Tom Cruise Isn’t Slowing Down His Career at 64: ‘There’s Always Another Mountain’ (Exclusive)

Bailey Richards, Scott HuverTue, September 29, 2026 at 4:56 PM UTC

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Tom Cruise at the ‘Digger’ L.A. premiere at Directors Village on Sept. 28Credit: Chloe Kern/WireImage -

Tom Cruise shares how he picks his next movie projects with PEOPLE at the L.A. premiere of his latest film, Digger, on Sept. 28

His reflections on his career were sparked as he recalled Paul Newman being his current age, 64, while filming The Color of Money

Cruise also cited other filmmakers who’ve influenced him and raved about working with Alejandro González Iñárritu on Digger

For Tom Cruise, there’s always another adventure on the horizon.

The 64-year-old actor premiered his latest project, Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s ambitious new satire Digger, in Los Angeles’ Directors Village on Monday, Sept. 28.

Speaking with PEOPLE at the premiere, Cruise recalled working with one of his former collaborators — the late Paul Newman.

Cruise and Newman, who died at age 83 in 2008, starred together in Martin Scorsese‘s 1986 drama The Color of Money. At that time, Newman was arriving at a similar stage in his life and career that Cruise finds himself in today.

“I was his age,” Cruise told PEOPLE of his late costar. “When we were making [The Color of Money], I’m his age. He turned 64, I think, on the movie.”

Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in ‘The Color Of Money’Credit: Touchstone Pictures/Getty

When asked what he continues to take from his collaboration and friendship with Newman, Cruise said his experiences working with the actor and other heavy hitters affect how he looks “at what I feel about art, what I feel about life, what I feel about movies, certain things and goals that I had as a kid that I dreamed of in terms of the kind of movies.”

“And it’s not just action or this kind of film,” theTop Gun star, who’s spent much of the past decade playing blockbuster action heroes, continued. “I’ve spent my life really absorbing humanity and being part of humanity, wanting to reflect that through cinema and understanding people and studying different genres, whether it’s horror or thrillers.”

Cruise then cited another one of his collaborators, whom he posed with for photos at the Digger premiere — Michael Mann, the director of his 2004 action thriller, Collateral.

“Or you look at what tonight I have so many friends here, with Michael Mann, to be able to make Collateral, and just the transitions through the decades of making cinema,” Cruise told PEOPLE. “So to be here, I just feel it to be a great privilege.”

Tom Cruise in ‘Digger’Credit: Warner Bros

Despite collaborations with greats like Newman, Iñárritu, Mann and more under his belt and teaming up with others like Anne Hathaway — they’re starring together in a new Days of Thunder film coming out in 2028 — on the horizon, Cruise said he is always looking forward.

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As he continues to make films, the star told PEOPLE “there’s always another mountain” and “always a new adventure.”

“So that’s what I look for,” Cruise concluded.

In the present, meanwhile, Cruise is promoting Digger — the latest, star-studded film from The Revenant and Birdman director Iñárritu, which has been met with split reviews from critics.

The film’s story remains largely a mystery ahead of its impending release. Per a plot synopsis on IMDb, the satire follows “the most powerful man in the world” after he “causes a disaster and embarks on a mission to prove that he is the savior of humanity.”

Along with Cruise, Digger‘s ensemble includes Riz Ahmed as a scientist, Sandra Hüller as Digger’s half-sister and business partner, John Goodman as the U.S. president, Michael Stuhlbarg as the vice president and Jesse Plemons in a mysterious role.

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While introducing the film at the L.A. premiere on Monday, Cruise said it was long “a dream of mine to be able to work with” the director, and was “grateful” it happened. “I can’t wait for you to see this movie. I’m not going to give anything away,” he told the audience, before adding of Iñárritu, “You are a master, master filmmaker.”

Cruise also looked back at his career while addressing the crowd, stating, “I just remember being 15 years old and making my first films of Taps or Risky Business. But to be standing here today, to be able to make this kind of film, this community with these artists, I got to say this cast is just, they’re absolutely extraordinary.”

Digger hits theaters, including IMAX screens, on Oct. 2.

on People

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