Tom Cruise is known for being one of the most eccentric figures in Hollywood. Among them, he's no doubt the most eccentric one in front of the camera, especially in an industry where stars are increasingly becoming more obedient. However, Cruise’s immense popularity (and box office success) allows him to have unusual privileges, unlike newer actors like Timothée Chalamet or Sydney Sweeney.
Private theater. In a recent interview with GQ UK, actor Glen Powell, who became friends with Cruise while filming Top Gun: Maverick, shared some of their unusual anecdotes together. Once, Cruise sent Powell to a cinema in Los Angeles to show him a “film school” movie that he only shares with a selected few. When Powell arrived, he found himself alone in an empty cinema... for six hours.
Cruise’s master class. According to Powell, the film contains footage of Cruise speaking directly to the camera and sharing his extensive knowledge of filmmaking. In the video, according to Powell, “[Cruise] is like: ‘Do we all agree that this is what a camera is? This is the difference between a film camera and a digital camera…’” This goes on for six hours. However, as of now, Cruise has no plans to release it, Powell said.
The Scientologist thing. Cruise's association with Scientology has played an important role in his public image. He was introduced to the religion by his first wife, the actress Mimi Rogers, and has been a member of the Church of Scientology since 1986. Scientologists believe in Xenu, an extraterrestrial leader of a “Galactic Confederacy” who brought billions of his people to Earth (then known as Teegeeack) 75 million years ago, sacrificing them around volcanoes. These aliens’ thetans (immortal spirits) still attach themselves to humans today and cause them harm.
Although he's distanced himself from the church, Cruise has became a strong supporter of Scientology. Notably, he's refused to discuss it in interviews since 2008.
Not in his right mind. Cruise’s beliefs in Scientology have shaped his current public image, giving him a reputation that’s somewhere between delusional and naive, with a hint of a sinister undertone. For instance, he has openly spoken out against psychiatry and antidepressants, which has caused conflicts with people like director Steven Spielberg, as these issues are against the core beliefs of Scientology. His marriages with actresses Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes have also been affected by his involvement in Scientology. Additionally, his ex-girlfriend Nazanin Boniadi made controversial statements about the church investigating Cruise’s partners.
A cinema fan. Cruise might just be a cinephile. His behavior sometimes blurs the line between enthusiastic film promotion and civilized conduct, which can be associated with cinephilia. Take his famous incident of jumping on Oprah’s couch as an example, which some say caused the downfall of his career but was actually planned to reestablish him as a romantic hero. Another example of this is when he was seen saying that movies and popcorn are all he needs in life. For a while, he was also rumored to have never seen a complete movie in his life, but this urban legend was quickly replaced by the opposite claim that he has seen every movie or at least a lot of them.
This is how Tom Cruise works.
Image | Paramount Pictures
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