(Cover) - EN Movies - Tom Cruise has a "greater appreciation" for music as an art form after playing a rock star on film.

The actor is aging musician Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages, which also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin.

Much has been made of Tom's role in the picture, as it's known he'll be showing off his vocal talents. He sings Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi and Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me, with his wife Katie Holmes publicly praising his performance.

Tom is thoroughly enjoying the challenge of portraying a singing God, saying he's "having a blast".

"I've always loved music, but there's nothing like doing something yourself to give you a greater appreciation for what this art form is and it's fantastic," he told radio host Ryan Seacrest.

Rock of Ages also stars Julianne Hough who is dating Ryan and is best known for being a dancer. She is one of the professionals who appears on American talent television show Dancing with the Stars, but has amazed her co-stars with her acting skills.

"[Julianne] is an enormously talented lady," Tom remarked. "Great actress. And obviously, everyone knows her dance skills, but you just see as an actress how she's creating this character and really killin' it."

The appreciation is mutual. Julianne has previously praised Tom's devotion to his Stacee Jaxx role, saying there isn't "an ounce" of his own personality in the character he's developed. (C) Cover Media