Katie Holmes struggled with directing duties

Katie Holmes had her work cut out for her as the star and director of new movie All We Had.

The film, based on Annie Weatherwax's 2014 novel, follows the ups and downs of a mother and daughter trying to survive and make a better life for themselves during the worldwide recession in 2008.

Katie made her directorial debut at the helm of the movie, but she admits that starring in and directing a film at the same time was not easy.

"It was hard work," she told People.com at the film's world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival on Friday (15Apr16) "But, I had a great team around me that really helped."

The former Dawson's Creek star revealed that she agreed to direct the movie before she could talk herself out of it. "It happened rather quickly," Katie explained. "I found the book and I had the support of my agency and then Jane (Rosenthal) decided to produce it."

And the actress managed to impress her co-stars during filming, with Mark Consuelos, who stars as Katie's love interest in the movie, calling the mother-of-one Wonder Woman. "It was like Clark Kent to Superwoman or Wonder Woman back and forth," he laughed.

"She would literally run from the scene, run around and look at it and make it was good. But, every time, she'd ask, 'you good with that?' I was really, really impressed. To be in control or have all the answers everyone wants and also star in the film is an amazing feat.

"It's a daunting feat, and I think she did a wonderful job," he added.

Katie previously admitted that she took on the project because of her own relationship with her daughter Suri, who she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

"I was drawn to it (the novel) because of the characters, but also because I am a mom and I know a mother-daughter dynamic. It's not obviously close to my own personal dynamic, but I thought, 'okay, for directing for the first time, this is in my wheelhouse'," she said.

All We Had also stars Judy Greer, Luke Wilson and Richard Kind.