Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography
Encyclopedia
Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography is a biography
of actor Tom Cruise
, written by Andrew Morton
. The book was published in the United States
in hardcover format on January 15, 2008 by St. Martin's Press
, with a first printing of 400,000 copies, and an audio format on five CDs by Macmillan Audio
.
Cruise's lawyers and the Church of Scientology
have released several statements which question the truthfulness of assertions made by Morton in the book. In an official 15-page statement released to the press, the Church called the book "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies". The book was not published in the UK
or New Zealand
due to strict libel laws in those countries. Although initially not published in Australia
, it was later published there and became popular.
The book hit number one on Amazon.com
's list of top sellers three days after it was published, and was number one on The New York Times Best Sellers list
one week after publication. It was the number one bestseller in Australia for publisher AbeBooks
in 2008. The book received mixed and critical reviews in The New York Times
. The San Jose Mercury opined that it should be taken "with the proper grain of salt."
, his sexuality, and Cruise and Holmes' beliefs. Morton also asserts in the book that Katie Holmes
had to "audition" for the status of Cruise's girlfriend, and won the part over other actresses. The book also discusses details about Cruise's marriages to Mimi Rogers
and Nicole Kidman
, his relationship with Penélope Cruz
, his behavior on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, and his denouncement of Brooke Shields
for relying on the "Nazi science" of psychiatry
. Morton consulted with a former senior Scientologist, who asserted that Nicole Kidman's lawyer had advised her not to publicly discuss Scientology
or to speak out against it, even though she "hated" Scientology when Cruise left her in 2000. Morton's source stated "I told the lawyer if she wants to stay with the children she will have to be quiet and not speak out about Scientology." Morton writes that Holmes joined Scientology in June 2006, and agreed that "if she or any of her children were ever to suffer mental or terminal illness, they must turn only to Scientology's treatments." Morton asserts that model Sofia Vergara
stopped seeing Cruise in 2005 weeks before he met Katie Holmes, and Vergara felt "she had been deliberately targeted not only as a possible bride for Tom, but as a high-profile Scientology recruit who would be an alluring figurehead for a future recruitment drive in Latin America."
Morton asserts in the book that Cruise is the "de facto second-in-charge" in the Church of Scientology
. When asked by the Associated Press
what evidence he had about this, Morton stated "Scientology would be a shadow of what it is today if it had not been for the involvement of Tom Cruise. He has been the poster boy. More than that, he has been recruiting fellow celebrities - people like Will Smith
, Jada Pinkett Smith
. ... More than that, he's been the front man for the organization".
Morton writes that Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige
consults Cruise on "every aspect of planning and policy," that Miscavige joined Cruise and Holmes on their 2006 honeymoon in the Maldives
, and that Church of Scientology officials select many of the employees that staff Cruise's mansion. According to Morton, Miscavige invited Cruise to the Church of Scientology's Gold Base
in Hemet, California
in 1989. Former Scientologist Jesse Prince is quoted as discussing Miscavige's close friendship with Cruise "They were like glue, two little people who really enjoyed each other. They laughed the same and acted the same. They were like glove puppets, he was a big star and he was head of a religion."
Nicole Kidman and Cruise were invited to Gold Base in 1990 after spending time together on the set of Days Of Thunder
. Morton writes "When Tom confided to the Scientology leader about the couple's fantasy of running through a meadow of wild flowers together, his friend apparently decided to make his dream come true." Morton writes that around the same time Cruise was beginning his relationship with Mimi Rogers, Miscavige made an announcement at a Church of Scientology rally "The most important recruit ever is in the process of being secured. His arrival will change the face of Scientology forever." The recruitment of David Beckham
to Scientology was described as Cruise's next mission for the Church, but Victoria Beckham
refused to join when it was learned that her second son would have to stop taking medication for epilepsy
.
, Diana: Her True Story. Morton stated that he became interested in writing about the actor after watching Cruise jump on Oprah's couch during a May 23, 2005 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, and lecture Matt Lauer
on his beliefs regarding psychiatry
during a June 24, 2005 appearance on The Today Show "I wondered: what is a 43-year-old man, who has been married twice before to women he has said were the loves of his life, with his son and daughter watching, doing behaving in this fashion — all because of Katie Holmes, a woman he has known for a matter of days? ... What was going on? I wanted to know more."
