Tom Cruise gets life achievement honour at Producers Guild Awards

Tom Cruise was honoured for his nearly three decades of work as a producer, and Everything Everywhere All at Once solidified its status as the frontrunner for the best picture Oscar by taking the top prize at Saturday night's Producers Guild of America Awards.

“We love you! We love you!” another Oscar favourite and one of the film's stars, Ke Huy Quan, shouted gleefully from the stage as Jonathan Wang and the other producers of the multiversal dramedy accepted the award for best theatrical motion picture.

Cruise the actor caused a stir inside and outside with his presence at the show at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, but his producing career beginning in 1996 with Mission: Impossible earned him the David O. Selznick Award at the PGAs, a life achievement honour previously bestowed on Steven Spielberg, Kevin Feige, Mary Parent and Brian Grazer.

“My whole life I wanted to make movies," said Cruise, wearing a tuxedo with his hair grown out to the length he wore it in Mission: Impossible 2. "I wanted to travel the world, and have adventure."

Cruise talked about making his film debut in 1981's Taps at age 18 and how producer Stanley Jaffe let him in on every part of the process.

“I was certain this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life," he said.

Cruise thanked Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the original 1986 Top Gun and his producing partner on last year's Top Gun: Maverick, which also was nominated for the top PGA award and is up for the best picture Oscar.

“You opened the door for me,” Cruise told Bruckheimer. “You welcomed me in and I will be grateful forever.”