Tom Cruise has bared his abs on the cover of GQ magazine at 64, marking his first cover shoot for the publication in 20 years.
Tom Cruise is known for his over-the-top stunts both on screen and off – cliff-scaling or couch-jumping, anyone? – but his latest is one truly nobody saw coming.
The 64-year-old has bared his abs on the cover of GQ magazine’s October issue, which marked the Hollywood star’s first cover shoot for the men’s fashion glossy in 20 years.
The steamy shoot from the elusive actor also graced the front cover of GQ Australia.
Be the first to know when news breaks. Download our new app
Fronting the camera in a pair of faded jeans and a black belt, the actor left his black button-down shirt completely open to make sure his abs were on full display.
MORE: Star’s big change amid Tom Cruise rumours
Cruise posed with one hand behind his head as his fingers ran down his slightly messy hair, while his other hand sat on his waistband just above the belt buckle.
Shot by renowned photographer Mario Sorrenti, Cruise looked every inch the action star in the cover image, showing off his fit physique in the near-shirtless look.
This is Cruise’s sixth cover for the US edition of GQ, joking that he’s “been busy” in the years since his last shoot for the masthead in 2006.
MORE: Tom Cruise’s life of Scientology to $926m empire exposed
The shirtless photo has certainly caught the attention of many, with Cruise’s cover getting a wide variety of reactions across social media.
“God was in a really good mood the day he made you,” one gushed, as another wrote, “He’s still got it at 64.. like damn hello.”
“My guy you threw me so off guard with this one,” read another fan comment, while one added, “Another GREAT day to have eyes.”
“IDK I don’t think he’s ageing much at all. He is a FORCE,” yet another chimed in.
However, some critics weren’t as complimentary, dragging the Top Gun star over his professional thirst trap.
“What horrors did I do to get this in my algorithm,” one trolled on Instagram, as another quipped, “Does anyone need this? Was there a request?”
But Cruise has been around long enough to not let comments like this affect the way he lives his life.
In the wide-ranging, long-form GQ interview, the actor shares his thoughts on ageing, answering journalist Zach Baron’s question with a very Tom Cruise answer when asked what it means to him having just turned 64.
“It means I’m 64,” the star laughed. “I’m living my life, and I have always had dreams. But I also know to accomplish those dreams it takes effort, and you need to understand life and skills, and it’s a constant learning experience.”
Cruise also confirmed rumours that he is difficult to deal with on movie sets, revealing that he tells on his collaborators that he is intensely committed before working with them.
“Look, I work hard, and people that work with me, they know,” Cruise said. “I expect a lot and I’m upfront about it. It’s like: ‘The rumours are true. And do you want this?’”
“We’re there. I’m like, ‘Trust me, the rumours are true. I’ll be here before you. What experience do you want?’” he added. “And I’m very open. It’s not like we don’t have a plan. We have scripts, we have plans, we’re going through it.”
“Even when I was a kid, they were like, ‘Oh, come on, Tom. You’re so intense.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to say. I am intense,’” he laughed.
“I’ve got a very good sense of humour about it, but it was like: When I’m interested in something, I want to learn it. I want to understand it. And you want to blast through the confusion and kind of build up that ability.”
When he’s not on a movie set, there’s no rest for the wicked.
“You know what? I’m preparing for the next,” he revealed. “I’m always studying something. I’m always learning something, always. Movies don’t just start when you’re shooting it and on a movie set. There’s sometimes years of preparation.”
Cruise will next star in the satirical dark comedy Digger, which follows him as ageing billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell who accidentally unleashes a global environmental catastrophe and goes to great lengths to fix his mess.
The film, set for release in Australia on October 1, is being hailed as his riskiest venture since Tropic Thunder. In that 2008 comedy, Cruise donned oversized prosthetic hands and chest hair to play the foul-mouthed studio executive Les Grossman.
He does the same in Digger, rocking facial and body prosthetics and a thinning white hairpiece to become the titular character.
Last month, Cruise also announced the much-awaited sequel to his 1990 racing movie Days of Thunder, which will also co-star Anne Hathaway.
In a social media video filmed in front of a NASCAR race car at the famed Daytona International Speedway in Florida, Cruise revealed that Hathaway will star alongside him in the second film due for release in June 2028.