In an interview with the Associated Press
, Morton stated that he asked Cruise for an interview, but was turned down: "I asked Tom for an interview and he declined. The Church of Scientology has got a very controversial reputation and that is what he is linked with. An unauthorized biography would essentially be a compromise … I want to investigate it without any kind of fetters." Morton consulted with private investigator and former adult film actor Paul Baressi, who investigated Cruise's private life. He also consulted with Los Angeles, California
attorney Graham Berry. Baressi stated he had begun investigating Cruise after his marriage to Nicole Kidman
ended, but after six years of research on the actor had not been able to find any evidence that Cruise was gay. Baressi gave all of his research to Morton, and later told InTouch magazine: "Everything I have found, and everything I know, points to Tom being heterosexual." Morton also traveled to Toronto, Canada to interview people who knew Cruise when he was filming Cocktail. Several Paramount Pictures
employees were interviewed about Cruise's termination by Sumner Redstone
. The book had initially been planned for a February 2006 publication date.
Prior to the book's publication, legal counsel for Cruise made statements to the press regarding the author's research. When an attorney for Tom Cruise read reports that Morton had obtained letters asserting Cruise had a homosexual affair while filming Eyes Wide Shut
, he commented on a November 2005 letter he had written to Morton: "I wrote a letter to Mr. Morton back in November and said he obviously was entitled to write the book but 'make sure you check your facts'. If he tries to use my letter to create the impression that Mr. Cruise did have a gay affair, we will certainly sue … because the story is false. Mr. Cruise is not gay." In an interview with InTouch Weekly, Cruise's attorney Bertram Fields
commented on the book: "To the extent that Mr. Morton's book sticks to the truth, it can't 'ruin' or 'harm' Tom … My guess is this book will be dull except for those parts that are lies." Cruise's publicist also stated that the book will consist of fabricated lies.
reported that Andrew Morton had gone into hiding due to threats from Scientologists related to his work on the book. Morton was quoted as stating: "I have received threats from the Scientologists and things have become pretty heavy — to the extent that it's almost more than my lawyers can handle … I’m not telling anyone where I’m moving to. I intend to disappear for a while." This quote was later repeated in other media sources. On November 23, 2007, the Daily Express issued an apology to the Church of Scientology
. The paper stated that their original piece about threats from Scientologists to Morton was incorrect, and wrote: "We apologise to the Church of Scientology and its members for the embarrassment and distress caused by the article." A December 2007 article in the New York Post
stated: "Mumbles out of London say Morton changed his phone number, moved from his home and lived in a secret place because Certain Persons were hassling him."
When St. Martin's Press
heard of a November 2007 InTouch Weekly cover story on the contents of the book, the publisher responded by stating that InTouch had not received an advance copy of Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography and was simply speculating. Brian Smith of St. Martin's Press was interviewed for the InTouch article, and commented on the book: "No one has dared to write a book like this. So it's going to really be dealing with stuff no one has written about before."
reported that lawyers for Cruise are preparing a lawsuit against publisher St. Martin's Press, seeking USD$113 million in damages. Bertram Fields stated "It's not being published in England. The American publishers criticised the libel laws in Britain because they require an author to tell the truth. Well, thank God for the British libel laws." Eliot Abelson, general counsel
for the Church of Scientology, discussed the possibility of litigation from the Church in statements to the Daily Mail "We are seriously considering legal action and will wait to see the public reaction. It is something which will be discussed in the next few days." An article in The Times
wrote "The Church of Scientology is reported to be considering filing suit against the US publishers."
