Tom Cruise — husband, father, studio exec

LOS ANGELES - Tom Cruise doesn't sleep much. Between being husband to Katie Holmes, father to 18-month old Suri (as well as 12-year-old Connor and 14-year-old Isabella), a major movie star and co-owner of United Artists, there just isn't much time.

"Just like everybody else, you just work it out," Cruise tells "Entertainment Tonight" in an interview set to air Thursday. "We've gotten pretty good at organizing everything. I don't sleep much anyway."

Married life is "all very good, all very lovely," he says, adding that he feels "lucky" to have Holmes as his wife.

"I have a lot of respect for her as an artist, as a woman," he says. "She's a very strong, gracious woman. She's very funny, a great comedian."

Cruise says working with United Artists is "kind of like film school ... like a dorm with all hands on deck. We're all very supportive and very honest."

The 45-year-old actor also reveals he has plans to direct. "I will one day," he says. "I've always wanted to. I've been offered things to direct but have to find the right piece."

It's miles away from what was on his mind during his early days in Hollywood, when he was just worried about holding onto his job: "I remember lying in bed at 18 going, ‘Man, I just really hope I don't get fired.'"