Tom Cruise offered a lesson in filmmaking to South Korean actor Yim Si-wan, encouraging the Netflix “Squid Game” star to pursue ambitions beyond acting and approach his career with the mindset of a director.
The conversation brought together one of Hollywood’s most established stars and an actor who gained international recognition through Netflix’s global hit. Yim, who played cryptocurrency influencer Myung-gi in the series, told Cruise that his career had inspired him to pursue filmmaking as well as acting.
Cruise encouraged Yim to begin thinking of himself as a director immediately, explaining that adopting the perspective of a filmmaker would help him recognize the knowledge and skills needed to achieve his ambitions.
His advice also offered insight into how he approaches the business of making movies. Cruise said he studies camera movements, lighting, costume design, accounting and legal matters, seeking to understand not only the technical aspects of production but also the principles behind them.
The conversation extended to the elaborate action sequences that have defined much of Cruise’s Hollywood career. Yim expressed his desire to perform skydiving stunts and learn to pilot aircraft, following the example Cruise has set through his action films.
Cruise advised him to write down his ambitions, establish specific goals and pursue them through training and practice. He emphasized that dreams require more than determination and must eventually translate into action.
The Hollywood actor also described his commitment to continuous learning. He said he begins each morning by planning what he wants to study, setting aside time to deepen his understanding of filmmaking, human behavior and life.
One of the exchange’s most notable moments came when Cruise expressed surprise at Yim’s fluent English and asked how long he had been studying the language.
Yim revealed that he began learning English at age 30 and had spent the past eight years improving his proficiency. Despite his progress, he acknowledged that he still had much to learn.
Cruise praised his efforts and reiterated that the willingness to keep learning was essential to personal and professional development, regardless of experience or success.
The exchange came as Cruise returned to theaters in “Digger,” directed by Academy Award winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film stars Cruise as an oil tycoon whose drilling operations trigger an environmental catastrophe, sending a massive ice formation toward Europe and threatening widespread destruction.
