Tom Cruise Showing Some Skin For His First GQ Cover In Decades Wasn't On Our 2026 Bingo Card

GQ Magazine threw everyone for a loop with its surprising October cover star, with none other than movie star Tom Cruise taking center stage. While it was in part to promote his exciting new movie, "Digger," Cruise went even further. For the cover, the "Mission: Impossible" star bared his abs for all to see. The image GQ picked shows Cruise standing in jeans and a belt, wearing a button-up completely open. His hair is slightly messy, and he has one hand at the waistband of his jeans, with the other up behind his head.

The shirtless photo got a lot of attention from fans. It was certainly an unexpected choice for a lot of people, and there were a wide variety of reactions from fans online. One shocked fan of the actor commented on Instagram, "My guy you threw me so off guard with this one." Others highlighted how great Cruise looked at his age, with the movie star turning 64 on July 3, 2026. People wrote, "He's still got it at 64 ... like damn hello" and "IDK I don't think he's aging much at all. He is a FORCE." One fan even claimed that Cruise is aging so well that he "looks like he's in his 40s." 

In the accompanying interview with GQ, Cruise talked about his love of challenging himself, so it's not a huge surprise that he decided to make a grand return to the magazine with a show-stopping cover shoot. While he might be quite private about his love life, Cruise has no qualms when it comes to talking about work. He told the publication about his career, "It's always an evolution. And for me, it's been something where it's a constant challenge of one step to the next. ... I'm exploring my skill, learning new skills, constantly pushing myself."

What makes Tom Cruise's new cover even more thrilling and unexpected is that the last time he graced the cover of the magazine was in 2006, making this an exciting milestone outside of his film career too. At the time, he was in what some might call the height of his career, starring in "Mission: Impossible III" as his well-known spy character Ethan Hunt. The year before, he starred in another blockbuster you might've heard of called "War of the Worlds," while other roles around that time were "Collateral" and "Minority Report." But honestly, Cruise has always been a hard worker, and he isn't doing too shabby these days either.

For his GQ appearance, Cruise talked about his new project, "Digger," with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The movie is truly transformative for Cruise, both literally and figuratively. Some fans might not even be able to recognize him in the lead role because of how different he looks. Cruise's excitement about the film is strong and amped up. He called his performance "the culmination of ability, where you're looking at the timing, the rhythm, the language. There's layer upon layer of skills for this performance."

While Cruise's interviews don't always end well for him, it seems only right that he would return to GQ for a cover story at a time in his career that has the potential to be just as impactful as the end of the original "Mission: Impossible" trilogy back in 2006. But of course, Cruise is nowhere near done, and he has many more projects already lined up. This includes a blast from the past in the form of a sequel to the 1990 racing drama, "Days of Thunder." So get ready to see a lot more of Cruise.