The book has been criticized by representatives for both Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology. In an interview with The Daily Mail, attorney Bertram Fields called the book a "boring, poorly researched book by a man who never talked to anyone involved in Tom Cruise's life or anyone close to him," and criticized what he believed to be Morton's lack of independent research for the work. Fields said that Cruise would not read the book, saying "He has no intention of reading it. He's very, very busy with a lot of things right now." Paula Wagner
, Tom Cruise's business partner in their company Cruise/Wagner Productions
, released a statement supporting Cruise and criticizing Morton's work. Wagner called the book "a disgraceful piece of gossip-mongering, filled with distortions and outright lies that no sensible person will take seriously."
Eliot Abelson said that the Church had attempted to contact Morton and give him a tour, but "received nothing." Abelson stated "This was a pre-ordained mission to trash Tom Cruise. He didn't ask to speak to David Miscavige and wrote some horrible things about him which are totally untrue. No one has ever made complaints of that kind," and denied that Cruise was second-in-command of the Church of Scientology "He is a parishioner, a well respected parishioner, but that's what he is. The only person who runs the Church and makes policy decisions is David Miscavige." "It's not too late for St. Martin's Press to pull this book," Abelson said.
On January 14, 2008, Church of Scientology public affairs director Karin Pouw
released a 15-page statement criticizing the book. In the statement, the Church of Scientology called the book "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies," and said that Cruise "is a Scientology parishioner and holds no official or unofficial position in the Church hierarchy," and that "Accuracy and truth were not on Morton's agenda." Cruise's publicity firm Rogers & Cowan, also issued a statement, which criticized Morton for not interviewing "one person who has known or worked with Tom" in the past 25 years, and also criticized Morton for writing "outlandish and malicious lies to sell books."
In January 2008 the niece of David Miscavige, the head of the Church of Scientology, released a statement on the internet in favor of Morton's book. Jenna Miscavige Hill, whose father Ron Miscavige is the older brother of David Miscavige, criticized Pouw's statement about the book. Hill stated: "I am absolutely shocked at how vehemently you insist upon not only denying the truths that have been stated about the church in that biography, but then take it a step further and tell outright lies." Hill's statement was part of an open letter to a Church of Scientology official which described how her family had been broken apart by Scientology policies. In response, Karin Pouw told the Agence France-Presse
"The church stands by its statement of 14 January. The church does not respond to newsgroup postings." Hill told the Agence France-Presse that she had released the statement in a public forum to draw attention to the Scientology practice of disconnection
.
The book's publisher, St. Martin's Press, called the possibility of a lawsuit from Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology "unfortunate", stating "It is unfortunate that lawyers for both Mr. Cruise and Scientology have felt the need to threaten us with legal action at every step of the way." In a statement to Usmagazine.com the publisher supported Morton's research on the book: "In the two years that we have worked with Andrew Morton on this book, we have been deeply impressed by his commitment to going beyond the rumors to get the facts that would enable him to paint a balanced and accurate portrait of such an enigmatic public figure."
, because it was anticipated not to contain anything "sensational" about Cruise that would make it a blockbuster
. An article in the New York Post attributed this to the "scandalous" nature of the book, and what the paper referred to as "UK's celebrity-friendly libel laws," as did an article in Contra Costa Times
. For similar reasons the book was not published by major booksellers in New Zealand and Australia, though an underground market
for the book sprung up on auction site eBay
there; the book was also available in some Australian independent bookstores, with buyers having to pay a significant premium on the cover price. Copies of the book sold for over A$60 on eBay Australia, and one eBay seller commented "These things don't happen too often. The book has generated so much attention and the more people are hearing about it, the more that they want to buy it. The censorship factor has also had a major impact."
The book hit number nine on Amazon.com
' s list of top sellers the day it was published in the United States, and was at the number one spot three days after publication. Lycos
reported that Internet searches for "Tom Cruise" jumped 333 percent the week the book was published. The book hit number one on The New York Times Best Sellers list
one week after it was published, and as of February 3, 2008 it was still at the top of the list for hardback non-fiction. As of January 25, 2008, the book was number 16 on Amazon.com's top sellers. On January 31, 2008 the book was listed at number three in non-fiction on a list of "Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers" by the Associated Press
, and reached the fifth-highest new entry on Nielsen BookScan
's survey in February 2008. Though certain bookstores in Australia refused to sell the book due to legal concerns, it was the number one bestseller in Australia for publisher AbeBooks
in 2008, and the number one most-borrowed non-fiction book at libraries in Brisbane
in September 2008.
