Cruise holds theGuinness World Record for the most consecutive$100-million-grossing movies, a feat achieved with seven films released between 2011 and 2018.[11] In December 2024, he was awarded theU.S. Navy's highest civilian honor, theDistinguished Public Service Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contributions" to the military, with his screen roles.[12] In March 2025, he was named the recipient of theBritish Film Institute Fellowship, the BFI's highest honor, for his contributions to cinema.[13]Forbes ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006.[14] He was namedPeople'sSexiest Man Alive in 1990,[15] and received the top honor of "Most Beautiful People" in 1997.[16] Outside his film career, Cruise has been an outspoken advocate for theChurch of Scientology, which has resulted in controversy and scrutiny of his involvement in the organization. An aviation enthusiast, he has held apilot certificate since 1994.[17]
Early life
Cruise was born on July 3, 1962, inSyracuse, New York,[18] to electrical engineer Thomas Cruise Mapother III (1934–1984) andspecial education teacher Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer; 1936–2017).[19] His parents were both fromLouisville, Kentucky,[20] and had English, German, and Irish ancestry.[21][22] Cruise has three sisters named Lee Anne, Marian, and Cass. One of his cousins,William Mapother, is also anactor who has appeared alongside Cruise in five films.[23]
Cruise grew up in near poverty and had aCatholic upbringing. He later described his father as "a merchant of chaos",[24] a "bully", and a "coward" who beat his children. He elaborated, "[My father] was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life—how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang! For me, it was like, 'There's something wrong with this guy. Don't trust him. Be careful around him.'"[24] Cruise's father died of cancer in 1984.[25]
In total, Cruise attended fifteen schools in fourteen years.[26] Cruise spent part of his childhood in Canada; when his father took a job as a defense consultant with theCanadian Armed Forces, his family moved in late 1971 toBeacon Hill, Ottawa.[27] He attended the newRobert Hopkins Public School for his fourth and fifth grade education.[27][28] He first became involved in drama in fourth grade, under drama teacher George Steinburg. He and six other boys put on an improvised play to music calledIT at the Carleton Elementary School drama festival.[27] Drama organizer Val Wright was in the audience and later said that "the movement and improvisation were excellent ... a classic ensemble piece."[27]
In sixth grade, Cruise went toHenry Munro Middle School in Ottawa. That year, his mother left his father, taking Cruise and his sisters back to the United States.[27] In 1978 she married Jack South.[29] Cruise briefly took a Catholic church scholarship and attendedSt. Francis Seminary inCincinnati. He aspired to become apriest in theFranciscan order but left after a year. Priests at the seminary have said Cruise chose to leave the school when his family relocated again; however, a former classmate said that they were both asked to leave after getting caught takingliquor.[30][31]: 24–26 In his senior year of high school, he playedfootball for the varsity team as alinebacker, but was cut from the squad after getting caught drinking beer before a game.[31]: 47 He went on to star in the school's production ofGuys and Dolls.[32] In 1980, he graduated fromGlen Ridge High School inGlen Ridge, New Jersey.[33]
In 1996, Cruise starred as superspyEthan Hunt in the reboot ofMission: Impossible, which he also produced.[45] The film was directed byBrian De Palma and was a box office success. Film critic Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times praised Cruise's performance, declaring "Tom Cruise has found the perfect superhero character on which to graft his breathlessly gung-ho screen personality."[46] In the same year, Cruise took on the title role inCameron Crowe'ssports dramaJerry Maguire playing asports agent in search of love. The film was a massive financial success grossing more than$273 million worldwide against its$50 million budget.[47]
In 1999, Cruise costarred with Kidman inStanley Kubrick'serotic andpsychological drama filmEyes Wide Shut. Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian praised both Cruise and Kidman on their performances writing, "Cruise in particular lays himself open in that fiercely committed way that he tries everything as an actor".[48] That same year he took a raresupporting role, as a motivational speaker, Frank T.J. Mackey, inPaul Thomas Anderson'sMagnolia (1999).Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers heaped praise on Cruise writing, "Cruise is a revelation, fully deserving of the shower of superlatives coming his way ... Cruise seethes with the chaotic energy of a wounded animal—he's devastating."[49] For his performance he received anotherGolden Globe and nomination for anAcademy Award.[50]
