Tom Cruise’s Profession: From Scientology to ‘Mission: Inconceivable’

In August 2006, it regarded like Tom Cruise’s profession became once over.

In a rare announcement from the head of a predominant conglomerate, Viacom’s then-chairman Sumner Redstone publicly ripped into the giant title — who for years became once one in every of essentially the most winning actors and producers at Viacom’s movie studio, Paramount Pictures.

“We don’t mediate that someone who effectuates ingenious suicide and costs the firm revenue wants to be on the lot,” Redstone on the spot The Wall Avenue Journal that 365 days. “His recent behavior has now not been acceptable to Paramount.”

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It became once doubtless the hardest and strangest time of Cruise’s profession. The then-43-365 days-outdated actor had a lifetime box-space of job scandalous of over $1.5 billion, but his flawless transition from young heartthrob to respected dramatic actor to very giant sprint giant title perceived to self-destruct as swiftly as one in every of the messages his personality, Ethan Hunt, acquired in the “Mission: Inconceivable” motion photographs.

The studio he’d called dwelling for 14 years became once parting techniques with him following a string of weird outbursts.

In 2025, that every person seems sharp to mediate.

Cruise is now not most efficient the face of 1 in all the biggest sprint franchises ever, but his 2022 hit, “High Gun: Maverick,” may perchance doubtless perchance comprise saved Hollywood following the pandemic.

On Could perchance doubtless simply 23, he’s lend a hand with yet some other “M:I,” Mission: Inconceivable – The Final Reckoning,” which is being touted as Cruise’s closing time taking part in Ethan Hunt.

It’s yet yet some other have to-sight title from one in every of the final exact movie stars the industry has left.

However there became once a time the feeble actor’s profession became once at a low level.

The sofa jump, ‘TomKat,’ and Scientology

Cruise’s outlandish downfall and subsequent rebirth as one in every of essentially the most bankable movie stars all began with a seemingly harmless act of devour.

When Cruise agreed to appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Could perchance doubtless simply 2005 to promote his film, “Battle of the Worlds,” it became once a extensive deal. Cruise now not continuously ever did interviews, particularly on daylight hours TV.

As Cruise walked onto Winfrey’s stage, the group went wild. Winfrey playfully tousled Cruise’s hair, and the actor became once clearly in a broad temper.

Harpo Studios

Throughout the interview, Winfrey talked about Cruise’s most contemporary devour hobby, Katie Holmes, who became once off-stage where no one, particularly the cameras, may perchance doubtless perchance sight her. The buzz of speaking about his novel female friend led him to leap up on Winfrey’s sofa with joy. He did it a second time for factual measure.

After the sofa-jumping, Winfrey even bought Cruise to skedaddle down Holmes and receive her to achieve onstage.

It regarded threat free on the time, but due to the a extraordinarily young net video-posting insist called YouTube, the image of Cruise on high of Winfrey’s sofa grew to alter into a pop-culture phenomenon. To some critics, Cruise’s behavior felt off.

A month later, Cruise agreed to gallop on the “On the present time” level to to continue promoting “Battle of the Worlds” and also focus on his religion, Scientology. When now-disgraced interviewer Matt Lauer spoke about Scientology, and particularly about Cruise now not agreeing with psychiatry, the tone modified. Cruise equipped his notion on Brooke Shields’ spend of antidepressants for postpartum despair.

Here’s an excerpt of Cruise and Lauer’s unhappy alternate:

Cruise: “Stop you realize what Adderall is? Stop you realize Ritalin? Stop you realize Ritalin is a boulevard drug? Stop you realize that?”

Lauer: “The adaptation is — “

Cruise: “No, Matt, I’m asking you a quiz.”

Lauer: “I realize there’s abuse of all of this stuff.”

Cruise: “No, you sight right here’s the difficulty: You don’t know the historic past of psychiatry. I enact.”

YouTube/On the present time

Later in the dialog:

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Lauer: “Stop you peep the likelihood that this stuff enact work for some of us? That yes, there are abuses, and yes, doubtless they’ve long past too a long way in sure areas, doubtless there are too many teenagers on Ritalin, doubtless electrical shock —”

Cruise: “Too many teenagers on Ritalin?”

Lauer: “I’m right announcing — but aren’t there examples where it works?”

