Tom Cruise Thanks William and Catherine as 'Digger' Premieres at Royal Film Performance

Tom Cruise welcomed Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales to the world premiere of his new film 'Digger' in London, using the occasion to thank the royal couple for their support of the arts.

The screening at Leicester Square served as this year's Royal Film Performance, an event organised by The Film and TV Charity, with proceeds going to the cause. The royal couple met the cast and crew, among them Cruise, director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.

Addressing the audience, Cruise expressed gratitude to the royal highnesses for attending and for what they do for the arts, the country and the world, adding that they are loved and appreciated.

The actor also spoke warmly of working with Iñárritu, describing the collaboration as one of the great dreams of his career and saying he had admired the director's films since his first. He praised the character Iñárritu has created for 'Digger', calling it unlike anything he has seen.

Leicester Square was dressed for the event with installations inspired by the film, including an Arctic Ocean-themed backdrop, the protagonist's shovel and images of Cruise in character. The Prince and Princess of Wales shared moments from the evening on their official social media channels, while Cruise posted pictures from the premiere on Instagram stories.

'Digger' centres on Cruise's title character, described in the synopsis as the most powerful man in the world, as he tries to prove himself humanity's saviour before confronting the fallout of a disaster he caused. The film is set for release in theatres on October 2 through Warner Bros. Pictures.

Ahead of the premiere, Cruise took part in a conversation at London's BAFTA headquarters, where he addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on cinema. He said the technology is coming and will happen, but that audiences still want real things and the experience of going to movie theatres, adding that he believes in humanity.