Tom Cruise, 64, Poses for Bare-Chested Photo Shoot
The action star showed off his abs for his first GQ cover in 20 years.
Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti/GQ
Tom Cruise is baring it all on the cover of GQ.
The 64-year-old action star posed for photographer Mario Sorrenti wearing an open shirt and Levi’s, showing off his toned abs and stomach for GQ’s October cover story.
In the accompanying interview, Cruise and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu promoted their highly anticipated movie Digger, for which the actor undertook a jaw-dropping physical transformation.
Tom Cruise wears a cowboy hat by Nick Fouquet, a vintage white T-shirt from Raggedy Threads, and vintage Levi’s jeans in the October 2026 GQ cover story.
Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti/GQ
In the black-and-white cover photo, the actor—whom GQ describes as “Hollywood’s most elusive star”—smolders at the camera with one hand on the belt of his vintage denim and the other on his messy hair. His unbuttoned, western-style Vintage Warriors shirt left his chest exposed.
Actor Tom Cruise shows off his chest and abs for the October 2026 cover of GQ.
Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti/GQ
He last appeared on the cover of the Condé Nast title in May 2006, when he sported a clean haircut and spoke about fatherhood and his then-fiancée, actress Katie Holmes, with whom he shares daughter Suri Noelle, now 20.
Cruise’s marriage with Holmes ended in 2012. He has two older children—Isabella Jane Cruise, 33, and Connor Cruise, 31—with his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman, to whom he was married from 1990 to 2001.
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Before he wed his Eyes Wide Shut co-star, the actor was married to actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990.
Actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were married at the time, smile while holding hands on a red carpet.
Darlene Hammond/Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The cover look stands in stark contrast to the actor’s appearance in Digger, in which he portrays Digger Rockwell.
A departure from his typical heroic leading-man roles, Cruise plays the fictional billionaire oil tycoon with a potbelly and a receding hairline who tries to stop a global disaster caused by one of his projects.
Tom Cruise portrays an eccentric billionaire tycoon in the upcoming film 'Digger.'
Warner Bros.
“I was so excited to be able to have this character,” Cruise told GQ. “It’s the most challenging ever.”
Tom Cruise poses for the October 2026 GQ cover story, his first cover for the magazine in two decades.
Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti/GQ
Digger, which releases on Oct. 2, is the first non-action, non-franchise film Cruise has been in since 2017, when he starred in American Made.
The actor, who performs most of his own stunts—including riding a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning in 2020—told GQ that he doesn’t mind experiencing fear.
Tom Cruise poses on a red motorcycle for the October 2026 GQ cover story. The thrill-seeking actor often does his own stunts.
Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti/GQ
“I understand life has certainties and uncertainties,” he said.
“For me, it’s been something where it’s a constant challenge of one step to the next,” the actor stated. “And things that I’ve never talked about—the things that I’ve done and why and what I’m exploring—have been very deliberate.”
Tom Cruise attends the global premiere red carpet for his movie "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" at Leicester Square on May 15, 2025, in London.
Tim P. Whitby/Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for P
He added, “I’m exploring my skill, learning new skills, constantly pushing myself.”
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