Cruise: “Matt, Matt, Matt, you’re glib. You don’t even know what Ritalin is. Whereas you occur to originate speaking about chemical imbalance, you are going to want to mediate and browse the study papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt. OK? That’s what I’ve completed. You gallop and also you disclose, ‘The build’s the scientific assessments? The build’s the blood take a look at that says how grand Ritalin you’re supposed to receive?’”

Lauer: “It’s very spectacular to hear to you, due to clearly you’ve completed the homework and also you realize the topic.”

Cruise: “And it is most life like to quiet. And it is most life like to quiet enact that also, due to right colorful other folks which are on Ritalin isn’t ample. You wants to be a runt bit more to blame … “

Minutes later, the alternate became once on loop all over the realm.

Internal just a few weeks, Cruise had long past wild on Winfrey and lashed out at Lauer, and by then, the tabloids had long past into overdrive with the Cruise-Holmes relationship, which they called “TomKat.”

It became once time for Cruise to receive off the grid, but he couldn’t.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cruise’s giant title energy takes winning

For plenty of of his profession, an skilled publicist named Pat Kingsley reportedly kept Cruise’s non-public lifestyles out of the tabloids. In preserving with a 2014 LA Weekly story, she even talked Cruise out of being more vocal about Scientology when he did press for his 2003 film “The Closing Samurai.”

A 365 days later, the LA Weekly story acknowledged Cruise let Kingsley gallop after 14 years and formed a publicity group that integrated his sister, Lee Anne De Vette, and fellow Scientologists.

Now, in a typhoon of backlash that Cruise had by no formulation skilled before, his group may perchance doubtless perchance had been too inexperienced to supply protection to him.

No subject your entire detrimental consideration, “Battle of the Worlds” quiet went to No. 1 on the box space of job all over its opening weekend ($65 million), and ended up with a global take of $592 million.

It may perchance perchance maybe doubtless perchance also be the final time a film starring Cruise would build over $500 million worldwide for the next six years.

Paramount Pictures

Following the free up of “Battle of the Worlds,” TomKat became once quiet day after day tabloid fodder, particularly with the strategies that the 2 had been ready for a runt one. And then, in March 2006, Cruise went global all some other time with the controversial “South Park” episode “Trapped in the Closet.”

The episode first and foremost aired in November 2005 and published what Scientologists imagine is the origin of lifestyles, but it without a doubt also depicted Cruise as an taken aback person and conducted on rumors about his sexuality.

Within the episode, one in every of the major characters on the level to, Stan, is believed by Scientology to be the second coming of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This leads Scientologists, including Cruise, to flock to Stan’s dwelling to pay their respects. However when Stan insults his acting capability, Cruise hides in Stan’s closet, leading to Stan announcing, “Dad, Tom Cruise won’t attain out of the closet.”

Comedy Central

Comedy Central delayed re-airing the episode in March 2006 due to Cruise reportedly had declared he wouldn’t promote “Mission: Inconceivable 3” except Viacom (which owns the film’s studio, Paramount, and Comedy Central) canceled the rebroadcast.

Cruise’s reps denied he ever threatened now not to promote the film.

The controversy made headlines all over the realm and led “South Park” fans to grunt they’d boycott “Mission: Inconceivable 3” unless Comedy Central aired the episode.

The episode at final re-aired in July of that 365 days.

“Closetgate,” as it may perchance perchance doubtless doubtless change into known, became once the final straw.

The fixed tabloid coverage of TomKat, plus rumors that Cruise and Holmes’ relationship became once supposedly organized by the church, had turned of us off. (Cruise and Holmes married in November 2006 and divorced six years later.)

The injurious press soon began to comprise an affect on Cruise’s profession. “Mission: Inconceivable 3” opened in theaters in Could perchance doubtless simply 2006, and Cruise’s Q fetch — the appeal of a important person, tag, or firm to the public — became once down 40%.

Paramount Pictures

Even though the film became once No. 1 in the US on its opening weekend ($48 million), it misplaced appeal because the weeks handed. Fee sales dropped 47% all over its second week in theaters and Fifty three% in its third week.

“Mission: Inconceivable 3” is the lowest-grossing film in the franchise to this level, with a $400 million worldwide scandalous.

It became once at this level that Redstone gave Cruise his be-careful name: “We don’t mediate that someone who effectuates ingenious suicide and costs the firm revenue wants to be on the lot. His recent behavior has now not been acceptable to Paramount.”

The lengthy boulevard lend a hand to superstardom

After being kicked off the Paramount lot, Cruise employed a publicist with more experience and buckled down for a comeback. He introduced his manufacturing firm over to MGM and took partial ownership of the enduring United Artists studio.

