‘Digger’ Star Tom Cruise Brings Back His Iconic ‘Risky Business’ Dance, and the Internet Can’t Get Enough
Few movie moments are as instantly recognizable as Tom Cruise sliding across a hardwood floor in a dress shirt, socks and sunglasses. The scene from 1983’s ‘Risky Business’ helped turn him into a movie star. This week, he brought it back in a very different setting.
The moment came during a stop on the press tour for ‘Digger’, his new film from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Cruise appeared on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and the show’s famous Spirit Tunnel turned into a reunion with his most famous dance. The result went viral almost immediately.
For the uninitiated, the Spirit Tunnel is a pre-show segment where staff line a hallway at Warner Bros.’ Studio 1 and sing a customized song to welcome each celebrity guest to the stage. NPR has described it as a backstage ritual and a viral sensation. The segment has become a barometer for a celebrity’s cultural status.
When Cruise stepped out of his dressing room, the staff greeted him wearing black sunglasses and singing a remix of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll.” The song is the same track Cruise danced to in ‘Risky Business’, where a 20-year-old Cruise slides across the floor in his underwear and a shirt. The producers tweaked the lyrics to reference his status as a cinema legend.
Cruise quickly committed to the bit. Variety reports that he pulled out his own black sunglasses, danced along and even pulled some staffers in to join him. The outlet joked that some of his hand claps were off-beat, but that Cruise was just as gleefully game as he is when doing his own stunts in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies.
The 64-year-old star clearly knew what he was signing up for. Hudson said she invited him after meeting him at the World Cup final this summer, and Cruise told her he watches the show. The show’s Instagram teased that the internet was not ready for Cruise, and the clip racked up reactions quickly.
The hallway was packed. TheWrap reported that the tunnel drew a record number of participants, and one fan commented that the only other time they recalled it being that full was when Michelle Obama visited. Another commenter said that Cruise appearing on the show elevated it to a new level.
On air, Cruise joked that staff had to pull him out of the tunnel because he wanted to dance with more people. He also said that anyone who cannot enjoy the Spirit Tunnel is not alive. Entertainment Tonight noted that he stayed focused on the dancing staffers, which fans praised as a sign of how much he commits to his audience.
Hudson also asked Cruise about the original ‘Risky Business’ scene. He said he remembers shooting it and recalls every frame. He credited director Paul Brickman for giving him the opening, and joked that he used to dance around in his underwear as a kid, so it came naturally.
‘Risky Business’ also starred Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Curtis Armstrong, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur and Raphael Sbarge. The film earned Cruise his first Golden Globe nomination. Its dance scene remains one of the most imitated and parodied moments in movie history.
The episode had one more dance moment. Hudson brought out actress Debbie Allen, and the pair recreated a clip that went viral in November 2025, which showed Allen and Cruise dancing together at a party at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. It was a playful reminder of how much Cruise likes to move.
The appearance comes as ‘Digger’ reaches theaters. The film is a satirical black comedy in which Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a Texas oil tycoon involved in an ecological disaster. He described the role to Hudson as an outrageous departure from his usual work.
The film’s commercial outlook has been rocky. Variety projected a domestic opening of just $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 screens, and some critics have been harsh. That makes a viral, joyful moment like the Spirit Tunnel clip a valuable piece of promotion.
Whatever happens at the box office, the clip shows that Cruise still has the charm that made him a star. For many viewers, watching him slide back into the ‘Risky Business’ groove is a reminder of why audiences fell for him in the first place.
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