Ariandro González Inarritu. In the film, he gave a 10-minute monologue that even made Inarritu look dumbfounded and praised that moment as a "miracle". The first collaboration between the two seemed like a dream, and Iñárritu also personally revealed what "irresistible offer" he offered to impress Tom. In fact, there is only one answer: "It was the script itself."
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Director Ariandro González Inari gave an exclusive interview to this newspaper for "Diggers". (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
The relationship between the two can even be traced back to Iñárritu's first film "Love is a Dog". Iñárritu revealed that Tom Cruise was deeply shocked after watching the movie and even screened the work in his home. "He didn't know me at all at that time and never asked me to do anything. He just loved movies."
Tom Cruise has been following Iñárritu’s directing career since then, and the two finally met officially in 2011. Iñárritu said that the two have always admired each other's work over the years. "We like each other, so it was a very suitable time to work together." But he didn't expect that it would take more than ten years for the collaboration to come true.
Director Ariandro Gonzalez Inarritu (second from right) collaborated with Tom Cruise for the first time in "Diggers" and praised his perfect performance. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
"Diggers" began to take shape about 10 years ago. Iñárritu recalled that although the movie had the same story at that time, the treatment was completely different from today. He met with Tom in Los Angeles and showed him a lot of research materials and images. "He was very excited and decided to join."
Unfortunately, the film was later affected by budget, schedule and other issues, and the entire project fell through. Iñárritu switched to filming "The Poet". It wasn't until he returned to "The Digger" many years later that he found Tom Cruise again. In 2024, Tom even asked him to "read the new version of the script to himself" in person.
Director Ariandro Gonzalez Inarritu (left) described being on the set of "Diggers" as the most laugh-filled time he's ever had. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
Iñárritu laughed and said that Tom Cruise was "completely shocked" after listening to it, and even sat on his chair as excitedly as a child. He had actually long ago determined that Tom Cruise was suitable to play the leading role in the film. "I have always known that he would be a great and perfect partner for this role."
When faced with a superstar like Tom Cruise, what kind of "irresistible conditions" must be offered to convince him to take the role? Iñárritu replied with a smile: "The condition he couldn't refuse was the script itself." He believed that what Cruise really fell in love with was the concept, story and script of the movie. Although there are many sharp issues in the film, the opposite was true on set. Iñárritu even laughed and said: "I have never laughed as much as I did this time on any set!"
Talking about Tom Cruise's 10-minute monologue in the film, Iñárritu still can't hide his excitement. He said frankly that he could hardly believe what was happening in front of him, "because any second, any mistake that may occur, or even just one screw, may ruin the entire scene."
Oscar-winning director Aliandro Gonzalez Inarritu recently attended the world premiere of "Diggers". (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
This scene was shot in a long shot. In addition to Tom Cruise having to complete a large number of lines, the camera movement, positioning and a large number of extras also had to be fully coordinated. "If you miss the mark, hesitate, say a word that is not in the script, or pronounce a word incorrectly, problems may arise." Iñárritu said that even a faster or slower pace, or even an extra glance at the camera, could cause the entire shot to fail.
"Every atomically tiny element in this scene was perfectly in place. It's really amazing." Iñárritu described the difficulty of filming as "micro-acupuncture". All the links affected each other, but in the end they were all in place at the same time like a clock running accurately. "It's really incredible to be able to see that moment happen with your own eyes."
He even directly called the moment when Tom Cruise completed the scene a "miracle." Although the crew rehearsed extensively in advance and everyone tried their best, Iñárritu admitted that there are parts of the movie that are beyond control. "Sometimes, even if you have done your best, that moment may not happen. But when it does happen, I can only say that it is a very worthwhile reward."
Although the filming process made Iñárritu laugh happily, for him, "funny" never meant being casual. Instead, like the 10-minute long scene in the film, it was based on extremely precise control. "Humor is a serious thing, and for humor to really work, you need to be very precise."
From a difficult monologue that couldn't make any mistakes, to a group of actors laughing non-stop on the set, the seemingly absurd and crazy world of "Diggers" is actually the result of repeated rehearsals and precise calculations. It was during this creative process that Iñárritu finally waited for the "miracle" he called it, making the story that had been in preparation for more than 10 years come true, and also allowing him and Tom Cruise, who had admired each other for more than 20 years, to finally complete their first collaboration.
"The Digger" is now in theaters across Taiwan!
