SEOUL, Jan 18: US actor Tom Cruise said on Sunday he had always dreamt of killing Adolf Hitler, revealing one of his motives for starring in his latest film featuring a plot to murder the Nazi leader.

In “Valkyrie” the 46-year-old plays the role of Colonel Stauffenberg, a German officer plotting to kill Hitler during World War II.

“I’ve always wanted to kill Hitler. I hate that guy,” said Cruise, who was born 17 years after Hitler’s death.

“Studying Stauffenberg and his life, I came to greatly admire him...Although the story takes place during World War II, I found the story ageless,” he told a news conference in Seoul, where he was promoting the new Hollywood film.

He described making “Valkyrie” as a “very powerful experience” which he hoped his performance would communicate to the audience.—AFP