Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tom Cruise’s ‘nice guy’ image ‘not consistent’ with his actions, says actor and former Scientologist Leah Remini

‘That this guy can be running around and having people think he’s this super-nice guy, I don’t get it’

Louis Chilton
Monday 27 July 2020 06:45 EDT
Comments
Leah Remini Slams the Church of Scientology and Tom Cruise

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Actor and former scientologist Leah Remini has claimed that Tom Cruise’s ”nice guy” image is “not consistent” with his actions.

The King of Queens star’s comments came after Westworld actor Thandie Newton shared an anecdote about being “scared” of Cruise on the set of Mission Impossible 2.

Praising Newton’s comments, Remini said: “That takes huge balls to do what she did, and if more people speak out in that way, and be brave enough to do so, I think we might get somewhere.”

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Remini accused the Church of Scientology of controlling Cruise’s public image. “Tom has gotten away with being this ‘nice guy’,” she said, “because that’s what Scientology policy says – to create good PR in the world and make those ‘good actions’ known. But if you actually look at his actions, they’re not consistent.”

Remini was a member of the Church between the ages of nine and 42. After exiting in 2013, the actor has become a vocal critic of the controversial organisation’s practises.

In the interview, she claims that she “got in trouble” for questioning Cruise’s behaviour to other scientologists, saying: “’Why is this guy the poster child for Scientology? He can’t keep a f***in’ marriage together, he’s jumping on couches, he’s acting like he knows anything about post-partum.”

“I learned pretty quickly that that’s not something you should be doing, because Tom Cruise is considered a messiah in Scientology. This is a man who has not even seen his own daughter in years. That this guy can be running around and having people think he’s this super-nice guy, I don’t get it. But that’s the Hollywood bulls*** game people play.”

Remini has recently begun hosting a podcast entitled Scientology: Fair Game, and has previously authored a book called Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.

The Independent has contacted representatives for the Church of Scientology and Tom Cruise for comment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in