From helping out at homeless shelters to wearing makeup at the age of five, Suri Cruise, daughter
of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, wasn't born into a normal family, so what is her life like now?
The relationship between a child
and their father should be nurtured and protected. Sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case with Suri
Cruise and her absent father. Since Tom Cruise's last public outing with his daughter was in 2012,
it's safe to assume that their relationship isn't on good terms. Although Tom stated that he still
loves his daughter, the two haven't had much contact over the years. So much so that in 2016,
InTouch Weekly stated that Tom had not seen or spoken to her in over two-and-a-half years.
Their strained relationship may have caused Suri Cruise to no longer reach out to her estranged
father. Despite custody rulings limiting the number of times Tom could visit her,
he seems to blame his fatherly shortcoming on his on-screen commitments. However, one
source told the New York Post that Cruise could definitely see his daughter "if he wanted to."
Often, religious beliefs held
by parents can wreak havoc on the livelihood of their growing child. Although Suri Cruise
spent her earlier years close to those in the Church of Scientology, it was merely due to Tom
Cruise's influence. Tom has become a prominent figure in the Church of Scientology ever since
his first wife, Mimi Rogers, introduced him to the now-controversial religion.
"I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist."
What Katie Holmes described as an "intense time" for herself and her daughter resulted
from a sudden — yet calculated — breakup that saw the actress escape the clutches of Tom's
religious lifestyle. In a deposition regarding his $50 million lawsuit against Life & Style and
InTouch magazines for defamation, Tom revealed that his religion may have played a role in his
divorce — suggesting that their split was not only for her sake but for Suri's as well. When asked
if Holmes wanted to stay away from Scientology to protect Suri, Tom stated in the deposition,
Furthermore, when lawyers asked if Holmes still practices Scientology,
Tom flatly said, "no." Alongside growing a distaste for the celebrity-centric religion,
it seems that Holmes doesn't want her child to be involved with Scientology
in any way. Her move from Los Angeles to New York City was likely an attempt
to distance herself and her daughter away from the lifestyle she seemingly dislikes.
Suri Cruise was fortunate enough to be born into wealth. Oftentimes, you'll find that
children with her amount of notoriety have everything at their fingertips — making it
easier for them not to be a good person. To prevent Suri from becoming that "spoiled rich
girl," Katie Holmes insisted on giving her daughter a normal upbringing. Through that,
Holmes understood her role as a parent, telling Today,
For that reason, she and Suri spend a lot of time giving back to those in need. Holmes told Today:
Evidence of this can be found on her Instagram page where she shared pictures of their trip to
the Morian Refugee Camp in 2019. As a member of the nonprofit organization Artolution,
Holmes volunteered alongside her daughter and several women to craft public art pieces
in hopes of invoking positive change. While life at home for Suri may yield
privileges many of us wished to have as a child, it seems that Holmes is doing
her part in making sure that Suri is aware of those that are less fortunate and doing
all that she can to help out. All in the name of being a good human being.
"She's just a good person and just sweet."
Suri Cruise may have her mother's
nurturing personality, but according to Katie Holmes, she definitely has
her father's athletic ability. Knowing this may have influenced Holmes into allowing her
daughter to fine-tune her gifts through whatever medium she chooses. Trying to understand your
child's sporadic endeavors can be a harrowing task as a parent. However, Holmes intended to
create a positive environment in which Suri is encouraged to pursue her aspirations freely.
From her earlier years in ballet to her now natural aptitude for singing, Suri's freedom to
engage in extracurricular activities shaped her into the multi-talented teenager she is today.
While Holmes can pat herself on her back for raising such a capable individual, Suri's "strong
personality" also had a heavy hand in how she went about conquering certain goals. According to an
interview with InStyle, Holmes revealed just how much of a hard worker her daughter is, stating,
Rinse and repeat. To have this kind of mentality at a young age is truly inspiring. At this point,
who knows what else the versatile teenager will master in the near future.