In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of theMission: Impossible films,Mission: Impossible 2. The film was helmed by Hong Kong directorJohn Woo and branded with hisgun fu style; it continued the series' success at the box office, taking in$547 million worldwide.[51] Unlike its predecessor, it was the highest-grossing film of the year,[52] but had a mixed critical reception.[53] Cruise received anMTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance for the film.[54] His next five films were major critical and commercial successes.[55][56] The following year, Cruise starred in the romantic thrillerVanilla Sky (2001) withCameron Diaz andPenélope Cruz. In 2002, Cruise starred in thedystopian science fiction action filmMinority Report, which was directed bySteven Spielberg and based on the short story byPhilip K. Dick. It has since been included in lists of the greatest science fiction films of all time.[57][58][59]
In 2003, he starred inEdward Zwick's period action dramaThe Last Samurai, for which he received aGolden Globe nomination for best actor.[60] In 2004, Cruise received critical acclaim for his performance as Vincent inCollateral. The critical consensus states that "Driven by directorMichael Mann's trademark visuals and a lean, villainous performance from Tom Cruise,Collateral is a stylish and compelling noir thriller."[61] In 2005, Cruise worked again with Steven Spielberg inWar of the Worlds, a loose adaptation of theH. G. Wellsnovel of the same name, which became the fourth highest-grossing film of the year with$591.4 million worldwide.[62] Also in 2005, he was a nominee for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star[63] and the winner of theMTV Generation Award.[64] Cruise was nominated for sevenSaturn Awards between 2002 and 2009, winning once. Nine of the ten films he starred in during the decade made over$100 million at the box office.[55]
In 2006, he returned to his role as Ethan Hunt in the third installment of theMission Impossible film series,Mission: Impossible III. The film was more positively received by critics than the previous films in the series and grossed nearly$400 million at the box office.[65] In 2007, Cruise took a rare supporting role for the second time inLions for Lambs, which was a commercial disappointment. This was followed by an unrecognizable appearance as "Les Grossman" in the 2008 comedyTropic Thunder withBen Stiller,Jack Black, andRobert Downey Jr. This performance earned Cruise aGolden Globe nomination.[60] Cruise played the central role in the historical thrillerValkyrie released on December 25, 2008, to box office success.[66]
2010s: Action star
In March 2010, Cruise completed filming the action-comedyKnight and Day, in which he re-teamed with former costar Cameron Diaz; the film was released on June 23, 2010.[67] On February 9, 2010, Cruise confirmed that he would star inMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment in theMission: Impossible series. The film was released in December 2011[68] to high critical acclaim[69] and box office success.[70] Unadjusted for ticket price inflation, it was Cruise's biggest commercial success to that date.[71]
On May 6, 2011, Cruise was awarded a humanitarian award from theSimon Wiesenthal Center and itsMuseum of Tolerance for his work as a dedicated philanthropist.[72] In mid-2011, Cruise started shooting the movieRock of Ages (2012), in which he played the fictional characterStacee Jaxx. The film was released in June 2012 and was a rare box-office misstep for Cruise.[73] Cruise however received positive reviews for his performance withVariety's film critic Justin Chang writing, "Channeling the likes ofAxl Rose andKeith Richards with his tattoos, heavy furs and even heavier eyeshadow, Cruise clearly relishes the opportunity to play against type even as he sends up his world's-biggest-movie-star identity, displaying a cock-of-the-rock strut that viewers haven't seen since his turn inMagnolia."[74]
Cruise starred asJack Reacher in thefilm adaptation of British authorLee Child's 2005 novelOne Shot. The film was released on December 21, 2012.[75] It met with positive reviews from critics and was a box office success grossing$217 million worldwide.[76][77] In 2013, he starred in the science fiction filmOblivion based on directorJoseph Kosinski's graphic novel of the same name. The film met with mixed reviews and grossed$286 million worldwide. It also starredMorgan Freeman andOlga Kurylenko.[78][79] In 2014, Cruise starred in the science fiction-action filmEdge of Tomorrow, which received positive reviews[80] and grossed over$370 million.[81]
