A victim of heels at age three, pottery dates on Hollywood sets, and body double conspiracies?
It’s safe to say that most kids don’t grow up like Suri Cruise even if your dad is a Scientologist.
The Instagram era hadn't arrived when Suri Cruise was born in 2006, and it was expected
that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes would follow Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's lead by agreeing
to have their child's first photos published in the pages of a major magazine. Days ticked
by with no such splashy debut, but the nonexistent pics were still a story. TMZ
spoke to industry insiders who estimated that the baby photos could fetch up to $5 million.
A source even suggested that Suri's parents were holding out for the best possible payday.
When Suri made her magazine debut in Vanity Fair about five months after her arrival,
the cover girl's parents decided not to accept any payment at all. They also
revealed that they were flummoxed by the photo frenzy, which had People magazine
polling its readers to see if they believed that Suri was even real. Surprisingly,
a majority were convinced that her existence was a fairytale.
“It’s like the baby’s not real until it appears on the cover of a magazine.”
Holmes explained the delay, telling Vanity Fair,
"We were always going to release a photo. We just didn't want to get into the whole
production of setting up a photo shoot at that time. I really just wanted to enjoy
this precious time with my daughter. I knew I'd never get that time back."
Before the photoshoot showed Suri off to the world, the baby did have some celebrity visitors,
like Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tom's "Vanilla Sky" co-star Penelope Cruz.
In 2009, outlets including Just Jared published photos of Suri Cruise taking a stroll with her mom
while rocking a pair of tiny silver kitten heels. Some critics felt that the then-three-year-old was
too young to be wearing such mature footwear, including famed shoe designer Manolo Blahnik,
who expressed surprise over Suri channeling her inner Carrie Bradshaw at such a young age.
"That girl is destined to be a victim of a high heel!"
The outcry over Suri's footwear put her parents' feet to the fire, and both of them explained why
they supported her right to add an inch or two to her diminutive height. Holmes said
that Suri was just trying to be like her stylish mom and even revealed where she got Suri's heels.
"They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids. I found them for her and she loves them."
Tom Cruise also mentioned dancing in defense of his parenting skills.
"In Spain, they wear the high-heeled flamenco dance shoes from birth."
If Star magazine is to be believed, Suri was a full-blown shoeaholic by age five, adding so many
pairs of designer heels to her collection that it had a value of around $150,000. An insider dished,
"She's a massive fan of Marc Jacobs and she's had several shoes custom-made."
Suri Cruise's street style made her a fashion icon as soon as
she started getting swarmed by the paparazzi. The Suri Cruise Fashion
Blog broke down the estimated cost of an outfit Suri wore to school in 2013,
and she was giving the "Gossip Girl" elite a run for their money. In 2010, Tom Cruise confirmed
that he didn't take cost into account when it came to his daughter's wardrobe. He told Oprah,
"Whatever she wants to wear, she wears it. I'm not going to tell her
different. She's got great taste too. She tells me what to wear."
As for Katie Holmes, she seemed hopeful that her
daughter would gradually develop a similar sense of style to her own,
allowing Suri to fully appreciate her fashion inheritance. Holmes told Extra,
"Oftentimes, I will buy something with her in mind, thinking,
'Maybe I'll wear this once or twice,' but it's gonna look so great on her when she's 25.'"
Suri Cruise spent a lot of time on her parents' sets when she was a young child.
Tom Cruise told Extra that she became interested in the dynamics of his vocal
performance in the 2012 movie "Rock of Ages" after attending a few rehearsals. The actor said,
"I'd get all the questions about, 'How's it going? How are you moving the air
through the diaphragm and the vocal chords?' So she's fascinated by it."
Two years earlier, Suri had joined her mom on the set of "The Romantics." The film's cast,
which included Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Malin Akerman, and Adam Brody, treated
her like she was the biggest star present. Akerman said of their adorable new bestie,
“We all shared her. We drew, we played hide and seek,
we played dogs and cats, ate cupcakes together."