, with Janet Maslin
writing that "Mr. Morton has found a number of former Scientologists who are willing to speak freely, and in some cases vengefully, about the group’s purported inner workings. Mr. Morton’s eagerness to include their voices leads him to push the limits of responsible reporting." She also stated that Morton, while "readily assailable" for some of his remarks in the book, "is in some larger sense an astute observer. His overall impression of Mr. Cruise makes sense." In a separate review, Ada Calhoun of The New York Times wrote that Morton "…champions the indignation of mostly anonymous former Scientologists in this brutal biography of the controversial religion’s most famous advocate, Tom Cruise", noted that "many attributed quotations lack sources", and concluded her review with the observation that at times the book "feels about as reliable as the tabloids and yet, astonishingly, somehow meaner." Writing in Entertainment Weekly
, Mark Harris gave the book a grade of "C-", and said "Cruise emerges from Morton's takedown moderately scratched but as uncracked as ever."
Teresa Budasi of the Chicago Tribune
described the book as "fascinating" — though Budasi also brought up a "question as to what’s true and what isn’t." Budasi summed up her impression of the work, writing "Morton’s book is as much an indictment on Cruise’s chosen faith as it is the life story of one of the world’s biggest movie stars. And by the end you realize that “Scientologist” is what will end up being the role of his lifetime."
Reviewing the book in The Wall Street Journal
, Dave Shiflett said that Morton portrayed Cruise as a "a top-gun Scientologist who is up to no good," and that "Mr. Morton, apparently unfazed by the reputation of the group's notoriously hair-triggered legal department, leaves few stones unhurled." Stefanie Roberts of The Independent Florida Alligator wrote "Author Andrew Morton's narrative, though for the most part irritatingly unbiased, does a fair job of reaffirming how far gone Cruise truly is." Roberts wrote that the book would have drawn in more readers if it had "taken a few more obvious jabs at Cruise." Writing in the San Jose Mercury News
, Tony Hicks criticized parts of the work, and recommended that it be taken "with the proper grain of salt." Hicks wrote that "Holes and all, it's a hard book to put down, especially with wild tales of Scientology spilling forth page after page. The entertainment value falls off toward book's end, when Morton attempts to wrap up his story with some editorializing and a diagnosis of both Cruise and his religion that, while seeming accurate to a degree, nevertheless comes off preachy."
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of actor Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, written by Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton (writer)
Andrew David Morton is a former British Fleet Street journalist, a notable writer and biographer.Before moving into a career in journalism, he attended grammar school, then studied history at the University of Sussex....
. The book was published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in hardcover format on January 15, 2008 by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
, with a first printing of 400,000 copies, and an audio format on five CDs by Macmillan Audio
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
.
Cruise's lawyers and the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
have released several statements which question the truthfulness of assertions made by Morton in the book. In an official 15-page statement released to the press, the Church called the book "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies". The book was not published in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
due to strict libel laws in those countries. Although initially not published in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, it was later published there and became popular.
The book hit number one on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
one week after publication. It was the number one bestseller in Australia for publisher AbeBooks
Abebooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books. Most books listed are used, many are rare or out-of-print, and a growing number are new books. The company is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in the US. It was incorporated in 1995 and launched its...
in 2008. The book received mixed and critical reviews in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. The San Jose Mercury opined that it should be taken "with the proper grain of salt."
