While discussing actors he considers his peers on a podcast recently, Oscar-winner Sean Penn took the conversation in a somewhat unexpected direction. He didn’t mention fellow Oscar-winner Daniel Day Lewis, to whom many often compare him. He reached back to a very long ago co-star with whom he says he still has a very friendly relationship.

“Tom Cruise…he is a guy who pursues excellence on a very high level,” Penn replied.

Penn quickly addressed the apples-to-oranges questions some might raise about the differences between the kind of indie films he makes and the blockbusters that Cruise does.

“Now, I understand certain kinds of movies people appreciate more than other kinds of movies,” he said, not identifying which was which, “but this is a very good actor who’s also an extraordinarily committed craftsman.”

Penn continued: “Those movies don’t get made on that level — whether you love ’em...