Steven Spielberg says he was outworked by Tom Cruise.

The director, 79, reflected on his experiences working with Tom, 63, while speaking at a keynote event at SXSW, in conversation with Sean Fennessey after he directed the A-lister in Minority Report and War of the Worlds.

He said: "Tom Cruise showed up every morning when I showed up.

"I show up before the crew. So I get to the set sometimes at 6.30 in the morning."

Steven continued: "On Minority Report and on War of the Worlds, Tom would insist on getting there when I got there so we would map out the whole day… which was really helpful for me."

Tom has also spoken about his approach to developing skills for his roles.

In an interview with PEOPLE in May 2025, Tom said: "I will learn a skill, and I know eventually I'm going to use it in a movie." He added he was "constantly training" - from the piano to dancing, parachuting and flying airplanes or helicopters.

Tom also said: "The wonderful thing is you're never there. It can always be better."

Steven's comments about working with Tom come alongside further remarks from collaborators of the A-lister, including Christopher McQuarrie, Joseph Kosinski and Glen Powell, 37, who have also spoken about Tom's work ethic in interviews with PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly.

Christopher described Tom's work on action sequences by saying: "Anytime you see Tom in the plane, he's at the controls." He added: "He's basically a one-man film crew: operating the camera, acting and flying."

Joseph also discussed Tom's involvement in training co-stars on Top Gun: Maverick.

He said: "We put them through a training course that Tom actually designed himself."

Joseph added: "He's a licensed aerobatic pilot and he was thrown into the deep end when he did the first Top Gun without any training. So he knew that they would need to kind of work up to that level."

Glen also reflected on working with Tom by saying: "Tom's as great as people think he is.

"He's as nice, he's as hardworking, he's as generous, he's as available. He's the man."

Tom became one of Hollywood's biggest stars through films such as Top Gun, Rain Man and the Mission: Impossible series.

Known for performing his own stunts, he has built a reputation for action roles and blockbuster success.

Across the decades, he has also taken on dramatic parts, earning multiple award nominations and maintaining global box office appeal.