Contents
Morton's book describes Cruise's relationship with Katie HolmesKatie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
, his sexuality, and Cruise and Holmes' beliefs. Morton also asserts in the book that Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
had to "audition" for the status of Cruise's girlfriend, and won the part over other actresses. The book also discusses details about Cruise's marriages to Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers is an American movie actress and competitive poker player.-Early life:Rogers was born Miriam Spickler in Coral Gables, Florida, the daughter of Philip C...
and Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
, his relationship with Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
, his behavior on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, and his denouncement of Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
for relying on the "Nazi science" of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. Morton consulted with a former senior Scientologist, who asserted that Nicole Kidman's lawyer had advised her not to publicly discuss Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
or to speak out against it, even though she "hated" Scientology when Cruise left her in 2000. Morton's source stated "I told the lawyer if she wants to stay with the children she will have to be quiet and not speak out about Scientology." Morton writes that Holmes joined Scientology in June 2006, and agreed that "if she or any of her children were ever to suffer mental or terminal illness, they must turn only to Scientology's treatments." Morton asserts that model Sofia Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
stopped seeing Cruise in 2005 weeks before he met Katie Holmes, and Vergara felt "she had been deliberately targeted not only as a possible bride for Tom, but as a high-profile Scientology recruit who would be an alluring figurehead for a future recruitment drive in Latin America."
Morton asserts in the book that Cruise is the "de facto second-in-charge" in the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
. When asked by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
what evidence he had about this, Morton stated "Scientology would be a shadow of what it is today if it had not been for the involvement of Tom Cruise. He has been the poster boy. More than that, he has been recruiting fellow celebrities - people like Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured...
. ... More than that, he's been the front man for the organization".
Morton writes that Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige
David Miscavige
David Miscavige is the leader of the Church of Scientology and affiliated organizations. His title is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center , a corporation that controls the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology. Miscavige was an assistant to Hubbard while a...
consults Cruise on "every aspect of planning and policy," that Miscavige joined Cruise and Holmes on their 2006 honeymoon in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
, and that Church of Scientology officials select many of the employees that staff Cruise's mansion. According to Morton, Miscavige invited Cruise to the Church of Scientology's Gold Base
Gold Base
The Gold Base is the international headquarters of the Church of Scientology on a parcel of land in unincorporated Riverside County, California, outside of San Jacinto, and north of Hemet....
in Hemet, California
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
in 1989. Former Scientologist Jesse Prince is quoted as discussing Miscavige's close friendship with Cruise "They were like glue, two little people who really enjoyed each other. They laughed the same and acted the same. They were like glove puppets, he was a big star and he was head of a religion."
Nicole Kidman and Cruise were invited to Gold Base in 1990 after spending time together on the set of Days Of Thunder
Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American auto racing film released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances...
. Morton writes "When Tom confided to the Scientology leader about the couple's fantasy of running through a meadow of wild flowers together, his friend apparently decided to make his dream come true." Morton writes that around the same time Cruise was beginning his relationship with Mimi Rogers, Miscavige made an announcement at a Church of Scientology rally "The most important recruit ever is in the process of being secured. His arrival will change the face of Scientology forever." The recruitment of David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
to Scientology was described as Cruise's next mission for the Church, but Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
refused to join when it was learned that her second son would have to stop taking medication for epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
.
Research
According to Morton, he began researching Tom Cruise after publishing his best-selling book on Princess DianaDiana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, Diana: Her True Story. Morton stated that he became interested in writing about the actor after watching Cruise jump on Oprah's couch during a May 23, 2005 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, and lecture Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
on his beliefs regarding psychiatry
Scientology and psychiatry
Scientology and psychiatry have come into conflict since the foundation of Scientology in 1952. Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on...
during a June 24, 2005 appearance on The Today Show "I wondered: what is a 43-year-old man, who has been married twice before to women he has said were the loves of his life, with his son and daughter watching, doing behaving in this fashion — all because of Katie Holmes, a woman he has known for a matter of days? ... What was going on? I wanted to know more."
In an interview with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Morton stated that he asked Cruise for an interview, but was turned down: "I asked Tom for an interview and he declined. The Church of Scientology has got a very controversial reputation and that is what he is linked with. An unauthorized biography would essentially be a compromise … I want to investigate it without any kind of fetters." Morton consulted with private investigator and former adult film actor Paul Baressi, who investigated Cruise's private life. He also consulted with Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
attorney Graham Berry. Baressi stated he had begun investigating Cruise after his marriage to Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
ended, but after six years of research on the actor had not been able to find any evidence that Cruise was gay. Baressi gave all of his research to Morton, and later told InTouch magazine: "Everything I have found, and everything I know, points to Tom being heterosexual." Morton also traveled to Toronto, Canada to interview people who knew Cruise when he was filming Cocktail. Several Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
employees were interviewed about Cruise's termination by Sumner Redstone
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone is an American media magnate. He is the majority owner and Chairman of the Board of the National Amusements theater chain...
