Tom Cruise to Oprah: 'Life isn't perfect.'

This just in from Tom Cruise:

"Life isn't perfect."

Well, you could have fooled us. On Friday's "The Oprah Winfrey Show," sponsored, apparently by the Telluride Chamber of Commerce, Oprah Winfrey and her camera crew made the long, though terribly scenic, trek to the movie star's Colorado home for their first interview since the infamous "couch bounce" three years ago. After a strangely brief appearance by Katie Holmes and her astonishingly perfect hair, Cruise and Winfrey went on a tour of the family home -- from "the mudroom," where a pair of fleece-lined slippers marked "Oprah" filled one cubby, to daughter Suri's little "office" under the stairs, to the study where bound scripts from Cruise movies line the bookshelves (yes, there was "Cocktail," front and center) -- before settling into an overstuffed sofa.

"This is just so normal," Winfrey exclaimed as the two stood in the enormous, professionally outfitted kitchen while the camera went from the breathtaking mountain views to the plate of cupcakes on a kitchen table. You bet. Just two superrich, overexposed media icons sitting around talking.

Obviously, the interview, the first of two, if you can imagine, was Cruise's attempt to "settle all family business," to put to rest the rumors of mental instability that ran rampant through Hollywood after his manic appearance on "Oprah" was swiftly followed by his denunciation of Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants and his anti-psychiatry diatribe against "Today" host Matt Lauer. Since then, he has married Holmes, welcomed baby Suri, been "fired" from Paramount by Sumner Redstone, resurrected United Artists with production partner Paula Wagner, and, perhaps most important, returned to a haven of professional handlers -- after the "Oprah" debacle, he jettisoned his sister, who had been functioning as his publicist, and hired Paul Bloch from Rogers & Cowan.

Now with United Artists treading water after a lackluster debut ("Lions for Lambs") and a stalled "Valkyrie," Cruise has his eye on "Mission: Impossible 4" and, perhaps, a return to the hearts of moviegoing America.

"You're living your dream," Winfrey told him several times toward the end of the interview, to which he replied: "And I'm getting ready to turn this up."

It was difficult not to hear this as a threat. Turn what up? His public persona? I thought we were hoping to turn that down.

He certainly cannot have been referring to the famous grin, which was so blinding during the interview that one wondered if computer graphics were not involved. Nor did he seem to be talking about his on-camera presence, which was subdued to the point of near catatonia at times. No one would confuse Tom Cruise with William F. Buckley or even Robert Downey Jr., but there were moments when you really felt for Oprah, when you saw her straining every synapse to coax a complete sentence out of her subject until she finally gave up and filled in the words herself.

And it's not like the questions were all that difficult.

"What was going on with you [during the sofa incident]? How important is friendship to you? How is your relationship with Nicole? Does the press affect your kids?" were a few of the more burning queries. "Were you surprised?" she asked of the public reaction to his couch bounce, his marriage to Katie, the birth of Suri. It was "a moment" (the sofa bouncing). Friendship is the most important thing, his relationship with former wife Nicole Kidman is great -- "We share custody whenever" -- his kids love him and know he is there for them, and sometimes he is surprised by the rumors that swirl around him. "Sometimes it's like 'I get it, I get to make movies,'" he said, "...but certain things, you go: "Come on.'"

Indeed. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

I don't want them to worry. I take care of things. Getting ready to turn this up. I wish for you the peace this mountain can bring.

-- Mary McNamara

(Photo courtesy AP)

Comments

[Lisa]

I really loved this interview. He is a real person, talented and in love with his family. I'm so glad he got a chance to share his side of things. He has brought so much to us all in his movies and he deserves to live w/o such crazy and intense scrutiny. So glad O did this.

Peace!

[andyd]

Oprah really should be asking Tom some tough questions-isn't that how she got rich and famous in the first place?It's so easy to find out the truth of the destructive mind control cult of Scientology these days-why doesn't she challenge him on his promotion of it?
Tom Cruise has destroyed his own career-nobody wants to know about the cult he pushes.
Please Oprah,interview Jason Beghe-now that would be a hell of a show!

[Jason]

andyd that may be true but what part did you not hear that he ain't gonna be talking about his beliefs no more and just promote his films? Were most of you living in caves or something? You need to get a better attention span. You guys are just NEVER satisfied all you'd rather do is spread more hatred, harassment and bigotry on beliefs you don't or would claim to believe you understand.

[Lake]

Well, I'm glad Tom Cruise finally took the chance to give us more details on his side of the story. I support in many ways the general message he was trying to convey back in 2005. While I doubt I could have done a better job (I'm certainly no public speaker or politician), I am glad to hear that Tom recognizes that he could have said things better and differently, in getting that message across.

