There is immense excitement among cinema lovers around the world ever since the release of the first trailer of Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise’s upcoming film ‘Digger’. Tom Cruise’s amazing transformation in the film is being praised everywhere. Meanwhile, an old interview of veteran Malayalam cinema actor Fahadh Faasil has suddenly gone viral on social media. After this interview came to light, speculations are being made that Fahadh would ever meet Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu was very close to sharing the screen with Tom Cruise in this film, but due to a special reason he rejected this big Hollywood project.
While speaking to film critic Manish Narayanan for ‘Q Studio’ during the promotions of ‘Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira’ (OKCK), Fahadh recalled the audition he gave for one of Iñárritu’s projects. When asked about exploring opportunities outside Indian cinema, the actor first jokingly said, ‘But they didn’t like me and I was rejected after the audition.’
It was not a complete rejection: Fahadh Faasil
He then revealed that things were not as straightforward as they seemed. According to Fahadh, the director was worried about his accent and wanted him to stay in America for a few months and work on the film before the shooting started.
The actor said, ‘It was not that he rejected me, but he was worried about my accent. I was told to stay in America for three-four months to work on it and I was not going to get any payment for it. That’s why I stayed away from it, because I didn’t understand the commercial aspect of it. I didn’t feel much enthusiasm for working so hard just to work on my accent.
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Fahadh also recalled the video call he had with the filmmaker and felt that during the conversation, Iñárritu probably realized that he was not right for the role. Despite leaving the project, the actor said that he never looked back because, in his words, ‘All the magic of my career happened because of Malayalam cinema.’
Is ‘Digger’ the same film for which Fahadh had auditioned?
Fahad did not reveal the name of the project during the interview. However, after the trailer of ‘Digger’ came out, his words are being taken into consideration again. Alejandro G. Directed by Iñárritu, the film also stars Tom Cruise along with Jesse Plemons, Sandra Huller, Riz Ahmed and John Goodman. The film is scheduled to release in October 2026.
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Since Riz Ahmed is a part of the final cast, many fans are speculating that he might have got the same role for which Fahadh had earlier auditioned. However, neither Fahadh nor the makers have confirmed whether ‘Digger’ was the film in question.
Fahadh preparing for his next release
Meanwhile, Fahadh is preparing for the release of ‘Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira’ directed by Althaf Saleem. This romantic comedy film starring Kalyani Priyadarshan will release in theaters on August 29 during Onam.
Produced by Aashiq Usman, the film also stars Vinay Forte, Revathi Pillai, Lal, Suresh Krishna and Lakshmi Gopalaswami in important roles. It is expected to clash with Mohanlal’s ‘Hridayapoorvam’ and ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ at the box office; ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’ stars Naslane and Kalyani Priyadarshan.
I think this is the character that #FaFa rejected, from Alejandro G. Inarritu’s #DIGGER starring #TomCruise. pic.twitter.com/gUBqk8u8Tk
— GHOST 👻 (@imarjunn___) July 13, 2026