Emily Blunt said 2014’s science-fiction action movie ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ was “the hardest thing physically I will ever do in my life”

Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise. PHOTO:

AMANDA EDWARDS/GETTY; JC OLIVERA/GETTY

Emily Blunt is singing Tom Cruise’s praises.

On Thursday, Blunt, 40, appeared at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles for a moderated conversation with filmmaker Rob Marshall, whom Blunt has worked with on 2014’s Into the Woods and 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns.

At one point during the wide-ranging conversation, Marshall turned Blunt’s attention to her time working with Cruise, 61, on Edge of Tomorrow. The two costarred in the 2014 science-fiction action movie as a pair of soldiers involved in a war between humanity and an alien race in the near future who discover that Cruise’s character has gained the ability to relive moments in time.

As Blunt spoke about getting in shape for the physically intense role, she noted that action movie icon Cruise helps “tighten the screws on everyone when it comes to what you think you’re capable of.”

“And because he can do everything and wants to do everything, it makes you want to meet him where he is at,” she shared, adding, “He’s so inspiring. Such a doll to me.”

Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt Reunite to Look Back on the ‘Joy Bomb of a Time’ Making Devil Wears PradaTom Cruise and Emily Blunt in ‘Edge of Tomorrow’. DAVID JAMES/WARNER BROS. PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

“He is so gracious. So cute. Oh, so cute. I loved him. Yeah. He was amazing,” Blunt continued. She also complimented Cruise for ensuring she was involved with much of the film’s production.

“We were sort of writing the third act as we went,” she said. “And again, sometimes the best movies, they’re born out of that chaos. And I think I thought it was going to be sort of boys club and [Cruise] brought me into every script meeting, every single decision.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Blunt has said in recent months that she is interested in revisiting the project for a sequel.

“There was [a sequel script] that [filmmaker Doug Liman] kind of slithered over to me,” she said on an August episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I mean, I would love to make it a reality but I just don’t know when or how. And how many Mission: Impossibles does [Cruise] need?

Emily Blunt Says Office Fans ‘Yell Out’ When They Spot Her with Husband John Krasinski Because She’s Not PamTom Cruise and Emily Blunt on May 28, 2014. STEPHANE CARDINALE/CORBIS VIA GETTY

“Wasn’t he brilliant as the cowardly hero? Oh, incredible. I couldn’t bare it, I adored him,” she added of Cruise at the time. “He was the best. I’m so ready [for a sequel.] I’m not the impediment, I promise.”

While there are no known plans to make an Edge of Tomorrow sequel, Cruise and filmmaker Liman intend to film a movie together that would see Cruise shoot scenes at the International Space Station in outer space. Cruise shared a brief update on the film in July, telling Variety that he and Liman have “been working on it diligently.”

“We’ll see where we go,” he said at the time.