With regard to the various accusations made about Scientology in comments above, these have largely been either debunked or explained over the years by Scientology's supporters and independent observers. For anyone interested, I would suggest the following site as a starter:

http://www.scientologymyths.info/fair-game/

[Big Sam]

Tom,

You want to get your fan base back? Get over the wacked out religion pushing onto your co-stars, and find a real religion to hang onto....

[Liz Wetzel]

I dont understand this TOM hatred club. Do you hate Tom Cruise because he married a virgin and not skanky fake blonds like you who have had 5 men before you were even 14 years of age?
Or are you part of the internet warriors from the hypocrisy religion? YOu propagate tolerance and yet here you are, propagating hatred.

[AnonFan]

Tom simply remains brainwashed. If he want's to stick with Scientology fine, I could care less EXCEPT why is this cult tax exempt. It's clearly not a religious group...it's a social club/cult. I want my tax dollars back!

[apennysaved]

Oprah and Tom; Tom and Oprah.
More empty "reporting" from the Mutual Admiration Society...as evidenced by those silly taped outtakes from other actors.
You're great, I'm great, we're all great!

[Native Angeleno]

I don't understand all the vitriolic hatred toward Tom Cruise other than out of simple jealousy. I'm a happily married, hetero, middle-age man and I admire Mr. Cruise for all that he's accomplished.
He has great discipline and his acting is certainly much better than a Harrison Ford or at least 20 other actors I can name.

And as far as his "religion" -- I have a bigger problem with rightwing fundamentalist Christians more so than Scientologists -- at least they don't go around starting wars.

[Marisa]

TO LIZ WETZEL.
A Virgin??!! ha!
As far as I remember Suri was a guest in her parents wedding.

[David]

I thought Oprah had a house in Telluride as well; she kind of made it seem that she’d never been to Telluride.

[mark spencer]

Why rag on Tom? If i was making love to Holmes i would be jumping on everyones couch
If you belong to any church its a cult! !I have been inside the Scientology building in Hollywood working as a contractor,and an actor(they make their own in house films,a sort of brainwashing)But i got the same feeling when i worked at the Morman Temple in Westwood,Its all about keeping the flock .
Cruise is a good actor,not great but good,Anthony Hopkins is great! Leave him alone and work on your life,Oprah needs a man in her life,she seems to drool interviewing these guys.

[broshow]

"Life isn't perfect"? I would think that after giving millions to Scientology, it should be. Isn't that what they are selling?
Oprah has become a parody of the ridiculous dysfunctional egos she fawns over. "Normal"? She wouldn't know normal if she was in a psych ward. Cruise is mercifully over as his recent track record shows. He is an alien and bears no resemblance to a real human. His life is a series of poses, publicity stunts, facades and shallowness. He spends a lot of time in front of a mirror that's for sure. If you want normal, try people who can let go of the spotlight and value their privacy: Meryl Streep, Jeff Daniels, William Macy...they're about as normal as circus performers can be.

[broshow]

As the t-shirts say: "Scientology, finding wives for gay actors for over 30 years!!"
Oprah has lost all cred as a genuine, down to earth, 'one of us' who just happens to be filthy rich. She has become as ridiculous as those she fawns over and wouldn't know normal, if she were on a psych ward.
Cruise is clearly an alien. Every public appearance, gesture, comment is calculated, staged and choreographed. There is nothing remotely real about him. His desperate need to maintain his celebrity, gain as much exposure as possible is not what a healthy person aspires to. There are plenty of talented stars who have their priorities straight. The Meryl Streeps, Jeff Daniels and Johnny Depps live far away from Hollywood and don't talk about how much they are into family, they quietly show how much it means. No fanfare, no posturing.

[David]

This article was awful. Somehow, someway people like this author find a way to twist things to make them seem what they are not. I thought the interviews were great and am glad others got to see it and can form there own opinions.

[David in Los Angeles]

Over the past twenty years I've enjoyed several of Tom Cruise's films, but it all comes down to his involvement with Scientology - a secretive, deceptive and honestly dangerous cult whose practices and beliefs need to be brought out into the light of day.

[Kevin Andersen]

What Oprah SHOULD have asked Tom is: " So, Tom, you know, if you were to finally grow a pair and were to come out of the closet, you could positively impact the lives of thousands if not millions of gay teens around the world"

But alas... he obviously values material wealth more than revealing who he really is. But then again, he is an actor after all.

It's not like it would be any surprise if he came out... we all aleady know what the truth about is sexual orientation really is.