Are his feelings for Katie legit? Was he too harsh on
Brooke Shields? And is all his talk about Scientology affecting his
career? Cruise answers those questions Tom Cruise doesn't jump up on the sofa. He doesn't fall to his knees
and pound his fists on the floor. He doesn't even try to wrestle anyone
out of a chair. Instead, he sits in his spacious office on the
Paramount lot on this late afternoon in early June (just a few weeks
before the premiere of War of the Worlds) and stays put for a
full hour. Mostly put. Put enough, at least, to answer a few questions
about some of the recent events in his life (his acrobatics on Oprah over a certain Dawson's Creek actress, that fight he picked with his former Endless Love costar on Access Hollywood,
his increasingly public pronouncements on the evils of psychiatry) that
have been perplexing many of the people of Planet Earth lately. On the
following pages, Cruise explains everything...and then some. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I don't suppose you want to take this opportunity to announce your engagement to Katie Holmes. TOM CRUISE
That's something Kate and I have to talk about. I have to talk to her
about that alone. But I have to tell you, this kind of happiness hits
you like nothing else.
You said on Oprah that you've never felt like this before. Yeah.
Have you heard from any ex-wives lately? No, listen, I don't mean to make less of those relationships at all. I wish them happiness. I wish them this kind of happiness.
You know, usually when movie stars get romantically involved,
they try to keep it quiet. You guys seem to be inviting the whole world
to celebrate your relationship. I think it's important in life
to celebrate these things. You know, I'm just happy. I can't contain
myself. And I'm not going to try. I refuse.
What's it like reading all these stories about people not
believing the relationship is real, that it's some sort of publicity
stunt? It's amusing at first. It's funny. But then you sit back
and realize how sad it is that there are people who can't even imagine
feeling like this. But my friends are happy for me. The people who know
me are happy. My mom is happy. My family is happy. You've been taking a lot of flak for your appearance on Oprah, for all the jumping around you did on the show. Does the criticism bother you? No,
I don't care. I can't live my life based on what other people think
about me. Who cares what other people say? There are some people who
just don't like to see other people happy. They try to actively stop
it. They find that sort of happiness ugly. They're in the minority, but
they squawk pretty loud. They're like the bullies you grow up with in
school. But you know what? If they don't like it, f--- them. If people
don't like it, f--- off.
Your comments about antidepressants on Access Hollywood —
do you think going after Brooke Shields for her book about postpartum
depression might have made the argument a little too personal? It's
not a matter of making it personal. I care about Brooke. I want to see
her do well. I think she's really talented. But she's misinformed. And,
you know, from that Access Hollywood interview, I've gotten
over 154,000 responses from people thanking me. You should see some of
the letters I get. People go for help but their lives don't get better
because of these drugs. They get worse. They feel numb and they're told
that's a good thing. It's becoming like Huxley's Brave New World.
It's like what the English did to China with opium [in the 19th
century]. How is this different? It's how you degrade a society — by
drugging the piss out of it. You are aware that your views about psychiatry come across as pretty radical to a lot of people. In
the 1980s, you were supposed to say no to drugs. But when I say no to
drugs, I'm a radical? 'He's against drugs — he's a radical! He's
against electroshock treatments — he's a radical!' [Laughing] It's absurd!
Yeah, but Scientology textbooks sometimes refer to psychiatry as a ''Nazi science''... Well,
look at the history. Jung was an editor for the Nazi papers during
World War II. [According to Aryeh Maidenbaum, the director of the New
York Center for Jungian Studies, this is not true.] Look at the
experimentation the Nazis did with electric shock and drugging. Look at
the drug methadone. That was originally called Adolophine. It was named
after Adolf Hitler... [According to the Dictionary of Drugs and Medications, among other sources, this is an urban legend.]
Well, Freud wasn't a Nazi, but the point I'm getting at here is
that expressing these views isn't necessarily a public relations
bonanza for you. What choice do I have? People are being electric-shocked. Kids are being drugged. People are dying.
There's a perception that you've become more passionate about this issue recently, about Scientology in general... I've
always been passionate about it. I've always talked about it when
people asked about it. The only change that's occurred since the early
1990s has been the increase in the amount of drugs being used. That's
what's changed. Has anybody in Hollywood come to you — your agents or studio people — and asked you to stop talking about any of this? I've had a lot of encouragement and a lot of thanks, that's what I've had.
What about that Scientology massage tent on the War of the Worlds set? Was that just massages or was it proselytizing? I
also had a cappuccino tent on that set. And I made sure the crews were
fed well, too. And if someone wanted an assist from a [Scientology]
volunteer, it was there for them. People are curious about it — they're
always asking me about it, they want to know what Scientology is.
What about Katie? Is she curious about Scientology? Yeah, absolutely. She digs it.
There was a story in one of the gossip columns that you had asked her not to do Factory Girl because of the drug use in the movie. I don't even know what Factory Girl is.
It's a film about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol. I don't
know anything about that. Listen, the thing you've got to know about
Katie is that she's an incredibly bright and self-determined woman. She
makes her own decisions.
Let me try this again — will any of those decisions involve a ring? [Whispering, with a grin] It's gonna happen, man. It'll happen.
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