In 2015, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the fifth installment of theMission: Impossible series,Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, which he also produced.[82] Returning cast members includedSimon Pegg as Benji andJeremy Renner as William Brandt, withChristopher McQuarrie as director. The film earned high critical acclaim[83] and was a commercial success.[84] Cruise starred in the 2017 reboot ofBoris Karloff's 1932 horror movieThe Mummy.[85] The new film, also titledThe Mummy, received negative reviews and disappointed at the box office, though still grossed over$400 million.[86][87] In 2018, Cruise again reprised Ethan Hunt, in the sixth film in his franchise,Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The film was more positively received by critics than the previous films in the series and grossed over$791 million at the box office.[88][89] Unadjusted for ticket price inflation, it was Cruise's biggest commercial success to date.[90]
2020s: Franchise films
In May 2020, it was reported that Cruise would be starring in and producing a movie shot inouter space.[91]Doug Liman would be directing, writing, and co-producing. Both will fly to theInternational Space Station as part of a futureAxiom Space mission in aSpaceXDragon 2 spacecraft.[92] In May 2021, Cruise protested against theHollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) by returning all three of his Golden Globe Awards in light of controversy surrounding the HFPA,[93] particularly its lack of diversity, specifically no black members, and ethical questions related to financial benefits to some of its members.[94]
In 2022, Cruise reprised his role asCaptain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell inTop Gun: Maverick, a film which he also produced. The film premiered at theCannes Film Festival where Cruise earned anHonorary Palme d'Or.[95] The film was released to widespread critical praise, with many reviewers deeming it superior to its predecessor.[96] The film broke several box office records upon its release; earning over$1 billion, becoming the highest-grossing film of his career.[97] Cruise earned$100 million for the film, when combining ticket sales, his salary, and his cut of home entertainment rentals and streaming revenues.[98]
Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative film deals in Hollywood and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economistEdward Jay Epstein as "one of the most powerful—and richest—forces in Hollywood." Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others beingGeorge Lucas,Steven Spielberg andJerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar film franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruise's tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruise's exceptional commercial prowess.[108]
On August 22, 2006,Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise. InThe Wall Street Journal, chairman ofViacom (Paramount's parent company)Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views.[109][110] Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount's announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing fromprivate equity firms.[111] Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount's discontent over Cruise/Wagner's exceptionally large share of DVD sales from theMission: Impossible franchise.[112][113]
Management of United Artists
In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over the film studioUnited Artists (UA).[106] Cruise acted as a producer and starred in films for UA, while Wagner served as UA's chief executive. Production began in 2007 ofValkyrie, a thriller based on the July 20, 1944, assassination attempt againstAdolf Hitler. The film was acquired in March 2007 by UA. On March 21, 2007, Cruise signed to playClaus von Stauffenberg, theprotagonist. This project marked the second production to be greenlighted since Cruise and Wagner took control of UA. The first was its inaugural film,Lions for Lambs, directed byRobert Redford and starring Redford,Meryl Streep and Cruise. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at UA; she retained her stake in UA, which combined with Cruise's share amounted to 30% of the studio.[114]
Return to Paramount
Cruise began working with Paramount again as a producer and star withMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, without Wagner, which was a critical and commercial success. He and Wagner would collaborate for the final time on the modestly successfulJack Reacher series, also for Paramount.[115]
Move to Warner Bros. Discovery
