Tom Cruise Facts We Can’t Stop Jumping On Oprah’s Couch Over
Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars of a generation. Cruise began his acting career at age 19 and hasn't slowed down since. He's been credited for acting in 46 movies and we're sure that number will just keep growing. Tom Cruise has consistently reinvented himself over the years, going from teenage heartthrob to a top dramatic actor in the 1990's, to 21st-century action movie maverick, there's nothing he can't do.
Even though he's been a constant on the silver screen, there is a lot that many do not know about him. I mean, Japan has a legit love for Tom that no other country could measure up to. Between his rough-and-tough upbringing to his ties to Scientology and their effect on his love life, you'll be shocked to learn these facts about Tom Cruise.
He Was Almost A Priest
Tom Cruise didn't grow up knowing he'd be an actor right away. In fact, he had intentions of becoming a priest. It's hard to believe that someone with as much emotion as Cruise would want to be a priest, but he was raised in a devoutly Catholic home and was active in the church.
Cruise actually briefly attended at Franciscan Seminary school in Cincinnati on a church scholarship and was in line to become a Catholic priest. But the acting bug bit Cruise before he could finish his schooling and he dropped out to pick up acting.
Japan Gave Him A Holiday
A lot of people love Tom Cruise, but Japan really, really loves Tom Cruise. Cruise has visited Japan many times for both business and pleasure. In fact, he visited so many times that he got his own day. Japan declared October 10, 2006 "Tom Cruise Day" and the Japan Memorial Day Association said it was because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.
His film, The Last Samurai, was a huge hit in Japan, with part of the filming being filmed there. Any time Cruise visits that country, he's usually mobbed by fans. Now we know that all you have to do to get a day named after you is go somewhere a lot.
A Secret Comedy Genius
He may be known best for his dramatic and action roles, but Cruise is a pretty well received comedic actor as well. In his breakout role as Joel in Risky Business, Cruise actually improvised the entire dance scene to "Old Time Rock And Roll."
His comedy chops stayed with him throughout other roles as well. Cruise's character in Tropic Thunder, Les Grossman, was entirely envisioned by him. He wanted the character to have a bald head and large hands, and to be outrageous with his actions and language.
He's A Thrillseeker
Cruise has been a lifelong daredevil. He saved up his money and bought his first motorcycle at the age of 10. He kept the Yamaha in his family's basement as he worked and tinkered with it. In perfect Tom Cruise fashion, the motorcycle was quickly totaled in a two-car crash, foreshadowing his action movie career, perhaps?
Cruise has also flirted with hobbies such as flying and racecar driving. He has both a commercial and private pilots license and often flies his personal jets. He took racecar driving lessons but, according to his instructor, wasn't cut out for it because he only wanted to go fast and didn't care much about technique.
He's Self-Conscious Too
Sometimes it's hard to believe that a blockbuster movie star and 1990's Sexiest Man Alive can also be self-conscious about how he looks. Cruise's teeth were damaged while playing hockey as a kid and he never got over the fact his pearly whites weren't quite right.
His co-stars in The Outsiders said that Cruise hated photo shoots because he didn't like to smile. He has reportedly received multiple cosmetic surgeries to try and fix his smile and got adult braces in 2002 to help straighten them out.
His Father Was Very Abusive
Cruise grew up with a very difficult, and often abusive, home life. His father was an engineer that, in Cruise's own words, was a "bully and coward" who would physically abuse the entire family.
His family lived in near-poverty and, as a result, moved around a lot for work. Cruise attended 15 schools in 14 years and was often bullied at each school since he was pretty small for his age. He credits his mother, Mary Lee, for giving him the strength to eventually stand up to the bullies and stand up for himself.
Emilio Estevez Is His BFF
The two movie star's friendship started before either made it big in Hollywood. Emilio Estevez is the son of Martin Sheen and his circle of friends growing up included the likes of Rob Lowe and Sean Penn. Tom Cruise joined the pack and Estevez ended up introducing him to the acting scene.
The two actually showed up to The Outsiders audition together and Estevez was Cruise's best man at his wedding to his first wife, Mimi Rogers. Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez were basically the original Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake.
He Seriously Loves Scientology
One of the most controversial things surrounding Tom Cruise has been his open devotion to science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard's religion, the Church of Scientology. Cruise first became involved in Scientology in 1990 after being introduced to it by his first wife.
Since then, Cruise has apparently lobbied to European parliament members to recognize Scientology as an official religion and has been awarded various medals by the Church for his advocacy work. He even claimed that the religion helped cure his dyslexia that he'd lived with since a young age.
A Lot Of People Questioned His Sexuality
Three marriages and an A-list string of relationships aren't enough to keep the haters from hating. Rumors have come and gone over the years but in the late 1980s, many people were speculating that Cruise was gay. Some even speculated that his marriage to Nicole Kidman was an attempt to shake off the rumors, but an eleven-year marriage is a weird way to "shake off" the rumors.
Most recently, Cruise had a mobster use their last words to defend his sexuality. Mobster Johnny Fratto coached Cruise for his role in The Color of Money and in Fratto's autobiography, he wrote that "Tom Cruise is not a homosexual." Uh, okay, those are some weird last words.
