Over three decades ago, Tom Cruise saw a fiery-haired woman playing the lead female role in an Australian thriller. And he became so infatuated with the little-known actress that he managed to convince his producers to give her a chance to play opposite him in the movie, Days of Thunder.
At the same time, he was married to actress, Mimi Rogers, according to The Daily Beast. But he couldn’t resist the attraction he felt for the 21-year-old newbie from Australia, Nicole Kidman.
Right after the release of Days of Thunder, Cruise had two Scientologists take divorce papers to Rogers, who was the one who introduced Cruise to Scientology in the first place.
Although Kidman was raised Catholic and Cruise had become a devout Scientologist, they both soon got married. In the 11 years that they were married, Kidman and Cruise adopted two children, Isabella and Connor, before they divorced in 2001.
But Cruise went from being besotted with her to banning her from their son’s wedding many years later.
Over the years, Kidman’s relationship with the children strained and when reports of Connor’s upcoming wedding came out, claims were being made by insiders about how his mother was banned from attending the wedding. And that it was Cruise behind ensuring Kidman wasn’t allowed to be part of her son’s wedding guest list.
“Tom is behind this and what he wants is as good as law,” an insider told RadarOnline.com. “Tom made the call and Connor followed.”
The insider went on to say, “First, Tom would never even consider inviting Nicole to Connor’s wedding because she’s considered a ‘suppressive person’ by the church — and, second, he doesn’t want her there. Tom turned his back on Nicole a long time ago and he’s never looked back.”
When a person is named as a ‘suppressive person’ by The Church of Scientology, they are given this label so that “others will know not to associate with them,” as stated by their website, as reported by Evening Standard—Insider.
With Kidman being given such a label, it comes as no surprise that Cruise didn’t want her to attend the wedding. In addition to this, their son also wasn’t like to go against his will. “Connor worships the ground his father walks on and would never disobey Tom,” the source told RadarOnline.com.
Following the divorce of Cruise and Kidman, their kids were indoctrinated into Scientology and they grew extremely distant from Kidman.
The actress once said in an interview with GMTV, “My kids don’t call me mommy, they don’t even call me mom. They call me Nicole, which I hate and tell them off for it,” as quoted by The Mercury News. Their divorce even led to a lot of further speculation of whether their children started following Scientology by choice or whether they were forced into it.
A former Scientology member, Sam Domingo used to mingle with the group’s celebrities, including Tom Cruise and his children. And she would closely see the techniques that were used on Isabella and Connor before Domingo left.
“Isabella’s being used for PR, she’s Tom Cruise’s kid, it’s not fair what they’re doing to her and Connor. They have no choice but to be the poster kids of Scientology now,” Domingo told DailyMailTV.
She had also seen how things changed after Cruise and Kidman divorced and saw how Isabella and Connor were kept away from the other kids they used to play with. Domingo said, “I know what techniques they used… I know what the second-in-command at the time Marty Rathbun did, he was so tough on them, the Cruise kids had no choice. After the divorce, they were indoctrinated into Scientology and very much isolated.”
Kidman, who is currently married to Keith Urban, rarely speaks about her children’s beliefs and their choices. But she once revealed that they were old enough to make decisions and she accepts them no matter what those decisions are.
“They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them,” Kidman told the Who magazine, as reported by Evening Standard—Insider. And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe—that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here.”