Did Tom Cruise Sell Out to Progressive Hollywood for Nothing?
Red State superstar goes all-in on Climate Change while 'Digger' fades
Tom Cruise isn’t a conservative, as far as we know. He may not be a liberal, either.
He’s a Movie Star. Period. End of story. And that’s the way he likes it.
The A-lister learned to keep his private life private after a series of brutal interviews 20-odd years ago. He celebrated his romance with actress Katie Holmes by jumping on Oprah Winfrey’s couch. He also locked horns with NBC’s Matt Lauer over psychiatric drugs.
Both events happened in 2005.
Cruise later licked his wounds and went back to being a Movie Star. And it’s worked out beautifully for him and us.
“Top Gun: Maverick” proved it. He was the rare superstar who didn’t lecture us on illegal immigration, ICE or other red-hot button issues. His movies put entertainment first. No sucker punches aimed at the Heartland.
But boy, does he crave an Oscar, apparently.
Cruise signed up to play the lead character in “Digger,” Oscar-winner Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film. He’s Digger Rockwell, a cranky oil tycoon whose handiwork has caused an ecological disaster.
On the surface, it appears to be another Climate Change screed, the kind progressive Hollywood adores. That’s precisely the kind of film Cruise avoids.
He’s an entertainer, not a TED Talk type. But there’s a problem with that approach.
All the “Mission: Impossible” movies in the world won’t give him a Best Actor trophy. So now, he’s on a major media blitz (by his standards) to promote a movie with huge Oscar potential.
On paper.
“Digger” is starting to screen for professional critics, and the early responses aren’t good. Now, the typical “First Reaction” stories should be treated with a grain of salt. They’re almost always positive and rarely reflect a film’s quality.
Even “Supergirl” flew high, briefly, thanks to early word of mouth “reactions.” These First Reactions angles only matter if said reactions are mixed to poor.
The First Reactions to “Digger” are mixed to poor.
Digger: watching Alejandro González Iñárritu try to construct a joke is like watching Frank Gehry try to draw a straight line.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) September 22, 2026
It gets worse.
The early reviews confirm “Digger” is yet another Message Movie About Climate Change. We’ve seen dozens of them over the years, including the “Avatar” mega-franchise. And they collectively have yet to move the needle on the topic with the general public.
“Digger” likely won’t change that. Early reviews suggest that it tries its darndest.
DIGGER is an ambitious film sure to polarize audiences.
Tom Cruise gives an INCREDIBLE performance filled with energy. The movie is a warning about climate change and the people in power who refuse to stop it.
The stakes end up feeling much lower than they should, and you don’t… pic.twitter.com/XtERYp89V6
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) September 22, 2026
Digger’s speech defending oil while everyone hates on him is lowkey the best part of DIGGER and he gets the Col. Jessep award from me
— Kyle Smith (@rkylesmith) September 23, 2026
We expect Message Movies from most Hollywood actors. But Cruise?
Et tu, Tom?
He prides himself on entertainment first and foremost, so when he embraces a politically-charged movie in such a heavy-handed manner feels like a betrayal.
A betrayal that may backfire.
Early screenings find the film’s Oscar chances falling. Cruise may still get a Best Actor nomination, but a win is very far from the lock many assumed. Plus, the film’s modest box office predictions are in free fall.
Up until recently, “Digger” was staring down a $19 million opening weekend. That’s not good given the film’s budget (a number under serious debate, but one that starts at $125 million). This week’s crush of poor early reviews are sinking those numbers.
Box Office Theory has “Digger” opening to an anemic $10 million., according to analysis from the valuable World of Reel. And almost all the critics agree that this won’t be a populist hit by any stretch.
Movies don’t require huge box office numbers to snag Oscar nominations. But it helps. A box office disaster does just the opposite.
Cruise may have wanted an Oscar so badly he betrayed his brand to get it. Now, he might have to wait until next year – or even further down the road – for that special night to arrive.
