Tom Cruise was the surprise guest at an acting school's graduation ceremony in Santa Monica, Calif. on Sunday.

Dressed in a sharp grey suit and blue dress shirt and tie, Cruise took the stage at Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio to offer advice and share stories to the class of 60 students.

"He said that when you do finally get the chance of being in a movie, don't spend the time in the trailer," an eyewitness told Page Six. "He said you need to experience everything on the movie, talk to everyone on the crew, the grips, everyone. Learn everything you can."

See a photo here of Cruise at the graduation ceremony.

To bring some amusement to his speech the Oblivion star shared a story about his first starring role in Taps (1981), where he played a Cadet Captain alongside Sean Penn.

"[Tom Cruise] had gone to a barber shop and had his head shaved because he thought it'd be better for the role. But the director [Harold Becker] went crazy. [Cruise] was so nervous that they'd fire him," the insider said.

The 51-year-old actor planned the surprise appearance reportedly through his connections with his cousin William Mapother, who was a graduate at Brown Studio. Mapother has made a guest appearance on Mad Men.

"It was one of the most inspiring speeches we've had," said a source. "It was so much more than a lecture about what to do in an audition."

Famous graduates from the Studio include Leslie Mann, Julia Stiles and Robin Wright.

Tags: Tom Cruise Acting studio Graduation speech