Alejandro González Iñárritu Presents His Film ‘Digger’ Alongside Tom Cruise in Mexico
Por Miriam Gonzalez ·
After eleven years without releasing a film in Hollywood, Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu is premiering “Digger” in his home country, alongside American star Tom Cruise, who—after more than two decades without an Academy Award nomination—is vying for top honors for his portrayal of a fictional oil tycoon.
“It’s an honor to be in my country, with my fellow Mexicans. It’s very exciting; I’m so grateful for your warmth—it’s moving to see so many young people here. This film is made for you; it’s very absurd and very urgent, but above all, very human,” Iñárritu said during the film’s premiere in Mexico City.
It took more than nine years of working on his own and seven years in collaboration with Cruise to produce “Digger,” a political satire about the upper echelons of power around the world, from the political to the business world.
With this film, Cruise joins the list of actors who have worked with the Mexican director, such as Javier Bardem and Leonardo DiCaprio, who—after years of trying to win the Oscar for Best Actor—finally took home the statuette for *The Revenant* (2015).
Tom Cruise and Mexico United by the Movie ‘Digger’
“It’s time for us to come together in this story about this man (Cruise). It’s a privilege to work with him. He has shown us 46 years of talent in understanding humanity,” the five-time Oscar winner said of his first collaboration with the Hollywood star.
An oil spill at a drilling site in Greenland will make businessman Digger the only person capable of preventing a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions, although Digger does not seem particularly interested in saving the people affected—but rather in saving his company and his legacy.
Iñárritu’s return to Hollywood following his latest film shot in Mexico, *Bardo: A False Chronicle of a Few Truths* (2022), is seen as yet another attempt to win more Oscars and secure Cruise’s long-awaited first, despite the mixed reception in early reviews from the film press.
Surrounded by fans dressed as cowboys—like Digger—and mariachis who welcomed the 64-year-old actor, Cruise danced and celebrated his return to Mexico one year after premiering “Mission: Impossible—Fallout” at a massive event at the Auditorio Nacional.
“I’ve seen all of Alejandro’s films since ‘Amores Perros’ (2000), and being here with him was one of my dreams. This is a celebration of Mexico and this country’s culture, of its history. It’s a celebration of what this country—and Alejandro, too—have given to the world,” he said generously.
Once again, Cruise expressed his love for the country and its cuisine and recalled how “amazed” he has been by “its beauty” ever since he first visited Mexico in 1982.
Since then, “Tomás” Cruise—as Iñárritu likes to call his friend and colleague—has built relationships with Chilean chefs such as Santiago Lastra and has visited the country whenever he has been able to in order to present his films.
The Film’s Creative Process
The actor has worked with directors of the caliber of Stanley Kubrick and Francis Ford Coppola, and drawing on that experience, he hails Iñárritu as “one of the best in history” and acknowledges that both he and the Mexican director are “dreamers and passionate individuals” who know how to laugh at themselves.
“Every day on set was inspiring; sometimes I had such a hard time sleeping because I was so excited. He understands everything that this art form entails,” he revealed about the creative process behind ‘Digger’.
In addition to Cruise and Iñárritu, Mexican writer Sabina Berman, the film’s co-screenwriter, and actress Mercedes Hernández, who plays Digger’s maid, were present on the “orange” carpet, which lasted more than three hours while Cruise signed autographs for everyone in attendance, according to Agencia EFE.
Here you can see Tom Cruise’s visit to Mexico alongside director Alejandro González Iñárritu.