Interesting Facts You (Probably) Didn't Know About Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's most popular actors. We've collected 10 interesting things from Cruise's life, some of which may surprise you. The life of an avid scientologist and adrenaline lover hides many curiosities.

His father abused him. He said goodbye to him on his deathbed, after a 10-year separation

The childhood of the famous actor is full of physical and mental abuse. In addition to his classmates who bullied him, his father abused him. In an interview with Parade magazine, the actor described him as "a abuser, a coward and a businessman with chaos." "He was the kind of person who would kick you whenever something went wrong," Cruise said. The actor said in an interview that he had negative relationship with his father and knew, that he should always watch out for him. He admitted that he did not trust him. 

He considers his father's abuse to be a great life-lesson. Tom's mother Mary Lee was not happy either, and divorced her husband in 1974. Young Tom was only 12 at the time. He did not see his father for 10 years and did not meet him until 1984, when he was dying of cancer.

In addition to his father, he was abused by his classmates. As a young man, he changed schools 15 times, which meant he could not maintain long-term friendships. There was always someone at all the schools who wanted to hit 'the new kid'. 

He could have been a catholic priest

Tom Cruise is probably the most famous Scientologist in the world these day. But he grew up in a Catholic family and attended seminaries for Catholics at St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati. In 1977, he and his friends allegedly stole alcohol from a school priest, writes the Daily Mail.

When Tom and his classmates got caught drunk, they had to admit where they got their alcohol. His classmate, Shane Dempler, who was supposed to be a good friend of Tom Cruise, told the Daily News that they had both planned on becoming priests before the incident.

However, Ric Schneider's father, who helped Tom Cruise get into school, questions Dempler's claim. "I think he went there to get an education. It didn't seem to me that he was serious about priesthood or religious life," he said.

What did the actor himself say about his career in the Catholic Church?

Scientology reportedly helped cure his dyslexia

Tom Cruise suffered from dyslexia for many years. People magazine states that actor was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 7 years old. Cruise claims that he felt empty, frustrated and angry because of it, and it was the reason why he experienced regular bullying at school. 

The actor admits that he could not read the scripts at the beginning of his career. Because of this, he preferred to talk to directors and producers about the film's story and his character. In 1986, when the hit Top Gun was released, he became acquainted with Scientology, which allegedly helped cure his dyslexia. He allegedly 'recovered' from dyslexia  using the Study Technology method, which was created by the founder of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. With this method, the actor was able to "create visual images to understand what he is reading," he said.

However, dyslexia experts consider Cruise's claims to be nonsense. J. Thomas Viall, executive director of the International Dyslexia Association said: "I do not know of any research that supports the teaching of the Church of Scientology as an effective form of action against dyslexia." When it comes to dyslexia, we can work with the symptoms, but it cannot be cured.

Alleged phone-tapping of Nicole Kidman

Tom Cruise is said to have hired a private detective to follow Kidman. The church reportedly thought that Tom was straying away from Scientology because of her influence, so they wanted to divide them.

Tom Cruise denied these allegations, saying "he has not hired any private detective to spy on or investigate Nicole Kidman in any way. Nor did the Church of Scientology ask for it. Any statement indicating this is demonstrably false," he said for E! News.

In a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nicole Kidman declined to comment on Scientology. She justified her silence by saying that the adopted children of Nicole and Tom were members of the church and she respects their faith.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in an excellent scene from the movie Eyes Wide Shut

Hľadanie partnerky cez scientologickú cirkev?

Tom's first wife Mimi Rogers (1987-1990) introduced him to Scientology, but it didn't last long between the two of them. The relationship with Nicole Kidman (1990-2001) also failed. However, the actor still longed for a stable partnership, search for which was allegedly helped by the Church of Scientology itself.

Vanity Fair s odkazom na zdroje bývalých členov cirkvi píše, že za údajným projektom hľadania ideálnej manželky pre Toma Cruisea stála Shelly Miscavige, manželka lídra cirkvi Davida. V procese hľadania pozvali na špecifický filmový konkurz herečky, ktoré patrili do cirkvi. Počas neho sa ich vypytovali rôzne otázky, napríklad čo si myslia o Tomovi Cruiseovi.

Referring to the sources of former church members, Vanity Fair writes that Shelly Miscavige, the wife of church leader David, was behind the alleged project to find the perfect wife for Tom Cruise. In the process of searching, they invited actresses who belonged to the church to a specific film audition. During that time, they were asked various questions, such as what they thought of Tom Cruise.

The Church of Scientology rejects these accusations.

Tom Cruise later married Katie Holmes, to whom he was married between 2006 and 2016. 

A crazy performance on Oprah Winfrey's sow
during which Tom talks about Katie Holmes

Psychiatry should be illegal, the actor said

Perception of mental illness is improving. People who suffer from mental health conditions are not damned as they were in the past, and psychiatry is a respected field. In the eyes of Scientologists, however, it is inferior.

As a prominent Scientologist, Tom Cruise said in 2004 that psychiatry should be declared illegal. He criticised the actress Brooke Shields, who had to take antidepressants during postpartum depression. At the time, he called psychiatry pseudoscience, arguing that there was no such thing as depression caused by chemical imbalances.

Tom Cruise - the hero

Tom Cruise often plays the hero in movies, but it seems, that he is a hero in real life as well. In 1998, he walked down the street with his bodyguards and heard a woman screaming. It was his neighbour Rita Simmonds, being attacked by thieves. The actor, together with the security guards, did not hesitate and ran towards the thieves, whom they successfully fought off, writes the Chicago Tribune.

It wasn't the first time Tom had helped people in need. In 1996, he sailed at sea and saw a yacht that caught fire. He sailed to the burning boat and helped five people cross to safety onto his board.

In the same year, Tom witnessed a car accident, after which he went to the hospital with the injured woman. The woman had to pay $ 7,000 to treat the bruised ribs and broken leg. Since she had no insurance, the actor decided to pay for her.

Japan celebrates 'Tom Cruise Day'

Tom Cruise is beloved by people all over the world, but in Japan they set a day to celebrate the actor. The Hollywood portal states that Cruise spent more time with fans in Japan, than any Hollywood star before him.

According to the Filipino-Japanese Journal, in August 2018 he visited Japan 23rd time. At that time, he came to the country to promote the latest Mission: Impossible. "It's great to be in Japan again. This is my 23rd visit. It's really amazing, I feel at home here," praised the famous actor Japan. Tom Cruise Day in Japan falls on October 10th.

Danger on set

Tom Cruise fans are well aware that his stuntmen "die of boredom" when making films with him. Tom tries to do all the stunts on his own and seldom lets someone take over for him. But there were a couple of close-calls.

Some of his most dangerous stunts:

In Mission: Impossbile - Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise climbed the 828-meter Burj Khalifa. Even though the actors have been secured by ropes at all the time, the filming is really dangerous. According to The Telegraph, Cruise had to fight a crosswind and regularly crashed into the building.

While filming Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Tom managed to persuade the studio to let him hang from an Airbus A400M during the action scene. However, they had to, of course, strap him to the plane. He also wore special eye lenses due to protect him from the gusts of wind.

While filming Mission Impossible 6, he jumped from building to building, limping considerably after an unpleasant landing.