. The book had initially been planned for a February 2006 publication date.
Prior to the book's publication, legal counsel for Cruise made statements to the press regarding the author's research. When an attorney for Tom Cruise read reports that Morton had obtained letters asserting Cruise had a homosexual affair while filming Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...
, he commented on a November 2005 letter he had written to Morton: "I wrote a letter to Mr. Morton back in November and said he obviously was entitled to write the book but 'make sure you check your facts'. If he tries to use my letter to create the impression that Mr. Cruise did have a gay affair, we will certainly sue … because the story is false. Mr. Cruise is not gay." In an interview with InTouch Weekly, Cruise's attorney Bertram Fields
Bertram Fields
Bertram Fields is an American lawyer famous for his work in the field of entertainment law; he has represented many of the leading studios, as well as individual celebrities including Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Warren Beatty, James Cameron, Mike Nichols, Joel Silver, Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman,...
commented on the book: "To the extent that Mr. Morton's book sticks to the truth, it can't 'ruin' or 'harm' Tom … My guess is this book will be dull except for those parts that are lies." Cruise's publicist also stated that the book will consist of fabricated lies.
Media coverage
On November 11, 2007, the Daily ExpressDaily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
reported that Andrew Morton had gone into hiding due to threats from Scientologists related to his work on the book. Morton was quoted as stating: "I have received threats from the Scientologists and things have become pretty heavy — to the extent that it's almost more than my lawyers can handle … I’m not telling anyone where I’m moving to. I intend to disappear for a while." This quote was later repeated in other media sources. On November 23, 2007, the Daily Express issued an apology to the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
. The paper stated that their original piece about threats from Scientologists to Morton was incorrect, and wrote: "We apologise to the Church of Scientology and its members for the embarrassment and distress caused by the article." A December 2007 article in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
stated: "Mumbles out of London say Morton changed his phone number, moved from his home and lived in a secret place because Certain Persons were hassling him."
When St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
heard of a November 2007 InTouch Weekly cover story on the contents of the book, the publisher responded by stating that InTouch had not received an advance copy of Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography and was simply speculating. Brian Smith of St. Martin's Press was interviewed for the InTouch article, and commented on the book: "No one has dared to write a book like this. So it's going to really be dealing with stuff no one has written about before."
Response from Cruise and Church of Scientology
The Daily Mail and The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported that lawyers for Cruise are preparing a lawsuit against publisher St. Martin's Press, seeking USD$113 million in damages. Bertram Fields stated "It's not being published in England. The American publishers criticised the libel laws in Britain because they require an author to tell the truth. Well, thank God for the British libel laws." Eliot Abelson, general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
for the Church of Scientology, discussed the possibility of litigation from the Church in statements to the Daily Mail "We are seriously considering legal action and will wait to see the public reaction. It is something which will be discussed in the next few days." An article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote "The Church of Scientology is reported to be considering filing suit against the US publishers."
The book has been criticized by representatives for both Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology. In an interview with The Daily Mail, attorney Bertram Fields called the book a "boring, poorly researched book by a man who never talked to anyone involved in Tom Cruise's life or anyone close to him," and criticized what he believed to be Morton's lack of independent research for the work. Fields said that Cruise would not read the book, saying "He has no intention of reading it. He's very, very busy with a lot of things right now." Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner
Paula Wagner is an American film producer and film executive.-Early career:Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency. In 1993 she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. C/W's first film, Mission: Impossible, was an international hit that brought the...
, Tom Cruise's business partner in their company Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions is an American independent film production company. The company was founded by actor Tom Cruise and former casting agent Paula Wagner....
, released a statement supporting Cruise and criticizing Morton's work. Wagner called the book "a disgraceful piece of gossip-mongering, filled with distortions and outright lies that no sensible person will take seriously."
