Tom Cruise (64) Goes Black-and-White Suave for Hollywood Authentic as ‘Digger’ Hits Theaters

Tom Cruise has never been shy about stepping into the spotlight, but he has rarely been a fixture on the interview circuit. That makes the ‘Digger’ press tour feel different. Across GQ, television interviews and premieres, the actor has been more visible than usual, promoting a film that looks nothing like his usual blockbuster fare.

‘Digger’ reunites him with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu for a satirical black comedy. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon whose company causes a potential world-ending disaster, and the film opened in theaters on Oct. 2. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons co-star.

Tom Cruise photographed by Greg Williams for Hollywood Authentic. 📷 pic.twitter.com/H5PIa0sbnX

— Cinethology (@thecinethology) October 2, 2026

On release day, Cinethology shared new images of Cruise photographed by Greg Williams for Hollywood Authentic. The black-and-white portraits show him in dark sunglasses, one shot pushing them down his nose with a sly grin in a tuxedo and bow tie. The magazine cover places him beside the film’s title, with the words Tom Cruise and ‘Digger’ stacked in the corner.

Lindas fotos do Tom Cruise para a revista Hollywood Authentic.#tomcruise #diggermovie #cinema #movies
📸 gregwilliamsphotography pic.twitter.com/oZKhnQsL3C

— Tom Cruise Brasil | Fan page (@tcruisebrasil) October 2, 2026

It is a playful, old-Hollywood look for an actor who spent much of the film hidden under prosthetics. In the movie, Cruise abandons vanity to play a potbellied mogul with a thick Texas drawl and thinning hair. The physical transformation reportedly took six hours at first, before Cruise challenged the makeup team to get it down to one.

Williams is an English photographer and director who began as a war photographer before moving into high-profile editorial work. His portraits have appeared in Vogue Italia, GQ, Vanity Fair and Esquire. He is also the official photographer of BAFTA and has documented sets including ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Skyfall.’

This isn’t his first Cruise assignment for Hollywood Authentic. In May 2025, Williams photographed Cruise at Cannes for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,’ capturing him balancing on a chair in his suite at the Carlton hotel before walking the red carpet. The new shoot continues a visual partnership that treats Cruise as the last true movie star.

The Hollywood Authentic images arrive after a full promotional run. Cruise appeared on the cover of GQ photographed by Mario Sorrenti, his first GQ cover in more than two decades, alongside a rare interview. He also premiered the film in London on Sept. 22 and Los Angeles on Sept. 28.

Cruise has also leaned into the film’s origin story. During production of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ in 2019, he rode his motorcycle from San Diego to Los Angeles overnight to meet Iñárritu, and a partnership was born. Cruise told ABC News the film is “a story about power, greed,” and he has described playing a character he had never seen before.

Iñárritu, meanwhile, has framed the movie as a bold swing at the times we live in. He told IndieWire that “we are living in a satire.” The film also features a 10-minute monologue from Cruise and was shot on VistaVision.

Unfortunately, the glossy images contrast sharply with the film’s opening-weekend prospects. ‘Digger’ earned just $1.2 million in Thursday previews, and one tracker now projects an opening under $10 million domestically. Reviews have been divided, with a Rotten Tomatoes score around 52%, making it Cruise’s first rotten film in nine years.

Cruise’s next project is already lined up. He is set to film ‘Days of Thunder 2’ in March 2027 opposite Anne Hathaway. Whether ‘Digger’ finds an audience through word of mouth or awards buzz remains to be seen, but for one day at least, the images show Cruise looking every bit the star.

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