Tom Cruise in 'Digger': How Kazu Hiro Cut a Six-Hour Prosthetic Job to Under One

Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup artist Kazu Hiro transformed Tom Cruise into a 67-year-old Texas oil tycoon for Alejandro González Iñárritu's film "Digger" — and cut a six-hour makeup process to under one hour at the actor's demand.

Hiro, a 30-year industry veteran who has transformed Bradley Cooper, Gary Oldman, Charlize Theron and, most recently, Dwayne Johnson in "The Smashing Machine," detailed his process in an interview with Variety. The character, Digger, is an aged man with jowls, thinning hair, a disheveled appearance and a belly — far from the Cruise who jumps off cliffs and hangs off airplane wings.

The film, directed by Iñárritu, also stars Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller. Its plot follows Digger, whose company causes a potential global catastrophe.

How was the design developed?

Hiro's agent called him: Iñárritu wanted to discuss the project. Hiro read the script first. "I read it and it was amazing, with a great story," he said. The director's initial brief described an oil tycoon around 76 years old — much older than the final look.

Hiro flew to London to meet Cruise, who was shooting "Mission Impossible" on a tight schedule. The team completed a 3D scan, live casts and photographs, and Hiro began sculpting. Iñárritu approved the first design. Then, as Hiro neared completion and started making molds, the director called with a revision: "Digger should be 67 years old." Hiro reworked the sculpture in a few weeks, then produced a third design. The final look mixed the last two.

What did the makeup involve?

The initial design was full coverage — 12 separate prosthetic pieces. The first test makeup took just under five hours. The second day dropped to two and a half, which Hiro calls a good time for prosthetics makeup.

But Cruise wanted to be in makeup during rehearsals, six weeks before filming began. Cruise set the target himself: "I had a guy there with a stopwatch and I'm like, 'OK, you see that time, six hours? By the time we're done, we're going to get it under an hour.'" Hiro's response was blunt: "When Tom Cruise says that, you do it."

The final appliance count came down to seven pieces: a bald cap, plus forehead, cheek and nose pieces beneath it, an attached neck and chin, and wig and eyebrow pieces. Hiro notes that two hours and 15 minutes — including hair work and the wig — is a professional benchmark; slapping on prosthetics, paint and a wig in one hour is possible, but "it will sacrifice the quality."

Hiro runs his chair like a timed operation. An assistant logs how long each application takes. If a step feels faster or slower than the previous day, he asks for the number and adjusts. "I don't want to delay the whole process of filming," he said. "It has to be done as he requested."

Did Cruise wear a prosthetic belly?

Yes — twice over. For the film's opening, when the character is shirtless, Hiro built a full prosthetic belly. Under the suits, the team made a spandex garment with prosthetics glued onto it, because Cruise refused to glue the belly directly to his skin.

Hiro warned him: "Are you sure? This is going to be heavy and hard to wear?" Cruise answered: "Yes, I'm trained and can handle it." He wore it.

What comes next for Hiro?

Hiro spoke to Variety from the set of "Lizard Music," a new film reuniting him with director Benny Safdie and Dwayne Johnson. Asked what he could share, he offered only laughter. His streak of high-concept transformations, it seems, continues.