Suri Cruise has been described as "creative" by her mother and "confident" by her father. But
dig deeper into her parents' past comments about her, and a fuller picture of the teen emerges.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise welcomed their daughter, Suri, on April 18, 2006. In October
2006, the famous couple shared the first photos of Suri with the world in a Vanity Fair profile.
As well as discussing their changed home life after welcoming their first baby together, Holmes
and Cruise also spoke about their daughter's distinctive appearance. Cruise told the magazine,
"She has Kate's lips and eyes. I think she looks like Kate."
He also revealed that Suri held special meaning
for him amidst his incredibly busy life as a movie star. He told Vanity Fair,
"You have to celebrate the joy. And that's what Suri is: the joy."
In June 2012, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise after five
years of marriage. Suri was six years old at the time. In November 2013,
Cruise was deposed while suing Bauer Publishing, the publisher of In Touch
magazine. The "Mission Impossible" star was suing the outlet because of a story it published,
which alleged that he had abandoned his daughter following his split from Holmes.
During the deposition, Cruise admitted that there was a period of more than 100 days during which
he didn't see Suri in person. However, he did discuss his regular contact with Suri,
and noted that having phone conversations with a young child can be challenging. Cruise said,
"You have to work at it. I've gotten very good at it. I tell wonderful stories."
He also shared that his daughter appeared to be content in life, saying,
"I also find that, you know, Suri is a very happy child,
and confident, and has a good sense of herself."
The lawsuit was later settled,
but articles regarding Cruise's absence from Suri's life continued to surface.
During his November 2013 deposition, Cruise was forced to address his connection to Scientology.
He also explained that Suri was no longer a practicing member of Scientology. But
when he was asked whether Holmes divorced him to protect Suri from the religion, Cruise replied,
"I find that question offensive. There is no need to protect my daughter from my religion."
"I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist."
However, Cruise did admit that Holmes, at least in part, filed
for divorce in order to keep Suri away from Scientology. He said during the deposition,
"That was one of the assertions, yes. There are many other aspects to the divorce."
The questioning didn't stop there. Cruise was also asked if Holmes and their daughter
were now considered to be "suppressive persons," which is how Scientologists
refer to those who have left the religion or people who openly oppose it. Cruise replied,
"That is a distortion and simplification of the matter. I don't want to just give
an oversimplification of religious doctrine."
Once Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' divorce was finalized, the "Dawson's Creek" star publicly
became a single mom, who seemingly adored raising her child. During an interview with
People in November 2014, Holmes revealed that she had a very creative home life with Suri,
and explained the ways in which she was a hands-on parent. Holmes told People,
"Between tickle fights and glitter art, I try to throw in some manners along the way. I try
to have good manners too, so that's what she sees. I also try to be very creative with her,
because I know she's an artist, and that speaks to the girl in me."
Holmes also noted that she had some limitations as a mother,
namely that she wasn't invested in playing games like tag, for instance. She explained to People,
"But I'll paint all day, I'll do the creative stuff."
While Cruise may not have seen Suri very often when she was small,
Holmes seemed to throw herself into life as a single mother. She also wanted to ensure
that her daughter was happy and had lots of opportunities to express her creative side.
While attending Quaker's Oatober event,
Holmes talked to People about Suri Cruise's eating habits, and why breakfast was an
incredibly important time for the mother and daughter duo. She told the publication,
"I like to make a nice breakfast and start the day
calmly. I like that time with my little one before school."
Holmes also opened up about cooking for her daughter in general,
and revealed how she navigates cooking meals that Suri will enjoy. Holmes said to People,
"[Suri] has her favorites, like most kids. I don't really have any tactics
to help [with picky eating]. I think like most parents you make the stuff
you know that they like, and every once in a while you introduce something new."
Essentially, the "Batman Begins" star uses meal times to bond with her daughter. During another
interview with People, Holmes revealed that she may not always be the best cook,
but that time spent with Suri was the most important thing. Holmes explained,
"My main goal is to just let her know how much I love her. When that's the through line,
who cares that my first two pancakes are always burned?"
It would seem that Holmes focuses all of her attention on Suri, especially when it comes
to providing food for her young daughter. Through carefully curated breakfasts, and by making meals
that please her daughter, Holmes is making sure that her child feels cared for on a regular basis.
"She's a sophisticated little girl and magical."
In a February 2017 interview with Town & Country,
Holmes discussed her incredibly busy schedule, which includes directing
projects as well as starring in them. In the same interview, Holmes said,
"My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right
now. It's very important that I'm present and she has a stable, innocent childhood."
Holmes also said she realized how crucial it was to be present during Suri's formative years,
especially as her daughter was growing up so fast. She told Town & Country,
"Every day, kids get a little further away
from you. They should be becoming more independent, but it's heartbreaking."
