Tom Cruise presented his latest film ‘Digger’ to a packed audience in London on Tuesday night, with Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales among the high-profile guests at the world premiere, says Variety.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the satirical black comedy features Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon whose actions set him on a race to prove himself humanity’s saviour before the catastrophe he has caused destroys everything.
The Leicester Square premiere also served as this year’s Royal Film Performance, an event organised by The Film and TV Charity. Members of the British royal family traditionally attend the event, with proceeds supporting the charity.
The entire Leicester Square area was transformed for the occasion, with film-inspired installations lining the red carpet. Among the displays were an Arctic Ocean-themed backdrop, Digger’s prized shovel and enlarged images of Cruise in character, including pictures featuring his character’s old cat, Maggie.
William and Catherine arrived as the red carpet was nearing its close. The couple greeted the film’s cast, including Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.
They spent around 10 minutes speaking with Cruise and Iñárritu before entering the Odeon Luxe cinema together. Cruise reportedly had the royal couple laughing during their conversation.
Security was heightened for the occasion, with royal guards positioned inside the venue. The King’s band greeted William and Catherine with a trumpet rendition of ‘God Save the King’ as the audience stood.
During the stage presentation, Cruise thanked the Prince and Princess of Wales for attending and supporting the event.
“We want to thank the royal highnesses for supporting this event, and just to tell them that we love them and we really appreciate what they do for the arts, for this country and for the world,” he said.
The actor also praised The Film and TV Charity, producer Mary Parent and Iñárritu. He described Parent as “absolutely brilliant” before expressing his admiration for the director and his body of work.
“Alejandro,” Cruise said, “you are one of one, and I have so admired your films from the very first one. And to have the opportunity to work with you has been one of the great dreams of mine and a pleasure.”
Cruise added that the character created by Iñárritu was unlike anything he had encountered before, praising the filmmaker’s creativity.
The actor has been promoting ‘Digger’ extensively in recent weeks. His appearances have included GQ, ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and the ‘New Heights’ podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce.
On Monday night, Cruise also spoke at the BAFTA headquarters in London about the future of filmmaking and artificial intelligence. He argued that audiences would continue to value human skill and craftsmanship despite the growing use of AI.
“You know, it is coming and it’s going to happen,” Cruise said of AI. “But people want to see real things.”
He added, “People want that experience. They’re going to movie theaters. I always believe in humanity.”
‘Digger’ will open in cinemas on 2 October through Warner Bros. Pictures.