Katie Holmes has expressed her desire to raise Suri Cruise to be an individual. Through that,
we may see Holmes use unpopular methods of achieving that, like allowing Suri to wear
lipstick at such a young age. Although it doesn't directly harm a child's well-being,
dowsing your 5-year-old daughter's face in makeup is something that most mothers
would disapprove of immediately. Luckily for Suri, Holmes is far from a "regular
mom." For those still confused about why this was the case, her interview with Elle
magazine in 2011 gave us insight into why this was allowed in the Holmes household.
According to Holmes, Suri expressed interest in fashion when she was only four years old — a
year before she was spotted wearing makeup. Holmes revealed that Suri doesn't hold back
her opinions on the outfits her mom chooses to wear. Holmes told Elle:
"I know myself more because of her."
Suri's strong opinions and advice on her mother's fashionable ensembles could have
potentially led to her allowance to wear makeup. Suri's great eye for fashion caught the attention
of the passionate fashionista herself early on. Despite public opinion, Holmes decided
to stay faithful to her word and allowed her daughter to express herself through fashion.
Ever since Holmes' 2012 divorce, she's been firm about raising Suri
with the same values she was taught as a child. According to a close relative,
Holmes took frequent road trips with Suri to introduce her to her extended
family members in Toledo, Ohio. A Holmes family insider stated to Radar Online:
In hopes of granting Suri a normal life, the family member revealed that Holmes wanted to
introduce Suri to her cousins because she was worried Suri wasn't meeting enough kids her
own age. Due to Tom Cruise's protective nature, Suri's life at that point was filled with nothing
but luxury and privilege. The transition for the 6-year-old princess wasn't easy since she wasn't
used to the concept of "sharing her toys with her cousins." However, that slowly faded as the
family member stated that her lively personality won them all over. The insider told Radar Online,
Although attending a
$40,000 per year private school while living in a $25,000-a-month penthouse apartment on the upper
west side of Manhattan isn't exactly normal, Holmes does her best to give Suri Cruise the
chance to have a private life. Despite run-ins with paparazzi, Suri's appearance in public is
usually alongside her mother. When Holmes first moved to New York after her divorce in 2012,
she stated that she felt overwhelmed by the amount of attention she was getting. Holmes told InStyle:
This "intense time" for the mother-and-daughter duo was likely the catalyst for their commitment
to privacy. In hopes of straying away from the intrusive nature of the public,
Holmes tries to shield her daughter away from the limelight as much as
she can. An example of this is their "date" at the American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala
in New York. The two were spotted leaving the event on May 21, 2018.
Suri, who was 12 at the time, reportedly remained close to her mother the whole
night. The only time she wasn't hand-in-hand with her mother was on the red carpet. While
many assumptions could be made for why this may have been the case, it's safe to assume
that Suri didn't take pictures with her mother because of the potential for unwanted attention.
Throughout Suri Cruise's earlier years,
we could see that her parents would get carried away and adhere to the wishes
made by their princess. During Katie Holmes' appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014,
the actress revealed just how demanding her daughter could be. With Christmas only being
a month away, Holmes stated that this was an anxious time for her because she, quote,
"can't screw up talking to Santa." Although she revealed that her daughter was somewhat practical,
Suri's attention to detail left us hoping that she wouldn't grow into a royal prima donna.
Luckily, Holmes understood how over-gifting can warp a child's perception of life. With
the endless amount of privileges Suri has, she made sure not to "inundate her
daughter" with a lot of stuff. Despite being decked out in designer clothes as a child,
Holmes made it clear that although Suri is privileged enough to be wealthy,
that doesn't exclude her from working like everyone else.
At 12 years old, Suri seemed to pick up on this as she ran her own lemonade stand
at New York City's LGBT Pride parade in 2018. According to an eyewitness,
Suri and her friends charged $2 per glass and offered rainbow-themed Rice Krispies
treats for those in attendance. The eyewitness told Us Weekly: