Cruise biographer: ‘He breathes his religion’

After penning biographies of high-profile people from Princess Diana to Madonna, author Andrew Morton is no stranger to crafting tabloid-style tell-all books. His latest, “Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography,” explores the actor’s love life, rumors about his sexuality, his connections to Scientology and his family.

According to the New York Daily News, the Cruise camp and the Church of Scientology are considering a $100 million lawsuit over the publication of the book. Regardless, it is scheduled to be published in the U.S. on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

In advance of his live TODAY show appearance that day, Morton took some time to answer questions from TODAYshow.com readers.

Q: How did you manage to research such tightly guarded entities as Tom Cruise and Scientology? Was your life ever in danger? — Rose Javier, Vancouver, B.C.

A: This book has taken me two years to research and write, and what surprised me was the number of people who — in spite of possible intimidation by Tom Cruise and his organization — were prepared to speak to me on the record, to stand up and be counted. Many, of course, spoke off the record but it helped that they knew who I was. Many had read and liked my book on the late Diana, Princess of Wales. They knew that I wasn’t a Scientology “plant” or private detective used to infiltrate dissident groups, and they knew from the way I had written other books that I would use the information responsibly.

There were of course some odd incidents. I remember a self-styled private detective in Los Angeles saying to me: “Do you want a piece?” And I said, “A piece of what?” He replied: “A gun — to protect yourself from Scientology goons.” It was a little unnerving, and I declined. It was all the more unnerving, as I had just been warned in no uncertain terms by a former Scientologist that it was, and I quote, “less risky to sandpaper a lion’s ass than to take on Scientology.”

Q: Tom seems a little eccentric for a man his age. What would he do if one of his own family members became mentally ill? — Berdi King-Hussey, Oak Ridge, Tenn.

A: I first became interested in Tom Cruise after watching him jumping up and down on Oprah’s sofa. 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? It was all the more odd given his reputation for delivering tightly controlled, smooth and ultimately evasive interviews. What was going on? I wanted to know more.

I soon discovered that his life, his very persona, is inextricably linked to his faith and that he lives and breathes his religion. It means that he feels able to criticize someone like Brooke Shields from what he feels is a position of absolute righteousness. He believes, as do others in his organization, that he has a monopoly on truth and wisdom, that he is the authority on the mind, on health, on education. This certainty, coupled with an inability to brook any criticism, has shaped the man we see today. It means inevitably that should Tom, Katie, Connor, Isabella or Suri become mentally ill, first of all their parents would not recognize it as mental illness. Secondly they would not treat it with psychiatry or drugs, and thirdly they would use only Scientology-approved methods.

Q: Is Tom gay? — Angie B, Glens Falls, N.Y.

A: There are something like two million Internet sites related in some way to this question. It is one of the first questions I was asked during my research. Quite frankly, I found that rather than being gay, he has never been without a woman by his side. His first “marriage” was at age 11 in the school playground in Ottawa, and he has an enviable record as a ladies’ man. More intriguing is locating where the gay rumors come from — possibly the homoerotic themes in “Top Gun,” or his first wife, Mimi Rogers, saying that he wanted to be a monk and was sexually abstinent during their brief marriage. Or it could be because of the pictures of Tom as a young man that reportedly found their way into a New Jersey gay magazine. Then, of course, there is the fact that, unlike other stars who shrug off gay rumors, he takes vigorous action [to deny such rumors], which leads people to suspect that he has something to hide. The irony of his life is that he never wants to be alone; he always wants a warm body in the house and is invariably always with a woman.

Q: How has your perspective on Tom changed since you learned more about his life? — Angie B, Glens Falls, N.Y.

A: Essentially, a biography is the exploration of your own ignorance, a journey where you soak yourself in the subject. When I first started, I thought that Tom was a good actor whose religion was an add-on to his life. Now I realize that acting is only part of his persona. He is a modern breed of celebrity who gains access to statesmen, presidents and politicians to promote his faith and its policies on health, education and human rights. Since he jumped on Oprah’s couch he has become a joke figure. But I have taken him seriously. He is a powerful man.

Q: Tom’s ex-wife Nicole Kidman recently got pregnant — so clearly she is capable of conceiving. So why did the couple decide to adopt when they were married instead of having their own children? — Angie B, Glens Falls, N.Y.

A: As I say in the book, early in their marriage, Tom and Nicole were desperate to have children. Nicole’s mother had found it difficult to conceive and so it seemed like lightning tragically striking twice when Nicole had a miscarriage because of a dangerous ectopic pregnancy. Doctors worried that it might happen again, so the couple decided to adopt rather than risk it. This also gave rise to rumors about Tom’s sexuality.

Slide show   Top gun A look at Tom Cruise's career and relationships.

Q: Tom jumped up and down on Oprah’s sofa to declare his love for Katie. So why wasn’t Oprah invited to the wedding? — Diane Lyons, Coram, N.Y. 

A: Oprah said publicly that she was suspicious of Tom’s motives about jumping on her couch. Maybe that led to a distance between them. Certainly Oprah is her own woman and has always resisted the blandishments of Tom and his faith.

Q: How much money does Tom give to the Church of Scientology each year? — Adam, Washington, D.C.

A: Over the years, Tom has given millions of dollars to Scientology and has been given all kinds of awards by the grateful organization. Without Tom’s involvement, Scientology would be a shadow of the organization it is today.

Q: When did Mr. Cruise become a fan of international football? — Steve Amoia, Washington, D.C.

A: Certainly Tom is a sports nut, and since becoming friendly with former England captain David Beckham, now with the L.A. Galaxy, he has attended a number of games in Madrid, London and elsewhere. Of course, the suspicion is that he would also like to recruit David and his Spice Girls wife, Victoria, into his religion.

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