Steven Spielberg Reveals What Working With Tom Cruise Is Really Like

If you need one more reason to buy that 'Tom Cruise is a total machine on set' narrative, Steven Spielberg just handed it out on a silver platter. The legendary director popped up at SXSW in Austin, doing the festival circuit thing before his latest movie, 'Disclosure Day,' and—let's be honest—dropped exactly the kind of story you expect to hear about Tom Cruise behind the scenes. Except it's Spielberg, so you know it's not fluff.

Spielberg Pulls Back the Curtain

For those keeping score, Spielberg and Cruise have worked together twice: 'Minority Report' (2002) and 'War of the Worlds' (2005). Both movies are big, ambitious, and complicated, the kind of stuff that devours time and sanity on set. Apparently, that didn't scare off Cruise. In fact, Spielberg made it sound like Cruise was practically glued to his hip during those productions. Here's how he put it:

'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. 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.'

So yeah, this is not your average movie star rolling in after everyone else, cappuccino in hand. According to Spielberg, Cruise wanted to be right there at the crack of dawn, figuring things out long before the rest of the team even caffeinated. The guy's notorious for doing his own stunts, but apparently his prep work is just as intense as his love of throwing himself off things.

Tom Cruise: Still Not Slowing Down

If you've heard stories about Cruise's all-in approach to acting, they're not just PR spin. Directors, co-stars, probably even craft services, have all raved about the guy's commitment. The man’s work habits are practically legend at this point.

Cruise himself has talked about how he's always trying to add new skills to his ever-growing arsenal—whether it’s playing piano, learning to dance, or, you know, just casually picking up parachuting and piloting for 'work.' His approach? He’s never done learning because, as he told PEOPLE: 'The wonderful thing is you’re never there. It can always be better.' Honestly, he sounds as much like a motivational speaker as he does an action star.

What’s Next for Cruise?

• Spielberg was sharing these war stories in the lead-up to his own new film, 'Disclosure Day' (dates and details still vague).
• Cruise, meanwhile, is about to show up in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s next movie, 'Digger.' (If anyone can get even weirder with Cruise’s intensity, it’s probably Iñárritu.)

All of this just reinforces what we already know: If Tom Cruise is on your set, you’re getting a guy who's as in it as you are—even if you’re Steven Spielberg and you show up at dawn to beat the rush.