"Yeah, she's amazing. Magical."
That same year, Suri worked her magic again on the set of Holmes'
miniseries "The Kennedys." There, she made some new friends closer to her age,
including some of the child actors. Holmes told Access of the fun, family-friendly atmosphere,
"Everyone brings their kids and we do play dates there and paint pottery."
In 2012, Katie Holmes decided to pull the plug on her marriage to Tom Cruise. After their divorce
settlement was quickly hammered out, TMZ reported that Cruise's annual child support payments would
be around $400,000, and he'd also be obligated to pay for his daughter's schooling and medical
expenses. Additionally, Cruise had to sign off on certain restrictions on Suri Cruise's education
options, which would reportedly prohibit Tom from enrolling her in a Scientology boarding school.
When Tom took Bauer Publishing Company to court over claims its tabloids made about
the actor purportedly abandoning Suri, he acknowledged in a deposition that his
religion played a role in Holmes' decision to divorce him. Specifically, Holmes didn't want
their daughter to become involved with the Church of Scientology, per ABC News.
“I think it’s a privilege to call
yourself a Scientologist and it’s something that you have to earn.”
Tom continued to spend time with Suri after the divorce, with a source telling E! News in 2013,
"Tom sent his private jet to NYC to pick up
Suri so she could come to London and spend some time with him."
That was reportedly the last year the father and daughter were photographed together.
While Tom had visitation rights and could continue seeing Suri if he wished to,
an insider told Us Weekly that they don’t see
each other often. Leah Remini shared a theory with the New York Post, saying,
"He chooses not to because she is not a Scientologist. I'm sure [Tom's] master plan is
to wait until Suri gets older so that he can lure her into Scientology and away from her mother."
After Katie Holmes divorced Tom Cruise, she and Suri Cruise started building new lives for
themselves in NYC's swanky Chelsea neighborhood. Their rent was $12,500 a month, and one of their
apartment building's big selling points was easy access to the property's ground-level Whole
Foods. In a New York minute, Holmes and Suri became proud New Yorkers. Holmes told People,
"New York has been very good to both of us. I love the theater,
the galleries in my neighborhood. Stuff [like] that is so much of what makes me love this city."
The city also provided Holmes with plenty of education options for young Suri,
and she chose Avenues, a private school that caters to the elite. It was new at the time,
and tuition was $40,000 a year. What made the school an ideal pick for the pair was that it
was designed with parents who travel in mind, allowing students to switch campuses when needed.
The cost of caring for a kid as famous as Suri Cruise is astronomical. In 2012,
a divorce attorney told E! News that the total monthly support expenses for her caretakers,
travel, schooling, and security could be as much as $100,000. But an insider
told OK! that Tom Cruise was willing to pay half that weekly for Suri's
security alone after he and Katie Holmes divorced. The source dished to the outlet.
"Katie believes money is no object when it comes to the safety of Suri
and insisted Tom handle that side of things. She'd go broke if she had to
pay for it and it's a total necessity with the enormous interest in Suri".
There were even reports that Suri's parents had hired a look-alike daughter decoy in early 2013.
According to the Daily News, paparazzi trailed an SUV that Suri was thought to be inside of one
afternoon after waiting outside her school. When the vehicle stopped, a little girl with brunette
hair was photographed getting out and hiding her face. Not long afterward, Suri and her nanny,
who were in a different vehicle, rushed inside a nearby sandwich restaurant. However,
Suri was also photographed, and she and her doppelganger were wearing the exact same outfit.
Around that time, Tom was reportedly paranoid about Suri potentially getting kidnapped. However,
a source said that the supposed body double was just a friend of Suri's.
While Suri Cruise grew up wanting for nothing,
she's not oblivious to the fact that there are less fortunate people in the world. In a 2015
appearance on "Today," Katie Holmes praised her daughter for having a giving spirit.
“She’s always, you know, Mom, let's give this to, let’s give my old toys to people who need it.”