In January 2024, it was announced that his production company was forming a new strategic partnership withWarner Bros. Discovery to develop and produce original and franchise films.[116][117]
In 2006,Premiere ranked Cruise as Hollywood's most powerful actor,[118] as Cruise came in at number 13 on the magazine's 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor.[119] The same year,Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity.[14] The founder ofCinemaScore in 2016 cited Cruise andLeonardo DiCaprio as the "two stars, it doesn't matter how bad the film is, they can pull [the box office] up."[120][121] October 10, 2006, was declared "Tom Cruise Day" in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was awarded with a special day because of "his love for and close association with Japan."[122]
While reviewingDays of Thunder (co-written Cruise), film criticRoger Ebert noted the similarities between several of Cruise's 1980s films and nicknamed the formula the "Tom Cruise Picture".[123] Ebert listed nine key ingredients that make up the Tom Cruise Picture: the Cruise character, the mentor, the superior woman, the craft he must hone, the arena it takes place in, the arcana or knowledge he must learn, the trail or journey, the proto enemy, and the eventual enemy of the character. Some of Cruise's later films likeA Few Good Men andThe Last Samurai can also be considered to be part of this formula.Widescreenings compares two of these Cruise characters in an article on the filmA Few Good Men:
[screenwriter]Aaron Sorkin interestingly takes the opposite approach ofTop Gun, where Cruise also starred as the protagonist. InTop Gun, Cruise plays Mitchell who is a 'hot shot' military underachiever who makes mistakes because he is trying to outperform his late father. Where Maverick Mitchell needs to rein in the discipline, Daniel Kaffee needs to let it go, finally see what he can do.[124]
Cruise is anaerobatic pilot and was inducted as part of theLiving Legends of Aviation in 2010, receiving the Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award from the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy. In addition to other aircraft, Cruise owns aP-51 Mustang.[125]
Cruise married actressMimi Rogers on May 9, 1987.[134] They divorced on February 4, 1990. Rogers had grown up inScientology and was one of its "auditors";[135] they met when Cruise became one of her clients.[136] In a 1993Playboy interview, Rogers discussed her split from Cruise and said that he had been considering becoming a monk, which affected their intimacy. Rogers later retracted the comments and claimed she had been misinterpreted.[137][138] According to a friend of Rogers, "Tom, his agents and certain studios were furious about what Mimi said inPlayboy. She was told in no uncertain terms that her career would be over unless she put things right."[137] Rogers received a$4 million divorce settlement.[137]
Cruise met his second wife, actressNicole Kidman, on the set of their filmDays of Thunder (1990). The couple married on December 24, 1990. They adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born 1992) and Connor Antony (born 1995). On February 5, 2001, the couple's spokesperson announced their separation.[139] Cruise filed for divorce two days later, and their marriage was dissolved later that year, with Cruise citing irreconcilable differences.[140] Kidman stated that their marriage failed because at the time, she "was a child" who "needed to grow up."[141] According to former church spokesperson and board member Mike Rinder, the Church of Scientology used various means to push the couple to break up, including pressuring Cruise into more auditing and tapping Kidman's phone.[142]In a 2007 interview withMarie Claire, Kidman noted the incorrect reporting of a miscarriage early in her marriage: "It was wrongly reported asmiscarriage by everyone who picked up the story. So it's huge news, and it didn't happen. I had a miscarriage at the end of my marriage, but I had anectopic pregnancy at the beginning of my marriage."[143]
Cruise was next romantically linked withPenélope Cruz, his co-star inVanilla Sky (2001). Their three-year relationship ended in 2004.[144] An article in the October 2012 issue ofVanity Fair stated that several sources have said that after the breakup with Cruz, Scientologist leaders launched a secret project to find Cruise a new girlfriend. According to those sources, a series of "auditions" of Scientologist actresses resulted in a short-lived relationship with Iranian-British actressNazanin Boniadi, who subsequently left Scientology.[145] Scientology and Cruise's lawyers issued strongly worded denials and threatened to sue, accusingVanity Fair of "shoddy journalism" and "religious bigotry".[146] JournalistRoger Friedman later reported that he received an email from director and ex-ScientologistPaul Haggis confirming the story.[147][148]
