Tom Cruise (63) Has One Habit Steven Spielberg (79) Says Is Truly Special
Everyone knows that Tom Cruise works harder than almost anyone in Hollywood, and now the famous director Steven Spielberg is sharing a special story about it. Spielberg has worked with Cruise on big movies like Minority Report and War of the Worlds. During a recent talk at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, the director explained what makes Cruise so different from other actors.
Spielberg said that he usually gets to the movie set very early, sometimes at 6:30 in the morning, before the rest of the crew even arrives. Most actors show up much later, but Cruise did things differently. According to Spielberg, Cruise wanted to be there the second the director arrived. Spielberg said, Tom Cruise showed up every morning when I showed up. He went on to explain, 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.
This habit of being early and helping plan the day shows just how much Cruise cares about his job. He has mentioned before in an interview with PEOPLE that he views every movie as a chance to learn something new. He said, I will learn a skill, and I know eventually I’m going to use it in a movie. This focus on learning and being a leader on set is why so many people in the film industry respect him so much.
Both men are still very busy today. Spielberg is currently working on a new movie called Disclosure Day. Meanwhile, fans of Tom Cruise can look forward to seeing him in a new film called Digger, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, which is coming out in 2026.+1
Most people with that much money and fame would probably show up late and stay in their trailer, but he chooses to be there at dawn to help the director. It shows that his success is not just luck but comes from a lot of discipline and respect for the people he works with.
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