Over the course of more than 35 years, Tom Cruise has evolved from a teen heartthrob,
to one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in Hollywood.
He flew straight into the hearts of women everywhere as "Maverick" in Top Gun, and he
won the male vote as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible, building a reputation as one of
the film industry's genuine megastars.
But somewhere along the way, the love Cruise had grown accustomed to began to fade, and
the public's perception of him changed drastically.
Once the man that every guy wanted to be and every girl wanted to be with, the name Tom
Cruise has since come to mean something completely different.
Cruise control
As Variety reports, Cruise's reboot of The Mummy is the latest of his films to be negatively
impacted by his controlling interference.
According to insiders, Cruise revamped the entire script, and heavily influenced the
direction, editing, and even marketing of the film, which produced a relatively dismal
$32 million dollar domestic opening weekend.
International returns have been better, though insiders still doubt the film will recoup
its combined production and marketing costs.
And The Mummy wasn't the first film tainted by Cruise's obsessive meddling.
According to actor R. Lee Ermey, collaborator and friend to the late director, Stanley Kubrick,
the failure of Eyes Wide Shut was also due to the star's ego-tripping.
Ermey told Radar Online that Kubrick
"...was disgusted with it and that the critics were going to have him for lunch.
He said Cruise and Kidman had their way with him - exactly the words he used."
Fewer fangirls
Telling women what they can and can't wear is one way to lose the female demographic,
but telling them how to give birth is a different kind of insult entirely.
When Katie Holmes was pregnant, Cruise was forced to address rumors that he was demanding
his wife give birth in complete silence, a practice Scientologists believe prevents permanent
psychic scars caused by negativity at birth.
According to ABC News, Cruise was even rumored to have had a special pacifier made to keep
Holmes quiet during delivery, though the A-lister insisted the church's "silent birth" method
isn't as strict as many believe.
It wasn't the first time Cruise stuck his nose into the childbirth debate.
He made headlines in 2005 when he openly criticized Brooke Shields for taking medication to manage
postpartum depression.
Shields responded by saying
"Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing
postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."
Cruise's third and final strike came when his alleged on-set infidelity was exposed.
Rumors that Scientology big wigs encouraged Cruise to cheat on first wife, Mimi Rogers,
with second wife Nicole Kidman on the set of Days of Thunder were reportedly confirmed
by former senior church executive Marty Rathbun, who said of the scheme, "It just shows you
how twisted and corrupted Scientology is."
No studio love
Cruise's behavior off-screen eventually began to affect his career.
In 2006, Paramount Pictures ended its 14-year working relationship with the actor, fearing
his erratic actions were going to negatively impact receipts for the upcoming Mission:
Impossible 3.
Apparently, it wasn't just the actor's affiliation with Scientology that had the studio sweating.
Cruise's bizarre appearance on Oprah led many to question his sanity.
Paramount CEO Sumner Redstone was quoted by CNN saying,
"As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal.
His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount."
Total power
Despite naming Cruise as one of 2016's most overpaid actors, Forbes Magazine is well aware
of the influence Cruise holds, naming him the most powerful actor more than once.
He topped the list in 2006 after War of the Worlds cleaned up at the box office, and again
in 2012 after Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol brought the franchise back from the
brink.
While most studios strive to tap the biggest names in showbiz, when stars call the shots
themselves, it becomes a problem.
Cruise's reputation now precedes him, but the actor's had better luck cracking the increasingly
lucrative Asian market.
Japan's crush on Cruise exploded into a full on affair after the release of 2003's The
Last Samurai, with the country declaring October 10th a national holiday: Tom Cruise Day.
Conversion scheme
Devoting one's life to a faith created by a science fiction writer is a personal choice,
but recruiting other A-list celebs into the fold sounds a little like propaganda.
Former high-ranking Scientologist Gary Morehead told the Daily Mail that Cruise had an unhealthy
obsession with David Beckham and viewed the British soccer star as the ideal convert.
That conversation never came to pass, but it allegedly wasn't for a lack of trying on
Cruise's part.
According to a 2015 report, in an attempt to lure Beckham to Scientology headquarters,
Cruise ordered Sea Org members to build a soccer field.
It was all for nothing, as Beckham and wife Victoria reportedly pulled a no-show.
Un-popular vote
Does Cruise really deserve to be hated in Hollywood and beyond?
Some say all this negativity boils down to a simple case of jumping on the bandwagon.
For every fan that harbors a genuine hate for the man, there's another who will avoid
his movies based solely on the sway of public opinion.
Still, the old saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" rings true.
Gossip has followed Cruise his entire life, yet his star power has continued to prevail.
Despite his questionable beliefs and erratic outbursts, Cruise remains in high demand,
reaffirming his position as one of the industry's top leading men.
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