Tom Cruise on GQ Cover: 'The Rumors Are True'

Tom Cruise, 64, has returned to the cover of GQ for the first time in nearly twenty years. The October issue came out on Tuesday, September 16, Telegraf reports, while Variety has published parts of the extensive interview the actor gave for the occasion.

Mario Sorrenti shot the cover, a black and white photo showing the actor in an unbuttoned shirt and Levi’s jeans. GQ writer Zach Baron conducted the interview ahead of the promotional push for Digger, a black comedy from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu in which Cruise plays a wealthy oil magnate. The film opens in American theaters, including IMAX screens, on October 2. According to Variety, it marks Cruise’s first leading role outside the action genre in years, and the actor is said to be optimistic about the film’s chances of reaching audiences in what has been a strong year for box office recovery. Notably, Cruise himself surprised the public earlier this year when he completely transformed his signature look for Digger, appearing with gray hair, wrinkles and a stomach, a far cry from the man now on the cover of GQ.

In the conversation with GQ, Cruise also addressed his reputation as a demanding presence on film sets, and he did not deny it.

“I demand a lot, and I’m upfront about it. The rumors are true,” Cruise said in the interview for GQ.

He explained that he warns every collaborator in advance about how committed he is to the work, but that this does not mean he is closed off to collaboration. “When something interests me, I want to learn it. I want to understand it,” the actor said. He added that he has no issue with how the film industry is changing. “I have nothing against cable television, TV or Netflix. I think that’s great,” Cruise told GQ, adding that he still loves the theatrical experience most, when people gather in the same room to watch a film together.

Cruise also revealed that he keeps his phone as far from himself as possible, both on set and off, and that he would rather talk in person than read long messages. He mentioned once sending his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powell a six-hour video explaining the history of film and everything he has learned about the craft over his career.

The cover photo, however, drew mixed reactions from social media users. Part of the audience feels the actor refuses to accept his age, while others simply found the look unusual.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but this photo deeply unsettles me,” one user wrote on X.

There were sharper comments as well. “They set him up for the humiliation of the decade,” one comment read, while another user told Cruise to slow down given his age.

The criticism was not limited to the photo. Part of the audience noticed that when Baron asked Cruise about his private life, he mostly avoided direct answers and steered the conversation elsewhere, a contrast to the portion of the interview focused on his work, where he was noticeably more open.

The actor also described for GQ what he is like away from a film set, saying he almost never rests, instead using his free time to prepare for his next role. Digger hits theaters in exactly two weeks, on October 2, and it will be the first test of whether this new, more serious Tom Cruise can repeat the success he has had in action roles.