Tom Cruise on Why He Keeps Taking On New Challenges: "Something That Will Live Through Time"
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At the Japan premiere of DIGGER, held on the KK Line (the former Tokyo Expressway) in Ginza, Tom Cruise spoke briefly with an interviewer about what keeps him pursuing new challenges as a filmmaker and why the theatrical experience matters to him. A second interviewee also described a standout moment from the shoot. Across his answers, Cruise said he measures his work by whether it lasts, not by box office or fame.
Making Films That Audiences Will Watch Forever
The interviewer asked what taking on new challenges means to Cruise. He said it is simply how he makes films and how he dreams of making them. Growing up, he watched many films from the past, and that experience shaped his ambition: he wants to make movies that audiences will keep watching forever.
He called himself fortunate to still be working to develop his skills well enough to reach that goal. He explicitly rejected two common measures of success. "For me, it's not about opening weekend. For me, it's not about being famous," he said. "For me, it is the love of this art form." What matters to him, he explained, is how he makes a film. He gives it everything he has so that it becomes something lasting that "will live through time." He said, "That's what I work for."
The Collective Experience of the Theater
When the interviewer said they love watching movies in theaters, Cruise agreed and said he likes watching films with everyone around him. Asked how important the cinema experience is to him, he described the appeal of sitting in a theater where each person has their own experience while also sharing a collective one. He compared it to live performances and concerts, which he also enjoys.
Cruise said he makes films for theaters and for audiences. He acknowledged that his films will also be seen later in other ways. Still, he pointed to how rich a film is on the big screen and said, "That's why I make it."
The interviewer then said they had been doing this job for eight years, that the meeting was a dream come true, and that Cruise was their role model. Cruise thanked them for their time.
A Ten-Minute Monologue at the Center of DIGGER
The interviewer also asked whether any moment during the filming of DIGGER had genuinely blown them away. The person answering this question speaks about Cruise in the third person, so it is not Cruise himself, and the transcript does not identify who it is. They pointed to a centerpiece of the film: a monologue of about ten minutes delivered by Cruise's character.
They described the scene as very challenging and complicated. They predicted that audiences will be surprised at how Cruise carries it off with a strong, powerful performance. For them, the striking part of watching the scene was seeing Cruise's skill and "the power of communication of Tom."
Pop it, Caleb.
So, in positive coaching between the movies for the audience, what does taking on the new challenges mean to you?
Always. What I like to do, my way that I make films, and I dream of making films. When I was growing up, I watched many movies from in the past, and I want to make a movie that audiences will watch forever.
So, I'm very fortunate that I'm trying to learn my skills well enough so that I... For me, it's not about opening weekend. For me, it's not about being famous. For me, it is the love of this art form.
So, what is important for me is how I make it, and I give it everything that I have, and create something that will be lasting for audiences and will live through time. So, that's what I work for.
I love watching movies in movie theaters.
Me too. Me too. I like watching with everyone. That's how I like seeing movies.
What does it mean to you, sort of experiencing cinema and movie theaters? How important for you is it?
I think it's... I love it. I just love that experience being in a theater with everyone experiencing something, and we're each having our own experience, but it's a collective experience.
So, I enjoy live performance, I enjoy concerts, I make movies for theaters and for audiences. Yes, I know they're going to be seen later, but when you see a film on the big screen, how rich it is. That's why I make it.
So, that's why I'm doing this job for eight years. This is a dream come true. You are my role model. Thanks so much for having...
Thank you for your time.
Was there any specific moment during the filming of Digger that genuinely blew you away?
There's a centerpiece that is a monologue that he has, 10 minutes in the movie, and that monologue, it was very challenging. And I think the people will be very surprised to see how he pulls off that very complicated scene with a very strong, powerful performance. So, it was striking to see the skills and the power of communication of Tom.
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