Digger production crew have recently voiced their frustration at Tom Cruise’s lofty on-set demands. The 64-year-old actor is undeniably the biggest star in the world, with his movies celebrated as high-stakes spectacles by his fans. However, to create the magic behind these spectacles goes the effort that literally requires blood and sweat from both the actor and everyone else working with him. But there are limits to the extent to which different people can be pushed.

That limit seems to have been long crossed by now, as Cruise's own production crew has spoken against the actor’s work ethic and demands.     

Following the completion of filming for his most recent picture, Digger, the Mission: Impossible star has disclosed that he works seven days a week and still trains for future roles. But according to sources who spoke to Radaronline.com, Tom Cruise is pushing this notoriously unrelenting work ethic to new heights. He is now setting unrealistic expectations that are exhausting the crews entrusted with keeping up with the Hollywood star's demanding pace.

"Tom's stamina is extraordinary, but expecting everybody around him to operate at anything approaching that intensity can become exhausting,” an exclusive source told the outlet.

The insider further told Radaronline.com that Cruise’s exceptionally high standards and relentless work ethic are increasingly taking a toll on production crews behind the scenes. The source explained that when the actor decides a task that normally takes six hours needs to be condensed into one, the crew is expected to find a way to make it happen, leaving little room for anyone to suggest something cannot be accomplished.

While the source acknowledged that this exact mentality is what drives the massive success of Cruise’s films, maintaining his intense level of momentum through extended workdays creates tremendous pressure. Ultimately, insiders note that the grueling expectations are beginning to wear down exhausted crew members who do not share the star's compensation or tireless pace.

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The most recent example of the kind of challenges the crew went through was given by Tom Cruise himself.

In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Tom Cruise revealed that he worked approximately 19 hours a day on Digger, most of which went into the six-hour makeup process for his character, Digger Rockwell. Cruise urged the staff to drastically speed up the lengthy makeup routine without sacrificing quality.

"I had boards put up, and I said, 'Look, by the time we finish this film, you're going to do the full makeup in under an hour. We're not going to sacrifice quality because I never wanted to sacrifice quality,'" he said.

Recalling the moment when this ambitious production challenge was initially dismissed by his team as entirely unachievable, the Maverick actor revealed that he flatly refused to accept defeat. The actor noted that when crew members declared a feat impossible, he immediately pushed back against the mindset, telling them that entertaining such an idea meant they had already closed the door on success. But it seems now that what he considers a challenge is deemed exploitation by the production teams working with him. 

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What do you think of Tom Cruise’s demanding expectations of his crews? Do let us know.