A week ago, Tom Cruise was in London for the opening of his newest film, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, when the rarest of occurrences happened on the red carpet: A reporter asked Cruise a real question.
If you know something about Tom Cruise, you know that his media appearances are highly controlled affairs. If you want Tom on your show, you have to abide by a strict set of rules, which include not asking him about what everyone wants to know. Like, why the hell doesn’t he spend more time with his daughter, Suri? And why is he still involved in Scientology, even after the humiliating things about him that came out in Alex Gibney’s 2015 documentary, Going Clear?
But Tom rarely ever faces questions like that. Even Jon Stewart, in the last weeks of his show and with nothing to lose, couldn’t bring himself to break the rules and ask Cruise a real question.
So we have to give credit where it is due, to ITV London News reporter Lucrezia Millarini, who found herself in front of Cruise with a microphone in her hand, and asked him for a straight answer about Scientology.
Here’s how the exchange went…
Millarini: Another movie I’ve got to ask you about as well, it is in cinemas here as well, it is Louis Theroux’s movie, My Scientology Movie.
CRUISE: What is that?
Millarini: It’s My Scientology Movie by Louis Theroux. What do you think about the fact that people are still making these films. Do you care? Do you have a view on it at all?
CRUISE: No, you know what, it’s something that has helped me incredibly in my life, and I’ve been a Scientologist for over 30 years, and it’s something that, you know, without it I wouldn’t be where I am, you know? So it’s a beautiful religion, and I’m very proud.
We first saw that exchange several days ago, mentally tipped our hat at Millarini for her brave question, and then lost all interest in it. Cruise had, after all, said absolutely nothing interesting.
So we’ve been fairly shocked by the way this utterance by Cruise has taken on such a life of its own over the last few days. News organizations, who were slow to pick it up at first, have been pretending that it’s a major revelation and have been speaking of it in breathless amazement.
Gosh! Tom Cruise called Scientology a “beautiful religion” — can you believe it!
Well, yes, we can. And it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone — at least not if they’d been paying attention to what we’ve been saying here at the Underground Bunker for the last couple of years.
Every piece of evidence we’ve seen leads us to believe that Tom Cruise is as dedicated to Scientology today as he was in 2004, when he received his infamous “Freedom Medal of Valor” from Scientology leader David Miscavige in a celebration that included a nine-minute video of Cruise talking about his enthusiasm for the organization. (That video went on to great fame.)
Despite Tom’s history as a highly visible ornament for Miscavige and Scientology, there’s been a concerted effort by certain tabloid publications in the last couple of years to promote the idea that Cruise is leaving Scientology.
That effort has apparently paid off for whoever is pushing it, and the notion that Cruise is out of or leaving Scientology is now a pretty widespread one. And that must be why his statement last week seems to have caught so many people by surprise.
But our readers know better. We’ve published numerous photos showing that Tom has been on the scene for numerous church events and to visit church facilities. And our experts, former top Scientology officials, tell us that everything convinces them that Tom is as dedicated to Scientology and Miscavige as ever.
In fact, we recently reported that Tom Cruise has been identified by a church official as the purchaser of a striking two-story penthouse with nine-car garage and car elevator in a building that’s located in the middle of Scientology’s “spiritual mecca” in Clearwater, Florida.
If that’s not commitment to “the coolest religion on earth,” we don’t know what is.
US Weekly magazine is now claiming that Tom has been staying in England and is dating an unnamed woman there. We don’t know if that’s true or not. But when it comes to Cruise, until we receive some solid evidence to the contrary, here’s what matters. He and his best pal, Scientology leader David Miscavige, have fully bought into the idea that they are the two most important human beings on this prison planet and the rest of us are degraded beings.
Keep that in mind, and you won’t be caught by surprise next time Cruise opens his yap.
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Chris Shelton on ‘Scientology’
Says Chris: “I’m picking back up on the Deconstructing Scientology series. This one is chunkier than usual because it’s about auditing, and one of the religious scholars actually went and got some and talked about it in the essay.”
Hey, also check out this great piece on Chris at the BBC that just popped up.
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Who says no new auditors are coming out of Scientology these days?
If Ron Burgundy were running Scientology: San Diego Ideal Everything!
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 27, 2016 at 07:00
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Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