In 2014, Cruise adopted a rescue dog in need of a loving home, per TMZ, and that same year,
she offered a $1,000 reward when she lost her pet. Thankfully, the pet was found and returned.
Holmes has shared an Instagram photo of Cruise putting a smile on the face of a child at a
refugee camp, and flashing a pretty big grin herself, by playing a clapping game together.
The activist-entrepreneur attended NYC Pride in 2018,
where she sold lemonade to thirsty revelers. One attendee said,
"She was very sweet and kind, telling everyone to enjoy their day."
Cruise also got interested in politics at a young age,
with Holmes telling Jenna Bush Hager that the then-10-year-old was disappointed when
Hillary Clinton lost her 2016 presidential bid. Holmes said of what she learned from the loss,
"We have to raise our girls to be very strong,
not just for themselves, but to open the doors for other people."
Proving that her daughter always gets the princess treatment on her birthday, Katie Holmes shared an
Instagram photo of Suri Cruise wearing a tiara when she turned 12 years old in 2018. However,
the birthday girl didn't exactly look thrilled about having her picture taken. Two years earlier,
Suri celebrated her 10th birthday in NYC with some friends. According to E! News,
they were spotted polishing off burgers and cookies at Tavern on the Green,
where they dined al fresco. Suri's days-long festivities also included a fun-filled night
at Dave & Buster's with a large group of kids and trays loaded with treats from Georgetown Cupcake.
According to Radar, an insider claimed that one of her gifts that year was a baby grand piano.
However, one of Suri's most extravagant birthday celebrations took place when she
turned 13 in 2019. The French publication Closer reported that Holmes whisked her daughter and
two of her pals away to Paris, where they dined at the upscale eatery Les Ombres.
While enjoying a view of the Eiffel Tower, the sophisticated group reportedly sipped
on alcohol-free mojitos and noshed on caviar before generously tipping their server $100.
A year later, Suri's birthday would look much different. During the pandemic,
Holmes shared a snapshot of her daughter rocking a floral crown at home and captioned it,
"Birthday vibes." Speaking to ET about their low-key celebration, Holmes said,
"I think when you have less, you're more creative."
Simply stepping inside Suri Cruise's closet would feel like Christmas morning for many girls. But
throwing on a coat that would cost some parents an entire week's salary is nothing for Suri,
whose dad reportedly paid $5,000 to reserve a special section of Rockefeller Center's ice
skating rink in December 2011. A source told the Daily News that Tom Cruise also
had hot cocoa and gourmet treats delivered to his daughter during their family outing.
In 2014, Katie Holmes confirmed that Suri makes a Christmas list and checks it twice. Holmes
also said that she tries to make sure that Santa gets everything on Suri's list, saying,
“I want a puppy. Then I want a pink collar that has sparkles on it that
says the puppy’s name. Then I want like shoes for the dog.”
While a magic sleigh is one item that Suri can't get her hands on,
she does spend plenty of time in the sky during the holiday season. In 2016,
she and her mom spent Thanksgiving in Holmes' hometown, Toledo, Ohio.
On Instagram, Holmes revealed that they visited a local Dave & Buster's and played video games.
Two years later, she and Suri brought in the New Year during a ski trip. Holmes also makes
sure that Suri remembers others during the holidays. Holmes’ rep told People in 2014,
"She and Suri spent Christmas afternoon visiting children at a local hospital in L.A."
Speaking to InStyle in 2020, Katie Holmes painted
a pretty lonely picture of Suri Cruise's life as a baby. She said,
"I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like,
six in the morning when nobody would see us,"
But Suri did make some famous friends fairly early in life. In 2009, the almost-three-year-old
was photographed out on a playdate with two of David and Victoria Beckham's sons,
Cruz and Romeo, at the Children's Art Studio in Los Angeles, per X17. That same year,
Cruise and future "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin" star Bailee Madison hung out
together when Holmes and Madison filmed "Don't Be Afraid of The Dark" in Australia, per Hello!.