The fact that you wrote this :
“He’s a Movie Star. Period. End of story. And that’s the way he likes it.”
Shows that you know NOTHING. He is NOT a “Movie Star” that is is JOB, he is a PERSON with POLITICAL VIEWS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. Moron conservatives ADOPT people and IMPART QUALITIES AND AFFILIATIONS TO THEM BASED ON FICTIONAL CHARACTERS THEY PLAY.
YOU DID IT WITH THE MORON WHO PLAYS “REACHER” NOW Alan Ritchson! How’d that work out for you?
YOU DON’T KNOW WHY TOM CRUISE IS DOING ANYTHING. HE IS THE LEADER OF A FAKE CHURCH THAT WORSHIPS THE DEVIL, That’s how STUPID you are. Google this: THE TESTIMONY OF L.RON.HUBBARD JR who’ll tell you what SCIENTOLOGY IS REALLY ALL ABOUT. That’s how DUMB ALL OF YOU ARE. in fact here you’re tool lazy to look it up so I’ll show you.
“His mother Polly told him that his father made repeated attempts to invoke the Devil for power and practices: “My mother told me about him trying out all kinds of various incantations, drugs and hypnosis… His initials for it were PDH — pain, drugs, hypnosis. The use of PDH, coupled with black magic, was an effective for brainwashing or mind control. You’ll see throughout early Scientology literature, ‘PDH.’””
https://antidianetics.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/the-testimony-of-l-ron-hubbard-jr-7-may-1934-16-september-1991/
I respect Tom Cruise’s approach and consistent work as an actor and self-made PR man. That said, Digger is lining up to be a third straight underperforming film for him (M:I 7 & 8) struggled. I think we need to reevaluate Top Gun: Maverick as more of a product of people being just fed up with Covid restrictions than wanting to see Tom Cruise do Tom Cruise things.
no not really everyone is both sick and tired of him, he needs to retire.
I have never been a huge Cruise fan, but I do admire his discipline and work ethic and his limited willingness to take chances, like the Les Grossman role. That said, in the same way Brad Pitt is a character actor trapped in the body and face of a leading man, Cruise is a leading man trapped in the body of a boy from a privileged background. The same aspects of his physicality — no beard, no wrinkles, no gravel in his voice — that made him very bankable as a newcomer have got in the way later. I don’t doubt his masculinity or his sincerity, I think it is just a matter of presence, maybe gravitas is the word I am looking for. Ladd and Cagney were little guys, but you felt they were hard and resolute. Cruise can act that way, but it doesn’t feel right, it feels like he already knows how the story ends, so there is no anxiety or fear in him. He feels clever rather than brave. Bogart and Cruise are the same height, but onscreen Bogart was much more substantial, heavier, thicker, denser. Cruise does not present onscreen enough weight or seriousness, there is not enough danger in him, and I don’t think there is a way to train or act your way past that, but I give him credit for trying.
no not really he will never tired.
We need oil. We don’t need actors.
I wonder if they hit us with the “we only have 10 years left” talking point.
20 years ago they told us we only had 10 years left. 10 years ago they told us we only have 10 years left. Today they’re telling us we only have 10 years left.
Why 10 years? My guess is that they focus-grouped various numbers and determined that was the most effective strategy. If it’s more than 10 years, people would figure we still have plenty of time and put it off. If it’s less than 10 years people would be skeptical and suspect they’re getting played. 10 years, apparently, is the sweet spot.
See: Bill Burr.
I admire Cruise the actor, and have enjoyed many of his movies. The trailer to this had me slack-jawed, and I don’t think I finished it. Seems like a terrible choice for him, and by him.
don’t matter Cruise is not really movie star since In the past,new actors are the new movie stars now, they’re still better than him and others too as well now.
It might be worth watching for the pro-oil speech. The irony is we still need oil. They can’t use oil to defeat their opponents while complaining about the high prices that they ensure will happen.