Tom Cruise admits rumors about his 'intense' behavior on movie sets are true

Tom Cruise is confirming what Hollywood has whispered about for years — he really is that intense.

The actor, 64, acknowledged his demanding reputation on movie sets and said he makes sure collaborators know exactly what they're getting into.

"I expect a lot and I'm up-front about it," Cruise said during a GQ cover interview. "It's like: 'The rumors are true. And do you want this?'"

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"Trust me, the rumors are true. I'll be here before you. What experience do you want?" he laughed.

The actor made clear that his intensity isn't an act he puts on once the cameras start rolling.

"Even when I was a kid, they were like, 'Oh, come on, Tom. You're so intense.' I'm like, 'I don't know what to say. I am intense,'" Cruise remarked.

"I got a very good sense of humor about it," he added.

For Cruise, the intensity comes from curiosity and a desire to master his craft.

"When I'm interested in something, I want to learn it. I want to understand it," he said. "And you want to blast through the confusion and kind of build up that ability."

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That mindset has helped turn Cruise into one of Hollywood's most famous action stars, but he insisted filmmaking is about much more than spectacular stunts or box-office numbers.

"I say, 'Understand the tools, then go create what you want to create,'" he said.

The "Top Gun" star also discussed the idea that movies are simply another form of entertainment competing with television and streaming.

"I have nothing against cable or TV or Netflix. I think it's great. Create jobs and everything," Cruise said. "But what I like about cinema is it is all of us coming together in a room and sharing an experience."

When Cruise is not on a movie set, he said he's preparing for the next project.

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"You know what? I'm preparing for the next. I'm always studying something. I'm always learning something, always."

Cruise stressed that the work behind a movie can begin years before production.

"Movies don't just start when you're shooting it and on a movie set. There's sometimes years of preparation," he said.

During his decades-long career, Cruise has ridden a motorcycle off a cliff, hung from aircraft in midair and performed other death-defying feats for his movies.

Cruise was asked whether he fears death when performing his movie stunts.

"Look, I think you could look at my life and go: I like standing on the edge of a cliff physically and metaphorically," he told GQ.

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"Meaning, I look at life as an adventure, and I always have, my whole life. I want to understand people. I want to understand life and cultures. We're looking at life. I wonder: Who are those people? How do they feel? Do they think the way I do? Do they laugh at the same thing? How do I connect with them? And I didn't want to just be a tourist. I wanted to go make movies there because I also find you really get to know people when you create with them."

He added, "Everyone has a different subjective reality of what they think about life, about people. And there is common ground in humanity, and I'm looking for that common ground."

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Cruise is bringing that famously intense energy to his next role.

In Alejandro G. Iñárritu's "Digger," Cruise portrays oil magnate Digger Rockwell, whose actions put the world at risk of an $18 trillion catastrophe.

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The film's official synopsis said he is attempting to prove he is "humanity's hero before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything."

"Digger" marks Cruise’s first major starring role outside the "Top Gun" and "Mission: Impossible" franchises in years.