Tom Cruise says he has considered himself the ‘CEO’ of his life since he was a teenager

Tom Cruise, 64, said it was his childhood dream to make a movie and he worked hard to make that dream a reality.

As told to GQ in an interview Cruise said he maps out the skills needed to make a film and breaks each one down into actionable tasks.

“What I did was write down my goals,” Cruz said. “And yet, it’s like you’re looking at something, and you write down your goal, and below that, what do you need to learn to achieve that goal?”

The “Mission: Impossible” star said he plans to learn new skills and apply them to his work. He also studied how camera placement, lenses, lighting, and set construction were used in other films.

Cruise said he had a passion for filmmaking since he was a teenager, but stopped sharing his ambitions because some of the adults around him belittled him as a “kid.”

“But I never let it go, and I knew pretty early on that this was for me,” Cruz said.

“I’m the CEO of my life and I know what dreams I want,” Cruz said. “I want to see what the people in those countries are like. What’s the language like? What do they say? What’s it like to hear it? And the movie was very interesting to me.”

Cruz said he is a “hard worker” and feels he can “do a better job than anyone else.”

Even when he’s not on a movie set, he’s preparing for his next project. He added that his career moves, which included filming in places like Prague and China and working with Ridley Scott in the UK, were “no coincidence”.

“I think you can see doors opening and you think, ‘Here’s an opportunity,'” Cruz said.

He candidly said that his work ethic extends to his collaborators and that he expects high standards. “The rumors are true,” he added.

Even as he grows older, his ambition and desire to take on new challenges remain the same.

“Life, I’m just going for it,” he said. “You know what I mean? It’s coming towards me, and I’m heading towards it.”

After more than 40 years in the entertainment industry, Cruise remains one of Hollywood’s most popular stars. In 2023, he told Business Insider that he “always strives” to make each movie as entertaining as possible.

“I know I can do better,” he said.

His commitment to learning the craft has been consistent throughout his career. In an interview in May 2025 British Film InstituteCruise said he would “force” studios to send him to different countries to learn how movies are made in those countries.