When she hit her tween years, Cruise befriended more kids involved in the entertainment industry.
For a 2018 DuJour magazine event in the Hamptons, Page Six reported that Cruise left her mom at
home and hung out with a group of friends who included young actors from the Broadway play
"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," as well as kids who competed on the reality series
"MasterChef Junior." Cruise reportedly got starstruck when she met Dakota Fanning there.
Suri's exclusive inner circle also includes a few girls who share her taste in expensive
accessories. In 2019, she and a pal were photographed carrying similar $385 handbags.
Speaking to Elle UK about her very "Gilmore Girls" relationship with
Suri Cruise, Katie Holmes said of her daughter,
"Every age that my child has been and my age at
that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together."
Evidence of their complementary ages? A shared appreciation for Taylor Swift. An insider
told OK! that Holmes befriended Swift when they worked together on the movie "The Giver" in 2014,
and Holmes set up a surprise meeting between her daughter and the singer. The source claimed,
"They spent an hour chatting that day,
and Taylor still makes a point to spend time with Suri in New York City, whether
it's going to Katie's for baking sessions or teaching her how to play the guitar."
Cruise didn't show off the results of those priceless guitar lessons from Swift at Z100
New York's 2017 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, but she and her mom did introduce the singer. Their rare
public appearance took place at Madison Square Garden, where Billboard quoted Holmes as saying,
"She's one of our favorite performers, and who is it tonight?"
Cruise was given the honor of excitedly announcing Swift's name,
and she was dressed to impress the music star in a dark blue,
star-spangled dress. Only a cool celeb Swiftie like Cruise wouldn't need to be told,
"You Need to Calm Down," when getting the honor of sharing a stage with Swift herself.
“I think I have the coolest daughter in the world,
so I just felt really lucky to be up there on stage with her.”
Suri Cruise and her mom got to spend even more quality time together than usual at the beginning
of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it sounds like Katie Holmes went out of her way to make sure that her
daughter didn't feel too isolated or scared. However, Holmes said that she and Cruise did
isolate themselves from the rest of civilization by spending part of their lockdown somewhere near
a lake. The idyllic location made Holmes want to watch one of the most iconic dancing scenes
that actually takes place in a lake over and over again. She told Amazing magazine,
"We probably watched 'Dirty Dancing' 10 times."
Holmes and Cruise also had the time of their lives getting in
touch with their crafty sides. Holmes explained,
"I painted, we had a sewing machine so we were making quilts,
we were cooking; we were on a perpetual vacation."
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph,
Holmes explained why it was important to her to remain positive and upbeat, explaining,
"I feel strongly that the power of your own
attitude definitely influences those around you, including your children."
Luckily, she didn't have to feign her contentment,
since she actually enjoys her daughter's company. She added,
"I will say that this time of quarantine has been such a lesson,
just really looking at everything you have and celebrating the simplicity of making dinner."
In 2012, Tom Cruise told Extra that Suri Cruise was following in her
daredevil dad's footsteps by getting into gymnastics and swimming. But Suri didn't
make her movie debut playing a spy kid in one of Tom's "Mission: Impossible" movies.
Instead, at age 16, she showcased her vocal talent in her mom's 2022 movie "Alone Together,"
a rom-com set during the start of the pandemic. Suri can be heard sweetly singing the classic
song "Blue Moon" at the beginning of the film. While Suri's mom directed, wrote,
produced, and starred in the movie, Holmes insisted that it was her daughter's ability,
not her blood bond, that got her the gig. She told Yahoo! Entertainment,
"I always want the highest level of talent. So I asked her! She's very talented."
Whether Suri sets her heart on a singing career or chooses a different path,
her mom will always be her loudest, proudest cheerleader, and she already knows that Suri
has what it takes to accomplish almost anything she sets her mind to. Holmes told InStyle,
"My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality … She'll pick
an activity and work her butt off until she's really good at it. Then she's like,
'Okay, I'm going to try the next thing.' She's very focused and a hard worker."