In April 2005, Cruise began dating actressKatie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes—dubbedTomKat by the media—made their first public appearance together inRome.[149] A month later, Cruise publicly declared his love for Holmes onThe Oprah Winfrey Show; he jumped on Winfrey's yellow couch and stood there to make the announcement. On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child.[150] In April 2006, their daughter Suri was born.[151]
On November 18, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century castleCastello Orsini-Odescalchi inBracciano, in a Scientologist ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars.[152][153] Their publicists said the couple had "officialized" their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony.[154] There has been widespread speculation that their marriage was arranged by Church of Scientology.[155][156]David Miscavige, the head of Scientology, served as Cruise's best man.[157] On June 29, 2012, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise.[158][159] On July 9, the couple signed a divorce settlement worked out by their lawyers.[160] New York law requires all divorce documents remain sealed, so the exact terms of the settlement are not publicly available.[161] Cruise stated that ex-wife Katie Holmes divorced him in part to protect the couple's daughter Suri from Scientology and that Suri is no longer a practicing member of the organization.[162]
Litigation
In 1998, Cruise successfully sued theDaily Express, a British tabloid which alleged that his marriage to Kidman was asham designed to cover up his homosexuality.[163] In May 2001, Cruise filed a lawsuit againstgay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had told the celebrity magazineActustar that he had been involved in an affair with Cruise. This claim was strongly denied by Cruise,[164] and Slater was ordered to pay$10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default. Cruise requested a default judgment, and in January 2003, a Los Angeles judge decided against Slater after he admitted that his claims were false.[165][166]
Cruise also suedBold Magazine publisher Michael Davis for$100 million, because Davis had alleged that he had video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.[167] In 2006, Cruise suedcybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by theWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.[168]
In 2009, magazine editor Michael Davis Sapir[169] filed a suit charging that his phone had been wiretapped at Cruise's behest. That suit was dismissed by a Central Civil West court judge in Los Angeles on the grounds that thestatute of limitations had expired on Sapir's claim.[170][171] In October 2012, Cruise filed a lawsuit againstIn Touch andLife & Style magazines fordefamation after they claimed Cruise had "abandoned" his six-year-old daughter.[172] During deposition, Cruise admitted that "he didn't see his daughter for 110 days". The suit was settled the following year.[173]
Scientology advocacy
Cruise was converted toScientology by his first wife,Mimi Rogers, in 1986 and became an outspoken advocate forChurch of Scientology in the 2000s. His involvement in the organization was leaked by the tabloidStar in 1990, and he publicly announced he followed Scientology in a 1992 interview withBarbara Walters. Cruise has said that Scientology, through its teaching methodStudy Technology, helped him overcome hisdyslexia.[174][175] Cruise has been a close friend of Scientology leaderDavid Miscavige since the 1980s.[176][177]
Several years after Cruise started studying Scientology, the organization's leaders promised to share some Scientology secrets with him,[178] including information about the extraterrestrial rulerXenu. According to Janet Reitman's bookInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion (2011), Cruise "freaked out" and took a step back from the Church to work on the filmEyes Wide Shut.[178] In 1999,Marty Rathbun was sent by David Miscavige to convince Cruise to return to the Church and continue his studies.[178] Cruise later sparked controversy in the 2000s with hisefforts to promote Scientology.[178]
As well as promoting various programs to introduce people to Scientology, Cruise campaigned for Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. In 2005, theCouncil of Paris revealed that Cruise had lobbied French Interior MinisterNicolas Sarkozy and Senate PresidentJean-Claude Gaudin; they described Cruise as a militant spokesman for Scientology and barred any further dealings with him.[183][184]