Eliot Abelson said that the Church had attempted to contact Morton and give him a tour, but "received nothing." Abelson stated "This was a pre-ordained mission to trash Tom Cruise. He didn't ask to speak to David Miscavige and wrote some horrible things about him which are totally untrue. No one has ever made complaints of that kind," and denied that Cruise was second-in-command of the Church of Scientology "He is a parishioner, a well respected parishioner, but that's what he is. The only person who runs the Church and makes policy decisions is David Miscavige." "It's not too late for St. Martin's Press to pull this book," Abelson said.
On January 14, 2008, Church of Scientology public affairs director Karin Pouw
Karin Pouw
Karin Pouw is an American spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, and currently the Director of Public Affairs for Church of Scientology International...
released a 15-page statement criticizing the book. In the statement, the Church of Scientology called the book "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies," and said that Cruise "is a Scientology parishioner and holds no official or unofficial position in the Church hierarchy," and that "Accuracy and truth were not on Morton's agenda." Cruise's publicity firm Rogers & Cowan, also issued a statement, which criticized Morton for not interviewing "one person who has known or worked with Tom" in the past 25 years, and also criticized Morton for writing "outlandish and malicious lies to sell books."
In January 2008 the niece of David Miscavige, the head of the Church of Scientology, released a statement on the internet in favor of Morton's book. Jenna Miscavige Hill, whose father Ron Miscavige is the older brother of David Miscavige, criticized Pouw's statement about the book. Hill stated: "I am absolutely shocked at how vehemently you insist upon not only denying the truths that have been stated about the church in that biography, but then take it a step further and tell outright lies." Hill's statement was part of an open letter to a Church of Scientology official which described how her family had been broken apart by Scientology policies. In response, Karin Pouw told the Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
"The church stands by its statement of 14 January. The church does not respond to newsgroup postings." Hill told the Agence France-Presse that she had released the statement in a public forum to draw attention to the Scientology practice of disconnection
Disconnection
Disconnection, when used in Scientology, is a term used to describe the severance of all ties between a Scientologist and a friend, colleague, or family member deemed to be antagonistic towards Scientology. The practice of disconnection is a form of shunning. Among Scientologists, disconnection is...
.
The book's publisher, St. Martin's Press, called the possibility of a lawsuit from Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology "unfortunate", stating "It is unfortunate that lawyers for both Mr. Cruise and Scientology have felt the need to threaten us with legal action at every step of the way." In a statement to Usmagazine.com the publisher supported Morton's research on the book: "In the two years that we have worked with Andrew Morton on this book, we have been deeply impressed by his commitment to going beyond the rumors to get the facts that would enable him to paint a balanced and accurate portrait of such an enigmatic public figure."
Sales
In November 2007, Irish On-Line reported that the book would not be published in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, because it was anticipated not to contain anything "sensational" about Cruise that would make it a blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
. An article in the New York Post attributed this to the "scandalous" nature of the book, and what the paper referred to as "UK's celebrity-friendly libel laws," as did an article in Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. For similar reasons the book was not published by major booksellers in New Zealand and Australia, though an underground market
Underground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
for the book sprung up on auction site eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
there; the book was also available in some Australian independent bookstores, with buyers having to pay a significant premium on the cover price. Copies of the book sold for over A$60 on eBay Australia, and one eBay seller commented "These things don't happen too often. The book has generated so much attention and the more people are hearing about it, the more that they want to buy it. The censorship factor has also had a major impact."
The book hit number nine on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
Lycos
Lycos, Inc. is a search engine and web portal established in 1994. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, webhosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.-Corporate history:...
reported that Internet searches for "Tom Cruise" jumped 333 percent the week the book was published. The book hit number one on The New York Times Best Sellers list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
one week after it was published, and as of February 3, 2008 it was still at the top of the list for hardback non-fiction. As of January 25, 2008, the book was number 16 on Amazon.com's top sellers. On January 31, 2008 the book was listed at number three in non-fiction on a list of "Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers" by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, and reached the fifth-highest new entry on Nielsen BookScan
Nielsen BookScan
Nielsen BookScan is a data provider for the book publishing industry, owned by the Nielsen Company. BookScan compiles point of sale data for book sales.-History:...