The actor further discussed knowing that Suri would continue to gain independence,
and that she would eventually strike out on her own as an adult. However,
Holmes admitted that she already wasn't looking forward to the day that her
daughter became a fully fledged grown-up. Holmes told the outlet,
"That's going to be very, very sad for me."
After building a successful acting career, Holmes decided to move into directing. In 2016,
she made her directorial debut with "All We Had." Next up, she directed an episode of the miniseries
"The Kennedys: Decline and Fall" in 2017. She then moved back to directing movies with 2022's "Alone
Together" and 2023's "Rare Objects." In taking on an even more creative role in the film industry,
Holmes realized that she had the opportunity to showcase her daughter's talents, too.
During a 2023 interview with Glamour, Holmes opened up about her decision to include Suri's
music in her movies "Alone Together" and "Rare Objects." She told the outlet,
"I hope she always does something on my films. I always ask her."
By including Suri's music in two of her own movies, Holmes was able to showcase
her daughter's musical talent with a wide audience. Holmes explained to Glamour,
"So it comes out of love for me to include someone who I love dearly. That's how I
like to work. I like to have that kind of feeling. It was very meaningful to me to
have her there, because she's my heart." Holmes and Suri live in New York together,
and it would appear as though they have positively thrived as a twosome. In November 2020,
Holmes wrote an essay for Vogue Australia in which she discussed quarantining with
her daughter during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. She wrote,
"Hobbies such as sewing, painting and writing became new hallmarks of satisfaction and having
had time at home to just be. [...] To live for a moment in time without the pressure of results
and instead appreciate the natural rhythms of mother and daughter was the most precious gift."
Seemingly, Holmes relished the opportunity to spend time with her daughter, and despite
the difficult circumstances, she managed to find some positives in the situation.
Although Katie Holmes seems to keep much of her personal life private, she has shared
some special messages to her daughter on social media over the years. In April 2020,
Holmes shared an Instagram photo of some birthday party decorations, which she captioned,
"Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I am so blessed to be your mom. May this year be incredible!"
In May 2021, Holmes celebrated her daughter once again in an adorable Mother's Day post
on Instagram. Sharing a photo of herself kissing a young Suri Cruise on the cheek, Holmes wrote,
"I am so grateful to be a mom to the sweetest daughter."
While promoting her 2022 film "Alone Together," Holmes happily discussed the inclusion of
Cruise's rendition of the classic song "Blue Moon" in the film with Yahoo! Entertainment.
"She's very talented and she said she would do it and she
recorded it, and I let her do her thing." Holmes found almost instant fame thanks to her
role as Joey Potter on teen drama "Dawson's Creek," which aired for six seasons between
1998 and 2003. Much of the series revolved around Joey's love life, and her romantic relationships
with both Dawson Leery and Pacey Witter. Although the series finished two decades ago,
it has remained a topic of conversation in the years since. As a result, it's
totally unsurprising that Holmes' daughter became interested in her mom's role on the iconic show.
During a 2023 interview with Variety,
Holmes got candid about Suri's knowledge of the show. Holmes told the publication,
"She has seen 'Dawson's Creek,' and I think it's probably weird since she's a teenager. I'm not
like, 'You need to watch mommy's work.' But during the pandemic, we had a good laugh about it."
Holmes also reflected on the fact that her daughter
had entered her teenage years, telling Variety,
"It's wild to have a daughter who's almost the same age as I was when I began all this."
While living in New York with her mom, Suri Cruise has reportedly been attending elite
private schools in the city. Meanwhile, Katie Holmes appears to be content being a single mom,
and cultivating a close relationship with her daughter. She told ELLE U.K. in 2019,
"I was happy to become a mom in my twenties."
Holmes also enthused that she'd only gotten closer
to daughter Suri as time had gone on, telling the outlet,
"It's been nice that our ages fit. Every age that
my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match."
The actor also reflected on her experience raising her daughter, telling the publication,
"We kind of grew up together."
It would appear as though Holmes and Suri have experienced multiple milestones together,
generating an even closer mother and daughter bond as a result.
"She's just a good person and just sweet."
Seeing as her parents are two of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Suri Cruise has clearly had a unique
upbringing. However, the youngster has managed to chart her own path, according to her mom.
Holmes reflected on her daughter's character in a 2022 interview with InStyle, saying,
"My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality.
To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it."
According to Holmes, Suri has been distinctive since birth. She told InStyle,
"She came out very strong — she's always been a strong personality."
During the same interview, Holmes noted that her daughter was growing up,
which allowed her more time to develop movie projects and move into directing. Holmes said,
"Suri is 14, so we've gotten through the sort of girlie stage."
It would seem that Suri is following in her mother's footsteps, seeing as
she already showcased her musical talents in two of Holmes' films. Without a doubt,
fans of the mother and daughter duo will likely have their fingers crossed that
many more collaborations between the pair will occur in the future.