No doubt. But if all you ever did was act, 24 hours a day every day, you'd be a pretty good actor too.
My ex worked with him on two movies,
A Few Good Men and
Interview With the Vampire. He wanted her to be his personal costumer on all his movies after that, but she was too creeped out by him (and she was already Demi Moore's costumer). Before starting
Interview, she had to sign a five or six page document that basically said she couldn't breathe, blink or make any movements without Tom's consent, and she couldn't talk about him for 8 million years or something.
But I didn't sign that! ;)
As hard as it may be to believe, he is way freakier than you imagine. If you think Scientology is a secondary, fringe-y part of his life, think it's not. He is surrounded by Scientologists around the clock who control his every move, while encouraging him to believe he is making his own decisions. Constantly whispering in his ear, taking him by the arm, keeping any and all non-Scientologists - including members of the film crew who need to deal with the actors, obviously - away from Cruise. They pander to him in an unimaginably all-encompassing way. Going so far as to purposely lose to him in anything that involves competition - pool, cards, go cart racing...
Tom wins again! Amazing! Ha.
Scientology also had a hand in funding
Valkyrie and in geting the production permission to use some of the actual German locations (which Germany was initially opposed to). They were interested in it as a propaganda tool, because Germany recently took a very hash stance against Scientology, calling it the cult that it is. So they have concentrated a lot of money and effort on "winning back" Germany, and the movie was part of that.
As far as Tom's fathering skills, maybe he's great now. I don't know. A lot of time has passed since I was around him. But I was in New Orleans and London for a few weeks while they were filming
Vampire, and he and Nicole rarely touched those kids. They had a staff for that. And when they did hold them, they held them awkwardly, away from their bodies...like you'd hold road kill or something. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.
So yeah, Tom Cruise. What can you say. I thought
Vampire was actually pretty good, though I'm not a fan of that cringey goth-schlock storytelling of Rice's. But overall Cruise just creeps me out. I can't watch him without thinking about what a goddamn freak he is. Kind of like a Michael Jackson video. ;)
