Irish star says working on Tom Cruise’s mysterious new movie ‘felt like a dream’

The film is one of 2026's most anticipated.

Hinds is best known for her performances in the shows Derry Girls, Dune: Prophecy, Normal People, as well as the recent Irish hit movie Saipan.

JOE spoke to the actress a few weeks ago on the red carpet. This was at the premiere of RTÉ's mystery comedy-drama These Sacred Vows, which last Sunday wrapped up its first season in immensely satisfying fashion.

All six episodes of the series, which we called "must-watch" in our rave review, are now available to stream on the RTÉ Player.

JOE spoke to Hinds about These Sacred Vows, as well as about appearing in Digger, a movie shrouded in mystery - as evident by its enigmatic teaser trailer, depicting Tom Cruise in silhouette dancing to a Gorillaz song.

Speaking about appearing in the film, the actress said: "It was unlike any other job I've ever done. I had to pinch myself, you know, being there.

"I think the scale and the artistry of being on that set, of these sets that had these amazing layers to them, it kind of felt like a dream, to be honest.

"But I can't really say anything more than that."

Directed by Oscar-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant), Digger will hit cinemas in October 2026 and is billed as "a comedy of catastrophic proportions".

Cruise plays Digger Rockwell in the movie, described as "the most powerful man in the world".

The story follows the title character as he "embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s saviour before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything".

Alongside Cruise and Hinds, the cast also includes Emma D'Arcy, Jesse Plemons (who refers to Digger as "a modern-day Dr Strangelove"), John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller and Sophie Wilde.

Watch Aoife Hinds speak to JOE about Digger below:

As for These Sacred Vows, the RTÉ series follows a group of Irish people who travel to Tenerife for a wedding.

The week leading up to the nuptials is told from multiple different characters' perspectives, as events spiral out of control.

Hinds plays Margot in the show, a guest of the bride-to-be.

Describing her character, she told JOE: "Margot has dragged her feet to Tenerife to go to this wedding. She has her ally there, Claire (Catherine Bohart), who's her best friend.

"A wedding is where [with] some people - when you're not in that idea of life, of you wanting to get married, there's always this thing. You're at the singles table, [being] like: 'Why am I here? I'm making the effort because I'm a good friend. I'm here with my friends.'

"But it makes people think about their situation, maybe more than is [desired].

"She's someone who puts other people before herself. She cares a lot, and she's very giving and very loyal.

"Throughout the course of the series, I think there's a moment where she's like: 'Oh, I think that might be enough. I need to take care of myself.'

"Whether she actually follows through with that when the series ends is sort of meant to be seen."

All six episodes of These Sacred Vows are streaming on the RTÉ Player now. Digger lands in cinemas on 2 October.