As you’ve probably heard – or seen – by now, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Digger is shrouded in mystery.
Here’s what the logline shares: “The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.”
The titular character is played by Tom Cruise, widely tipped for Oscar nominations with this performance, while the cast is rounded out by big names like John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, and rising Australian actress Sophie Wilde.
Local fans might know the Sydney-born Wilde from Stan drama, Eden, Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe or breakout Hollywood horror hit, Talk to Me, which earned her an AACTA Award.
Wilde accepting her AACTA Award in 2024. Image: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AFI
We can’t really talk about her role in Digger without giving spoilers away. As I sit down to talk to Wilde, who is on the promo trail in London, she opens up about the mystery surrounding the film, first revealing how she became involved.
“I auditioned. I did a tape initially with my friend,” she recalls. “I have such a distinct memory, because we did it in the afternoon, and then we were going to a rave in Marrickville! I just remember sitting at Bob Hawke Brewery trying to upload this tape, but there was no internet, and I’d filmed it in HD, so it wasn’t uploading.
“Then I had an audition with Alejandro and [Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki] a couple of months later, and then I got the call.”
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Here’s what Wilde knew going in – Iñárritu was directing, and Cruise was attached. That’s it.
“I didn’t have a script when I signed up!” she says. “But you don’t say no to Alejandro when Alejandro comes knocking. It was interesting to sign on to something with no conception of what the genre is, or the character, or really anything. You’re kind of taking a leap of faith. I’m so glad that I did.”
View this post on Instagram
At the very least, we can confirm that Wilde’s character gets plenty of screen time with Cruise.
In a recent interview, the Hollywood star admitted that he can be intense on set. “I expect a lot and I’m upfront about it,” he said. “It’s like: ‘The rumours are true. And do you want this?’ I’m like, ‘Trust me, the rumours are true. I’ll be here before you. What experience do you want?’”
But Wilde believes Cruise is being too harsh on himself and says that working alongside the screen legend was an “incredible” experience.
“He’s the greatest scene partner in the world,” she starts. “I think his intensity comes from his passion for the work, but I never felt an intensity being his co-star at all. If anything, I found him to be overwhelmingly supportive. We’d do a take, and he’d just start cheering afterwards. And I think as a young actor, that means the world, when your co-star is your biggest champion.
“I think he’s being too hard on himself when he says that. I didn’t get that at all from him.”
At just 28 years old, Wilde, who graduated from NIDA in 2019, has had some huge credits to her name. But with the stellar list of names in Digger – most of which in the main cast are Oscar winners or nominees – this is easily her biggest project to date.
And as she explains, she was very much aware she needed to take in the experience.
Cast and crew of ‘Digger’ at London premiere. Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images
“I think there’s this one memory that altered my brain chemistry,” she says. “I’d done a scene with Tom, he’d done a take, and I didn’t feel like I’d done a really good job. And I was like, ‘Oh, sorry, Tom, I don’t think that was a great take.’ And he just turned to me, and he goes, ‘Sophie, there’s no such thing as bad takes. We’re just exploring, and we’re playing.’
“And Alejandro overheard, and he came over, and he was like, ‘Yeah, we’re just working it out.’
“I think it’s really easy to get trapped in the idea of getting things right, or being good. And I think that’s antithetical to performance, and what performance is actually all about, which is exploring and playing and having fun. And I feel like this film is very fun.”
It’s fair to assume that Wilde will continue building on her success in Hollywood post-Digger. However, she remains adamant that she wants to continue working in Australia and on local productions.
“No, I love the Australian industry,” she says when asked whether she wants to stay put in the US. “I love Australian stories. I love Australian crews. It’s my home. I’ll always come home to make work. Always, always. That’s such a big priority to me.”
Digger is in Australian cinemas from today.
