If you’ve ever heard any kind of rumor or story about Tom Cruise’s intensity on a movie set, just know, it’s true. In fact, the actor himself says he warns new colleagues about that when they start working together.
Cruise admitted as much in a new interview with GQ, published on Tuesday morning. It’s a rare long-form sit-down with the actor, in which he reflects on his career, how he decides on new projects, and more. During the conversation, he zeroed in on his approach to making films, and noted that he’s always seeking as much information as possible, and devoted to getting it exactly right.
“Look, I work hard, and people that work with me, they know,” Cruise said. “I expect a lot and I’m up-front about it. It’s like: ‘The rumors are true. And do you want this?’”
“We’re there. I’m like, ‘Trust me, the rumors are true. I’ll be here before you. What experience do you want?’” he added. “And I’m very open. It’s not like we don’t have a plan. We have scripts, we have plans, we’re going through it. But I also feel that level of responsibility for—I guess, for everyone.”
The actor admitted that he’s been intense since he was a kid, and would even get called out for it then. But, he embraced that.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to say. I am intense,’” he said with a laugh. “I got a very good sense of humor about it, but it was like: When I’m interested in something, I want to learn it. I want to understand it.”
At the moment, Cruise’s intensity is being channeled into “Digger,” his next film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. According to Cruise, it’s his “most challenging character ever,” and “it’s not even close.”
“Digger” hits theaters on October 2.
