Ben Stiller "admires" Tom Cruise.

The 'Tropic Thunder' star ? who cast Tom in an hilarious cameo role in the new comedy ? has always had a huge amount of respect for the actor, and insists the criticism he gets is undeserved.

Ben said: "When Tom was coming on the scene he was sort of like a matinee idol, this sex symbol. But he chose to work with really interesting directors and that is why his career has had that longevity.

"It's a hard business. You have to make choices. And I really admire these people who made their choices early on, who had that instinctual sense of where they wanted their careers to go."