Did Fahadh Faasil almost share screen with Cruise in 'Digger'?
What's the story
The recently released trailer for Tom Cruise's upcoming film Digger has created a stir online, with fans lauding the Hollywood star's dramatic transformation into pot-bellied oil baron Digger Rockwell. Amid this excitement, an intriguing revelation by Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil has come to light. In an old interview with film critic Maneesh Narayanan for Cue Studio, Faasil disclosed that he was once considered for an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu project but wasn't selected.
Role details
Inarritu had concerns about Faasil's accent
Faasil clarified that it wasn't a straightforward rejection but rather concerns over his accent.
"It wasn't exactly that he rejected me, but he was concerned about my accent," he said in the video.
"I was asked to stay in America for three to four months to work on it, and no payment was involved."
"That is why I stepped away from it because the commercial side of it did not make sense to me."
Career move
Speculations about the unconfirmed project
Faasil also mentioned having a video call with Inarritu, during which the director might have quickly realized he wasn't the right fit for the role.
Despite this setback, Faasil has no regrets about his decision. "All the magic in my career has happened through Malayalam cinema," he said while promoting Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira (OKCK).
The actor did not specify which project he auditioned for, but fans speculate it could be Digger, though there's no official confirmation yet.
Career update
Vir Das also got rejected for the same role
Meanwhile, once the full trailer for Digger went live, actor and comedian Vir Das also tweeted that he had been rejected for a role in the film that ultimately went to Riz Ahmed. Das soon deleted the tweet, though.
Ahmed has quite a meaty role as per the trailer and plays somebody called Ganesh. Chances are Faasil was also gunning for the same role.
Apart from Cruise and Ahmed, Digger stars Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Emma D'Arcy, and Michael Stuhlbarg.