The Cannes Film Festival has always been a place where the biggest movie stars come together for a fortnight in the south of France to celebrate cinema. Or at least to promote their most recent projects. Also in 2022 meets again half Hollywood in Cannesbut one outshines them all: Tom Cruise.
Hundreds clog the streets for a glimpse of the action legend. Even seasoned journalists have to wait over an hour in the hot midday sun to be able to sit at the front of the stage with the star. Celebrating the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick French fighter jets (!) fly over the festival grounds. The star is then awarded a golden palm of honour. For his acting career, of course. He deserved an award for something else entirely: his ability to not have been canceled yet.
Tom Cruise stumbled from one scandal to the next over the years
Because in addition to articles about alleged aggression problems, unsightly separations or impressively creepy public appearances (does anyone still remember the couch situation at Oprah?), there is a shadow that has hung over Cruise’s career since the 1990s: Scientology. The actor is a proud member of a religious community that is highly controversial because of its sect-like character and is being observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in parts of Germany because the authorities believe it rejects the democratic legal system.
On behalf of Scientology, Tom Cruise tried to recruit other Hollywood stars. He appeared in questionable promotional videos for the organization and reportedly profited from alleged “slave labour”. The self-proclaimed church is said to have even held casting calls to find partners for the star. In turn, he carried the convictions of his religious community into the world – and positioned himself against antidepressants, among other things.
Our review of Top Gun: Maverick in the video:
Top Gun Maverick: How To Make A Sequel! | Review
But over the years the scandal headlines on Tom Cruise and his Scientology connection away. Recently, there was even speculation as to whether there should have been a break between him and the church. The action star is no longer the guy with questionable religious beliefs, he’s Hollywood’s teflon-coated glossy smile.
The kind of star who makes a name for himself through physically demanding film preparation and blockbuster after blockbuster. When he shows up, even the most serene Cannes audience erupts in cheers. How did he do it?
In the wake of the Scientology controversies, the action star found the ultimate way to salvage his career
The most obvious answer seems to be: control. At the latest after the Oprah incident, Cruise should have noticed that his way of sharing private things with the public backfires. So how do you deal with it when your own private life and public outbursts of emotion damage the image of the all-purpose action weapon? You just don’t give the public anything anymore. At least nothing that could be used against you. Instead of the person Cruise there is only the actorwho likes to talk about stunts and action shoots, but never anything “real”.
No matter what question he is asked at the panel discussion in Cannes, Cruise always responds with the same kind of supposedly relatable anecdote. Tom Cruise loves cinema. Tom Cruise never wanted to be reduced to his role as an actor, but wanted to learn as much as possible on the set. Tom Cruise did his first lethal stunt as a kid and jumped off the roof of the house with a bed sheet. Everyone laughs as he takes a rehearsed break and looks towards the audience with a grin.
Tom Cruise can now be loved so universally because he has shed his humanity with everything negative. Leaked set shots like his Covid tantrum are the only clues that behind the beaming all-American smile and agelessly fit physique is a real person. Otherwise Cruise plays the most impressive role of his life: that of perhaps the greatest action star of our time, who simply smiles away at his problematic past – and masterfully wraps us around his finger.
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What do you think: How should the public deal with Tom Cruise’s Scientology past?