Award Winning In A Good And Bad Way
In 1988, Cruise became the first actor to star in both the best and worst film of the year. Rain Man took how Best Film at the 1988 Oscars, while the romantic comedy, Cocktail, took home the coveted Worst Film award at the Razzies.
While other actors and actresses have managed to win both Oscars and Razzies, only one other has done so in the same year. Kevin Costner won Best Director and Best Actor at the 1991 Oscars for Dances With Wolves, but took home the Worst Actor award the same year for Robin Hood.
The Oprah-Couch-Jump Was Legendary
If you were alive and watching daytime television in the early 2000's, then there was no escaping the infamous couch-jump on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Cruise lept up on the couch and started jumping with excitement at the mention of his new girlfriend (and eventual ex-wife), Katie Holmes. The moment was rated the #1 most surprising TV moment in 2005. Ah, 2005, such a simpler time.
2005 was a year of scandals for Cruise, so looking back, jumping on the couch was really the least of his problems. In the same year, he criticized Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants for her post-partum depression and got into an argument with Matt Lauer about psychology.
His Performances Make People Apologize
Not everyone was an immediate fan of Tom Cruise. In 1994, Cruise starred alongside Brad Pitt in the film adaption of the classic horror novel, Interview With The Vampire. The novel's writer, Anne Rice, was reportedly extremely unhappy with the casting of Tom Cruise as the lead vampire, Lestat. Rice publically criticized the actor and the producers for casting him in the role.
Following the film's release, Rice took back everything she said. She even took out a two-page ad in Daily Variety to publically apologize to Cruise for criticizing him. The ad cost $7,740 and she admitted: "it's to his credit that he proved me wrong."
A Hero On And Off Screen
Not only is Tom Cruise saving lives around the world in his movies, but he also plays the hero in real life. In 1996, Cruise witnessed a woman get hit by a car. He took her to the nearest hospital, but his chivalry didn't end there. After finding out the woman didn't have health insurance he even paid off her entire hospital bill.
Two years later, while living in London with his second wife Nicole Kidman, Cruise came to the rescue of a woman being mugged. Cruise saw the mugging and took off running down the street towards them, and his bodyguards followed.
Scientology Ruins A Lot Of His Relationships
Cruise may be endeared with Scientology but its ruined a lot of his relationships. While he only got into Scientology because of his first wife, Mimi Rogers, his third wife didn't feel the same way. Katie Holmes grew up a devout Catholic and actually converted to Scientology when she married Cruise.
Despite this conversion, it came to light in a defamation lawsuit that Scientology played a large part in why the two got divorced in 2012. Holmes felt that she needed to protect their daughter, Suri, from the religion and divorced him as a result.
We Have An Injury To Thank For Getting Him Into Acting
Cruise tried his hand at a lot of things in high school, and one thing he excelled in was wrestling. While he's only 5'7" his strong physique was perfect for a wrestler, but unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that took him out of sports in school.
With all his newfound spare time, he began to search for another outlet and a teacher of his encouraged him to be in the school's production of Guys and Dolls. Cruise ended up landing the lead role in the show and fell in love with acting.
He Does All His Own Stunts
One contract clause that Cruise is famous for is that he insists on doing all his own stunts. Cruise's stunts aren't easy either. Some have involved him hanging off a plane and even holding his breath underwater for over five minutes. Most recently, he broke an ankle while filming Mission: Impossible 6.
It must be the thrill-seeker in him because he's had some very real brushes with danger while doing his own stunts. During a scene in The Last Samurai, a safety machine backfired and allowed a sword to nearly slice his throat. Lucky for Cruise, his co-star Hiroyuki Sanada reached out to stop the sword.
No Woman Can Make It Past 33 With Him
It can't be just a simple coincidence that none of his wives had made it past the age of 33 in their marriages with Cruise. Actress Mimi Rogers was 30 years old when she married Cruise in 1987, and the two divorced only three years later. Cruise then married Australian actress Nicole Kidman in 1990, and they divorced eleven years later in 2001.
Holmes was 16 years his junior when they married in 2006 and were divorced only six years later. If the cutoff for Cruise is 33, then he's going to have to keep dating well outside of his own age range these days.
He's, Like, Really Really Rich
No seriously, he's incredibly wealthy. He was the first actor to star in five consecutive films that made more than $100 million at the box office. That basically translates into making an insane amount of money for each film he does. He's received a $100 million paycheck for two of his films, War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible 2.
In 2012 he was Forbes' Highest Paid Actor, and he's currently listed as the third richest actor in the world, with a net worth of $550 million. That's probably enough to cover all three divorce settlements. It's believed that Top Gun: Maverick may end up netting Cruise another $100+ million thanks to his back-end deal.
The Award Show Sidekick
You'd think that with all the critically acclaimed films Cruise has starred in that he's picked up an Oscar by now, but he hasn't managed a solo award yet. While Rain Man did win Best PIcture in 1988, he's only been nominated for Best Actor twice and didn't win either time.
It seems that acting alongside Cruise is a much better way to get an Oscar than being Tom Cruise. Nine actors have received nominations as Best Supporting Actor to Cruise. Everyone was so busy being outraged that Leonardo DiCaprio hadn't won an Oscar but we're all still sleeping on Tom Cruise.
