Fahadh Faasil auditioned for Tom Cruise's ‘Digger’, so why did he walk away?

After the trailer for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's upcoming film ‘Digger’ dropped on July 13, many Indian viewers found themselves asking the same question, was Fahadh Faasil almost part of the cast?

The speculation began after fans noticed similarities between Fahadh Faasil and Riz Ahmed's character, Ganesh, in the film. Soon after, an older interview of the Malayalam actor resurfaced online, in which he revealed that he had indeed auditioned for a role in the Tom Cruise-starrer.

Speaking to Cue Studio in an earlier interview, Fahadh confirmed that he had been in talks for the project and had auditioned virtually for director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's team. According to the actor, the process moved beyond an initial conversation and involved discussions about preparing for the role, particularly the accent.

Fahadh explained that he had been asked to spend several months in the United States to work on his accent before filming began.

"To perfect the accent, I was told to go to the US and stay there for three or four months. But they weren't ready to pay for that. That's why I skipped it. Otherwise, I would have gone running," he said in Malayalam during the interview.

The actor also suggested that the practical and commercial aspects of the arrangement did not make sense for him at the time. He reportedly felt that the amount of effort required for accent training outweighed what the role offered him professionally. According to Fahadh, both sides eventually came to the conclusion that the collaboration might not work out.

The role ultimately went to British actor Riz Ahmed, who plays a character named Ganesh in ‘Digger’. Following the release of the trailer, comedian and actor Vir Das also revealed that he had auditioned for the same role.

In a post shared on X, which was later deleted, Vir wrote, "Gave two auditions for this. They went with Riz Ahmed. Was severely crestfallen, but that's life. This script is insanity, in such a good way."

The revelation offered a glimpse into how competitive the casting process for the film appears to have been, with actors from different parts of the world vying for the same part.

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, ‘Digger’ marks the director's first feature since ‘Bardo’ and his first English-language film since ‘The Revenant.’

The film stars Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil tycoon who must convince the world that he can save humanity from a catastrophe that he himself has unleashed.

Alongside Cruise and Riz Ahmed, the ensemble cast includes John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman, and Sophie Wilde.