In January 2004, Cruise said, "I thinkpsychiatry should be outlawed."[186] In 2005, he criticized actressBrooke Shields for using the drugPaxil (paroxetine), anantidepressant which she used to recover frompostpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance and that psychiatry is a form ofpseudoscience. In response, Shields argued that Cruise "should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."[187] This led to a heated argument between Cruise andMatt Lauer on NBC'sToday on June 24, 2005.[188][189]
Medical authorities view Cruise's comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness.[190] FromThe Lancet, "He may be right that psychotropic drugs are overused, sometimes misused; and that lifestyle changes (and exercise for depression) can be helpful. But he is wrong, as a celebrity, to add to the burden of those with a mental illness, who often fear seeking or continuing treatment because of the stigma still attached to their condition."[190] Shields called Cruise's comments "a disservice to mothers everywhere".[191] In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for his comments.[192]
Scientology is well known for itsopposition to mainstream psychiatry andpsychoactive drugs that are routinely prescribed for treatment.[181] It was reported that Cruise's anti-psychiatry actions led to a rift with directorSteven Spielberg.[193] Spielberg had reportedly mentioned in Cruise's presence the name of a doctor friend who prescribed psychiatric medication. Shortly thereafter, the doctor's office waspicketed by Scientologists, reportedly angering Spielberg.[194]
On January 15, 2008, a video produced by Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on YouTube by theAnonymous-linked groupProject Chanology, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him.[195][196] Church of Scientology said the video had been "pirated and edited", and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology.[196][197] YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.[198] It was subsequently reinstated on the site, and as of June 2020, the video has achieved over 15 million views.[199]
Purported influence
In March 2004, Cruise's publicist of 14 years,Pat Kingsley, resigned. Cruise's next publicist was Lee Anne DeVette, his sister, who was herself a Scientologist. She served in that role until November 2005.[200] DeVette was replaced with Paul Bloch from the publicity firmRogers and Cowan.[201] Such restructuring was seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the controversy surrounding his relationship with Katie Holmes.[202]Lawrence Wright's 2013 bookGoing Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief andAlex Gibney's 2015documentary adaptation of the book cast a spotlight on Cruise's role in Scientology. The book and the film both state that the Scientology organization groomed romantic partners for Cruise and that Cruise usedSea Org andRehabilitation Project Force workers as a source of free labor.[177][203] In the film, Cruise's former auditor Marty Rathbun says that Cruise's then-wifeNicole Kidman was wiretapped on Cruise's suggestion, which Cruise's lawyer denies.[204][205] Cruise's ex-girlfriend Nazanin Boniadi later compared the Scientology organization's auditioning of women to date Cruise and experiences with him to "white slavery".[206]
^Bird, Brad (December 21, 2011),Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Action, Adventure, Thriller), Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, TC Productions,archived from the original on March 25, 2024, retrievedMarch 21, 2024
^Adams, Guy (September 11, 2012)."Scientology threatens Vanity Fair over Tom Cruise 'auditions' claims".The Independent. London.Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2012.Citing a mixture of "shoddy journalism" and "religious bigotry," the Church of Scientology is threatening to sue Vanity Fair over a recent article claiming that it helped "audition" young actresses to find a suitable girlfriend for Tom Cruise.
Celizic, Mike (December 15, 2008)."Cruise under control: Actor says 'I learned a lesson'".Today.Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. RetrievedMay 12, 2023.Three years ago, he openly discussed his membership in the religion with Lauer. But in recent interviews, he's said he prefers not to discuss it and has directed questioners to the religion's Web site.
Grady, Constance (July 28, 2022)."The hollowness of Tom Cruise". Vox.Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. RetrievedMay 13, 2023.He heavily restricts the questions journalists are allowed to ask him before he agrees to an interview, and both his religion and his family life tend to be off-limits.
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