Tom Cruise’s Commitment to His Kids Left Steven Spielberg Perplexed After Actor Broke One of His Cardinal Rules While Filming
Regarded as the face of Hollywood, Tom Cruise is one of the biggest stars in the industry, with a net worth close to $600 million. His films have grossed approximately $11.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the most profitable and highest-grossing box-office stars of all time.
He started his acting journey in the 1980s with Risky Business and Top Gun and has not looked back since. He has a bunch of smash hit films under his name, which include the Mission: Impossible franchise, the Top Gun movie series, Collateral, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, Born on the Fourth of July, the Jack Reacher series, Vanilla Sky, and many more.
With so many things going on in the actor’s life, one would think that he struggles with being actively present in the lives of his kids. However, Steven Spielberg has a different perspective to give on Tom Cruise’s fatherhood. He witnessed the actor leaving even in the middle of shooting to attend to the phone calls of his children.
Steven Spielberg was in awe of Tom Cruise for being a good father
Even at the age of 60, Tom Cruise has no plans for slowing down for anyone, unless it is for his kids. The star always prioritized family and previously said that he always wanted to be a father and be present for his kids, no matter how busy he got. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he opened up about fatherhood and said:
“My whole life I always wanted to be a father. I always said to myself that my children would be able to depend on me and I would always be there for them and love them—that I’d never make a promise to my kids that I couldn’t keep. I’m not one of those people who believe you can spoil a child with too much love. You can never give a child too much love. There’s just no way.”
Cruise is not just all talk when it comes to being a good dad. His actions speak louder than his words and he has Steven Spielberg to back him up. Spielberg and Cruise’s joint venture, Minority Report, was a huge blockbuster for its time. It grossed $358 million in 2002 with raving reviews.
According to Spielberg, Tom Cruise did not forget about his role as a father while shooting for this intensely demanding movie. He was there for his kids throughout. He made it clear to the director that he would pick up the calls of his children no matter the circumstances, even if it was just when he stepped into the character or the director was about to yell “action.”
“There were times that I was about ready to say “Action,” and the phone rang. If it was Tom’s kids, everything stopped for that. Just when he was preparing for probably the hardest scene he has in the whole movie, the phone rang. Anybody else would have looked up with anger in their eyes, but he immediately broke character and walked off and took the call…”
(Via. Ranker)
Most of the time, the problems would be very minor. However, Tom Cruise had the patience of a god and nothing was too small when it came to listening to his kids.
“Connor or Isabella had stuck an eraser in their eye or something like that. It was not serious, but Dad came to the rescue. I thought it was amazing. I have been known to say [when talking about his own kids], “I’ll call them back after the shot.”
Also Read: Bill Hader Freaked Out Watching Tom Cruise Without Makeup After Shooting Tropic Thunder With Him
Tom Cruise maintains a steadfast relationship with his adopted children, Connor and Isabella. They are also both part of the controversial Scientology group and have been spotted alongside their father in recent years. He even paid for the wedding of Isabella, which he did not attend, seemingly because that would put a huge spotlight on him as opposed to the bride. Connor and Isabella seem much closer to Cruise than Nicole Kidman, according to reports by various media outlets.
Is Tom Cruise estranged from Suri Cruise?
Tom Cruise’s relationship with Suri Cruise seemed great up until his divorce from Katie Holmes. Holmes apparently moved away from Tom Cruise because of his controversial tie-up with the Church of Scientology and she wanted to protect her daughter. This would explain why, ever since the divorce, the Mission: Impossible star has been barely seen with his only biological child. Katie Holmes, at present, holds full custody.
A March 2023 article in Page Six reported that Tom Cruise has a distant relationship with his daughter and has “no part” in her life. In an earlier article, one of the main reasons cited was Scientology. The source said:
“If he wanted to see her, he could see her. Even people in prison have a right to see their children. This is his loss, his issue, his problem. He must be really brainwashed.”
Many have been implying over the years that Cruise has chosen the Church of Scientology over his daughter. A source speaking to Hollywood Life in 2019 implied that despite the challenges, Cruise still loves Suri. However, famous former Scientologist and King of Queens star Leah Remini had another take. She told The Post in 2020 that Cruise was waiting for Suri to get older in order to lure her in and “indoctrinate” her into Scientology.
Tom Cruise’s upcoming project, Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part Two, is slated to release on May 23, 2025.
