After more than 40 years in film, Tom Cruise says he learned new skills as challenges arose. In an interview after presenting Digger, the 64-year-old actor urged aspiring filmmakers not to wait for permission before creating.
Tom Cruise, 64, says he never attended acting school and taught himself skills he needed for work in film over a career spanning more than 40 years. He discussed his approach in an interview with content creator Iván Háchez after presenting Digger at the San Sebastián Film Festival.
Cruise said his learning extended beyond acting technique. He studied dance, music and art, as well as aircraft, motorcycles and how his own body works. He said he chose what to learn in response to specific goals and challenges in his career.
Rather than follow a detailed career plan, he kept a list of ambitions. “I just had my list of dreams and thought: What skills do I need to learn to be able to do this?” ABC quoted him as saying.
Cruise urged people starting out in film not to wait for the right moment or someone else’s approval. “Don’t ask permission to create, just do it,” he said. He added that calling yourself an actor or director does not mean you know everything.
Cruise described the profession as a lifelong process of learning. “There’s always another mountain. There’s always another story,” he said, adding that new challenges remain an important part of his work.