Katie Holmes’ daughter was a constant presence on movie set

Katie Holmes has hailed her daughter Suri as an "incredible little girl" after she supported the actress through her directorial debut.

The 37-year-old star helmed the new drama movie ‘All We Had’, and Katie has revealed that her 10-year-old daughter – who she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise – was a constant presence on the set of the film.

Katie said: "My daughter is an incredible little girl. She was with me every step of the way. She means everything to me. Like every mom, you just want to make sure your child knows how special they are."

Katie – who stars as Rita Carmichael, a single mother, in the movie – said she was excited by the prospect of combining acting and directing.

She told ‘Good Morning America’: "It was very exciting, powerful and challenging … I started prepping about a year before we started shooting. Just compiling a lot of inspiration photos, watching a lot of movies."

Katie explained that the central theme of ‘All We Had’, single motherhood, was something she was keen to explore in her directorial debut.

The actress also said her movie has a "unique" feel because the lines between Katie’s character and her on-screen daughter are blurred.

Katie said: "I felt like that was such a universal theme for all mothers, and yet these two characters are unique in that they’re survivors on the road. Sometimes Ruthie’s the mom and Rita’s the daughter, and they’re like sisters sometimes. There was this Thelma and Louise quality to them."

Meanwhile, Katie has also revealed she made a conscious effort to ensure there was a positive atmosphere on the set of her movie.

She told ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’: "We had a great time, because I’ve been in this business luckily for 20 years now, and I love being on a happy set, and I love it when people actually value me … so I wanted to provide that for my actors."