Is 1,000 days mission impossible for Tom Cruise?
When it comes to his relationship with Suri and Katie Holmes -- it may be.
Katie Holmes has made it clear that there are values she aims to instill in her daughter.
Opening up about her parenting style in an interview with InStyle, Holmes said:
"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.
She came out very strong — she's always been a strong personality.
[...] She's very focused and a hard worker."
In the same interview, the mother of one also shared a sweet story about how she always
looked for ways to push her daughter to be independent.
One year, for example, Holmes had Suri make her own birthday party supplies instead of
bringing in a high-end party planner who would have all the themed gear ready to go and could
decorate the event.
Holmes told inStyle:
"I wanted her to create things instead of having stuff done for her.
That way she was always in charge."
"She's a sophisticated little girl and magical."
Holmes also encourages Suri to pursue her interests and hobbies.
As outlets like People noted at the time, Suri enrolled in gymnastics when she was a
youngster.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's highly publicized split left their daughter, Suri Cruise, in
the middle of their custody battle.
In the end, Holmes won primary custody of Suri and the two moved to New York together,
leaving Tom behind in California.
Regarding the custody matters, an unnamed source claimed to Us Weekly:
"Katie was really smart about how she did this.
Tom will be allowed to see Suri but there are guidelines for the visits."
When the mother-daughter duo decided to relocate in 2012, there was a lot going on for their
family behind the scenes and all over the tabloids.
But Holmes quickly established a support system in the Big Apple, presumably making the transition
a little less overwhelming.
Holmes told People in 2014:
"I love the community in New York.
I love talking to my neighbors in the elevator.
I like feeling a part of something big."
This same sentiment came up in a 2020 chat with InStyle, with Holmes recalling:
"So many people I didn't know became my friends and helped us out, and that's what I love
about the city."
She went on to recall a time when a cab driver helped her carry a snoozing Suri from the
taxi up to Holmes' home.
Remembering the driver's kind gesture, she said,
"There was one incredible moment when I think I actually cried."
Katie Holmes has taken big measures to hide Suri Cruise away from the public eye.
While opening up about some of the strategies she used to ensure Suri had as close to a
normal childhood as possible, Holmes admitted to InStyle:
"We were followed a lot when she was little.
I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, 6 in the
morning when nobody would see us.
But there's one video where I'm holding her — she was 2 at the time — and she starts
waving at the cameras."
Given all the attention that was heaped upon them when Suri was born, it is not too surprising
that Holmes has been determined to keep her little one away from public scrutiny.
While many celebrity babies are photographed for a glossy magazine feature the week they
arrive, that wasn't the case for Suri.
Holmes and Tom Cruise waited until October 2006, when she was approximately 6 months
old before they introduced their child to the world.
Naturally, this move garnered quite a bit of attention — even though, as Holmes and
Tom said at the time, they weren't in a rush to jump back into the spotlight.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Holmes recalled,
"[Once] Tom was finished promoting [Mission: Impossible III], all we wanted to do was spend
time with Suri and our family and friends.
We were always going to release a photo ... I really just wanted to enjoy this precious
time with my daughter.
I knew I'd never get that time back."
"I know myself more because of her."
Humanitarian work is one of the many bonding activities Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise enjoy
together.
Holmes opened up about Cruise's interest in giving back in an interview with The Daily
Telegraph:
"My daughter and I do a lot of volunteer work together.
I enjoy volunteering with my daughter and hearing her point of view and listening to
her suggestions on how we can help.
It's important to go and see for myself, and to be part of helping people in any way that
I can."
Holmes and Suri embarked on a trip to a Syrian refugee camp with social change organization
Artolution in 2019.
The camp, which was located on the Greek island of Lesbos, housed thousands of refugees.
The pair assisted women and children at the camp while documenting the process along the
way.
Holmes took to Instagram to share a photo of her charity work and wrote in the caption,
"I love these women who became our friends as we collaborated on many different projects
this week.
