How Moving Around as a Kid Shaped Tom Cruise's Curiosity About People

Tom Cruise has always been curious about people, long before he learned to act. In a rare interview with GQ, he traced that instinct back to his childhood, moving constantly between schools and towns, and explained how it still shapes the way he connects with everyone he works with today.

Long before Tom Cruise became one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood, he was a young boy constantly on the move, curious about the people and places he came across along the way. That curiosity continues to drive his passion for film and life and shapes the way he sees the world today.

In a rare, sit-down interview with GQ for the publication's cover story, Cruise reflected on his childhood, revealing he grew up in a family that was always moving between communities in America and Canada, so he would often wonder about other people’s cultures and how they think. “Why did they react that way? What are the things that bring people together? Those were always just questions that I had for myself at a very early age,” he recalled.

According to the actor, this habit of asking questions would sometimes catch people off guard. Often the new kid in a new town, he was always curious about his new classmates and teachers, so he would bombard them with questions about their lives rather than sit quietly in the corner.

This curiosity, Cruise said, is what he uses to connect with people even today, including when mentoring young actors. He said rather than offering advice right away, he starts by asking them questions like, “What are their goals?” and “What do they want?”

This is also his approach when working with different people for a film. He would often ask them first about their thoughts on life before discussing his own appreciation of filmmaking. His mantra is: “Try to know before you go.” He doesn’t just work with people; he asks the relevant questions first: “Who are they? What are they? What are they trying to do?”

Cruise’s instinct to help others may be traced back to his mother, whom he described as “very respectful of people.” He also said he had a natural tendency to help people and see others doing well in life.

“And I had a secret thing I had for myself, which was always: Leave something better,” he said, a philosophy that traces back to his childhood, when he'd try to make whatever space he was in, a rented room, a classroom, feel a little nicer than before.

“We lived in rented houses. So it was always like: Make sure that the room is nicer. The classroom, whatever it is. I always had a secret thing of: I want to improve things,” he said, adding, “I want to improve myself.”

It turns out the instinct that once made Cruise "the new kid" everywhere he went is the same one that's kept him curious about everyone he's worked with since.

Cruise is currently promoting his latest film, "Digger," where he portrays a billionaire executive responsible for an environmental disaster. Cruise describes his latest role as his most challenging yet. According to director Alejandro Iñárritu, the film showcases "another kind of fearless" from the actor.