Tom Cruise is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, but all that could be about to change, with a source telling heat that the Hollywood actor is planning to open up like never before.
Tom, 62, has had his fair share of well-documented ups and downs over the years, with his marriage and divorce from actress Katie Holmes particularly grabbing the public’s attention. Fans are also intrigued by his belief in Scientology and his relationship with his children – Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, who he adopted with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, and Suri, 18, his estranged daughter with Katie.
Now, our insider reveals, ‘Tom hasn’t done a serious sit-down interview in years but with all the projects he has to promote and the fact that he’ll be spending most of the next year in the US, he’s talking about a change of strategy.
‘The idea of sharing some controlled soundbites to clear the air, as long as it’s done with a sympathetic host that isn’t out to humiliate him the way some have in the past, does appeal to him. He’s sick of all the false narrative out there about him and is ready to address things head on. He’s not the type to dwell on negativity but he will set the record straight in a classy way about a lot of things in his past, including his marriages.’
It’s thought that he could also detail his experience of being a Scientologist, something he’s often been guarded about when speaking to the media. However, the Top Gun star – who has been associated with the controversial religion since 1986 – has spoken out at various events. And in a 2008 film for the church, he said it was a ‘privilege to be called a Scientologist’.
The source continues, ‘Scientology is a very controversial subject, he’s not going to go deep, but he is still very proud of his beliefs and devoted to the Church and will likely touch on how it’s helped his life. You don’t see Tom as this poster boy for Scientology anymore, it got too intense when he tried to go that route.
‘Almost every controversy involving the church would drag his name into the mud and that became very tiring and not all that productive for anyone. But he’s still very passionate about it and happy to speak about what it means to him.’
They add of Tom, who recently relocated from the UK back to the US after finishing filming his latest Mission Impossible film, Dead Reckoning II, ‘He knows he has to open up if he wants this tell-all to have any real impact and he’s insisting he’s ready to be very transparent.
‘The fact is he’s going to be doing a lot of press, it’s part of his job, and giving people what they want, after so many years of staying so tight lipped, is a guaranteed home run when it comes to generating headlines and getting attention on him and his movie.’
But while he’s prepared to lay everything on the table, our source adds that there’s one topic he’s keen to keep close to his chest – and that’s his relationship with his daughter Suri. While Tom has maintained a close bond with his older children, who are both members of Scientology, he’s reportedly been estranged from his youngest for well over a decade.
Following his split from Katie, 45, in 2012 after six years of marriage, the actress was given sole custody of Suri and they moved to New York. Suri hasn’t been seen with Tom since she was young and back in June, it was reported that she had dropped his surname. Starring in a theatre production of the musical Head Over Heels, the teen was listed in the show’s programme as ‘Suri Noelle’ – her mum’s middle name.
Our insider says that despite their reported strained relationship, he cares for Suri and wants to protect her. ‘The only thing he’s not comfortable talking about is his relationship with Suri and that’s purely out of respect for her. Regardless of what has happened between him and Katie, he still loves Suri and will always feel protective of her,’ they explain. ‘He’s always very guarded when it comes to talking about her, even with close friends. On the other hand, his relationship with Katie will be fair game. He’s ready to answer a lot of questions.’
While it was widely rumoured that Katie filed for divorce due to concerns over Tom’s devotion to Scientology, the former couple have never spoken in detail about their separation. Prior to Katie, Tom was married to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 before tying the knot to Nicole from 1990 to 2001. And after actress Nicole, 57, recently spoke about their relationship in a string of interviews, our source says Tom is willing to open up about it, too.
They continue, ‘The same goes for Nicole, she’s been speaking about their past lately and milking it for publicity so he figures instead of being angry he may as well join her and get some mileage out of it too.’
And it seems that he could break his silence on his long-running feud with fellow actor Brad Pitt. Their spat goes back three decades, with the pair first butting heads when they worked together on the 1994 horror movie, Interview with the Vampire. Discussing filming with Tom, Brad, 60, described him as ‘North Pole’ while he was ‘South’.
The insider explains, ‘Even Brad Pitt won’t be safe because Tom is ready to talk about what it was really like when they worked together on Interview with a Vampire. He’s well aware that there’s been a lot of talk about how much they clashed and up until now he’s always stayed silent on the truth about their feud, but he’s ready to give his two cents now. He wants to sell his movies and improve his image in America and that means connecting with audiences.’
They add, ‘He knows people want more of him, and he’s ready to give that to them, in his own very carefully considered way.’