Overview
- Cruise gave a six-minute monologue that drew spontaneous applause from the BAFTA audience on Monday as he warned that technology cannot replace human artistry.
- He said “there is nothing like human” and argued that audiences “want to see real things,” framing theaters as a distinct art form that brings people together.
- The comments were made while Cruise promoted Digger, which Warner Bros. has scheduled for wide theatrical release on Oct. 2 and which he called one of his most original and moving films.
- Cruise described his physical transformation for Digger, noting heavy prosthetics and a fat suit that initially took about six hours to apply, and cited his work with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki.
- The speech builds on Cruise’s earlier public calls for performer and craftspeople protections around AI during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA talks and signals that studios and talent may push a premium, theater-first strategy going forward.