Cruise also grew to alter into much less vocal about Scientology in public, though he became once it seems quiet very grand all in favour of private. In 2008, a Scientology-produced video went viral on YouTube of the actor explaining what the religion supposed to him.

Cruise paused making sprint motion photographs and turned to dramas like “Lions for Lambs” (2007) and “Valkyrie” (2008).

In between those films, he agreed to giant title in pal Ben Stiller’s 2008 comedy “Tropic Divulge” because the overweight, better-than-lifestyles movie exec Les Grossman. It became once the excellent switch Cruise had made in years. In doing one thing so out of personality, he began to procure lend a hand fans.

Paramount

“Tropic Divulge” reunited Cruise with his faded studio, Paramount. Even supposing Cruise’s manufacturing firm became once kicked off the lot, it didn’t mean he couldn’t quiet be solid in the studio’s films. The wheels had been now in sprint for Cruise to receive lend a hand on Paramount’s factual aspect so he may perchance doubtless perchance build more “Mission: Inconceivable” motion photographs.

Being winning in “Tropic Divulge,” Paramount’s biggest comedy of the 365 days for Paramount, became once a factual beginning level.

Director J.J. Abrams, who directed Cruise in “Mission: Inconceivable 3” and became once in Paramount’s factual graces after directing the studio’s hit “Massive title Shuffle Into Darkness,” became once also working to receive Cruise lend a hand in the franchise.

Within the summertime of 2010, recordsdata broke that Cruise may perchance doubtless perchance be starring in “Mission: Inconceivable — Ghost Protocol,” with Abrams as producer. However this installment in the franchise wouldn’t be titled “Mission: Inconceivable 4,” since the postulate became once that the film may perchance doubtless perchance be a refresh on the franchise, with Cruise stepping apart because the lead and giving formulation to rising giant title Jeremy Renner.

Cruise didn’t receive the message.

Paramount Pictures

Support in the Ethan Hunt role, Cruise cemented his space in the franchise by scaling the tallest building in the realm, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, without a stunt double.

That, and the diversified spectacular stunts featured in the film, ended in “Ghost Protocol” earning the biggest worldwide box space of job in the franchise’s historic past — $695 million. It became once also the second-absolute most life like earning film for Paramount in 2011, right on the lend a hand of “Transformers: Sunless of the Moon.”

It wasn’t all box-space of job wins for Cruise following “Ghost Protocol.” “Knight and Day” and the “Jack Reacher” franchise didn’t enact as well to anticipated. And he may perchance doubtless perchance now not lend a hand Universal’s Sunless Universe receive off the bottom as 2017’s “The Mummy” bombed on the box space of job.

Then all some other time, he laid the seeds of what may perchance doubtless perchance be yet some other winning franchise with 2014’s “Fringe of Tomorrow, which — even with a slack originate when it opened — ended up passing the home $100 million model (the major time in 9 years that a non-“Mission: Inconceivable” Cruise film hit that landmark number) and most efficient grew in recognition when it bought onto dwelling video and streaming.

And then there are the “M: I” motion photographs.

In 2015, “Rogue Nation,” with its survey-popping stunt thru which Cruise hung from the aspect of a airplane as it took off, earned over $682.7 million worldwide and became once the tip-grossing film for Paramount that 365 days. And 2018’s “Fallout” did even higher, taking in over $791 million worldwide.

Paramount

Cruise took a spoil from the “M:I” motion photographs to single-handedly receive audiences lend a hand in theaters after the pandemic when “High Gun: Maverick” opened in Could perchance doubtless simply of 2022. It may perchance perchance maybe doubtless perchance gallop on to create over $1 billion on the worldwide box space of job.

Unbiased over a 365 days later, “Mission: Inconceivable — Pointless Reckoning” opened and introduced in a respectable $570 million-plus worldwide as it teed up the closing chapter in Cruise’s “M:I” inch with yet yet some other shapely stunt.

No subject Alex Gibney’s explosive 2015 HBO Scientology documentary “Going Definite,” thru which Cruise is criticized for being the face of the controversial religion, Cruise remains one in every of the realm’s high movie stars.

And with “Mission: Inconceivable — The Final Reckoning” out this month, it doesn’t seem doubtless that he’ll be knocked off that mantel anytime soon.

This story became once first and foremost published in 2022. It has been updated to mirror recent events.