's survey in February 2008. Though certain bookstores in Australia refused to sell the book due to legal concerns, it was the number one bestseller in Australia for publisher AbeBooks
Abebooks
AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books. Most books listed are used, many are rare or out-of-print, and a growing number are new books. The company is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in the US. It was incorporated in 1995 and launched its...
in 2008, and the number one most-borrowed non-fiction book at libraries in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in September 2008.
Reviews
The book received a mixed review in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, with Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
writing that "Mr. Morton has found a number of former Scientologists who are willing to speak freely, and in some cases vengefully, about the group’s purported inner workings. Mr. Morton’s eagerness to include their voices leads him to push the limits of responsible reporting." She also stated that Morton, while "readily assailable" for some of his remarks in the book, "is in some larger sense an astute observer. His overall impression of Mr. Cruise makes sense." In a separate review, Ada Calhoun of The New York Times wrote that Morton "…champions the indignation of mostly anonymous former Scientologists in this brutal biography of the controversial religion’s most famous advocate, Tom Cruise", noted that "many attributed quotations lack sources", and concluded her review with the observation that at times the book "feels about as reliable as the tabloids and yet, astonishingly, somehow meaner." Writing in Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Mark Harris gave the book a grade of "C-", and said "Cruise emerges from Morton's takedown moderately scratched but as uncracked as ever."
Teresa Budasi of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
described the book as "fascinating" — though Budasi also brought up a "question as to what’s true and what isn’t." Budasi summed up her impression of the work, writing "Morton’s book is as much an indictment on Cruise’s chosen faith as it is the life story of one of the world’s biggest movie stars. And by the end you realize that “Scientologist” is what will end up being the role of his lifetime."
Reviewing the book in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Dave Shiflett said that Morton portrayed Cruise as a "a top-gun Scientologist who is up to no good," and that "Mr. Morton, apparently unfazed by the reputation of the group's notoriously hair-triggered legal department, leaves few stones unhurled." Stefanie Roberts of The Independent Florida Alligator wrote "Author Andrew Morton's narrative, though for the most part irritatingly unbiased, does a fair job of reaffirming how far gone Cruise truly is." Roberts wrote that the book would have drawn in more readers if it had "taken a few more obvious jabs at Cruise." Writing in the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
, Tony Hicks criticized parts of the work, and recommended that it be taken "with the proper grain of salt." Hicks wrote that "Holes and all, it's a hard book to put down, especially with wild tales of Scientology spilling forth page after page. The entertainment value falls off toward book's end, when Morton attempts to wrap up his story with some editorializing and a diagnosis of both Cruise and his religion that, while seeming accurate to a degree, nevertheless comes off preachy."
See also
- Being Tom CruiseBeing Tom CruiseThe Church of Scientology Presents: Being Tom Cruise, Why Scientology Isn't In Any Way Mental is a satirical spoof documentary from the series Star Stories, parodying the life of Tom Cruise and his relationship with the Church of Scientology. It is episode 2 of the second series of Star Stories,...
- Relationship of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
- Trapped in the Closet (South Park)
- Tom Cruise: UnauthorizedTom Cruise: UnauthorizedTom Cruise: Unauthorized is a non-fiction biographical book about Tom Cruise, written by Wensley Clarkson. The book was published by Hastings House in 1998. The book discusses Tom Cruise's early life, his rise as an actor, involvement with Scientology, and past relationships with Mimi Rogers and...
(1998) - Tom Cruise: All the World's A StageTom Cruise: All the World's a StageTom Cruise: All the World's A Stage is an authorized biography of actor Tom Cruise, written by British film critic Iain Johnstone. The book was first published by Hodder & Stoughton in a paperback format and an audiobook in 2006, and then again in a hardcover format on March 1, 2007, and a second...
(2006)
External links
- Interview of author Andrew Morton by Meredith Vieira, on The Today Show, January 15, 2008. (Hosted at MSN Video.)