I am so very grateful for this experience.
The resilience of these women is so profound and truly inspiring to witness.
and I pray for refugees everywhere."
This was also one of the rare occasions where Holmes posted a photo of Suri on social media.
The Instagram photo shared by the movie star mom shows her then-12-year-old daughter interacting
with one of the children staying at the camp.
Like her mother, Suri Cruise seems to have taken an interest in acting and the arts.
She's a huge fan of Broadway and often accompanies her mother to shows.
It appears that these outings were once full-on family affairs, as Tom Cruise was photographed
at the Broadway musical "Come Fly Away" with Holmes and Suri by his side.
These days the mom and daughter attend shows by themselves.
They saw "Finding Neverland" in 2016 and even posed for a photo with the cast.
The duo also saw "Dear Evan Hansen" together in 2017 and took a photo with the play's star,
Ben Platt.
Does Suri's interest in Broadway mean she could follow in her mother's footsteps and
eventually pursue acting?
We'll just have to wait and see.
For now, she seems to be enjoying her time in the audience and away from the spotlight.
Although Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have gone their separate ways, the movie stars
were once in love.
In 2010, just two years before the couple filed for divorce, Holmes complimented her
then-husband on his involvement as a father in an interview with Marie Claire.
Holmes told the outlet:
"Tom's as big at home as he is on the movie screen.
He's so passionate about everything, whatever he's doing.
When he's being a dad, he's right there; he's giving it his all.
It's inspiring and it's fun.
It's an amazing life, but we always remind ourselves of how incredibly lucky we are."
Discussing game night over Scrabble, she continued,
"But Tom's really good at it.
It's all strategy.
I think when I'm back in Toronto, I'm going to bring my dictionary and study."
While Tom and Holmes' relationship was not meant to last, Holmes' bond with daughter
Suri Cruise remains unbreakable.
A source said in Us Weekly,
"It's no exaggeration to say that Suri and Katie have saved each other.
They really are wonderful together."
Another tipster told the publication that Holmes has made a point of raising Suri to
be someone who not only isn't out of touch, but seems to take the Golden Rule to heart.
The source told the outlet:
"She doesn't come across as spoiled or like a celebrity kid at all.
She's kind and she always shows gratitude."
"Like every mom you want your child to know how special they are."
Much has been made of Tom Cruise's involvement with Scientology, including but not limited
to how it's impacted his relationship with Suri Cruise.
"I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist."
Following the divorce, Katie Holmes and Suri left Scientology.
And then, as ABC News reported at the time, Tom got into a legal battle with a magazine
company over stories that alleged he'd "abandoned" Suri.
The actor said:
"He chose Scientology over Suri for good.'
'Has he chosen Scientology over Suri for good?'
'Abandoned by Daddy.'
I mean come on, that is absolutely disgusting."
Cruise went on to add:
"I tolerate a tremendous amount and I'm very privileged to be able to have the life that
I have, and I believe that.
But there is a line that I draw for myself and — and that's it.
And I asked for an apology.
I asked for a retraction.
They denied it."
When asked if Holmes ended the relationship to get Suri away from the organization, Tom
told lawyers:
"That was one of the assertions, yes."
When a follower of the religion cuts ties with the church, former members have said
that they were deemed a "Suppressive Person" and are "disconnected" from those who still
belong to the organization, according to the Huffington Post.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a rep for the church denied such a policy
is in place.
In 2016, a source claimed to In Touch that Tom and Suri apparently went 1,000 days without
communicating.
Getting into the supposed extent of Tom and Suri's limited contact, they claimed:
"They used to Skype and text, but that trailed off drastically.
He uses his film commitments as an excuse, but the truth is that doesn't hold much weight
with Suri anymore."
In 2019, a source claimed to In Touch that Tom wanted to repair the relationship.
As for what all of this means for Suri and Tom?
We can't say for certain, but by all accounts, their relationship seems estranged at best.
Thankfully, she and Katie Holmes have each other.