Huge Star Reveals Tom Cruise’s Attempt To Convert Him To Scientology

A comedian recently recalled the time Tom Cruise tried to convert him.

By Apeksha Bagchi | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

tom cruise

Many renowned celebrities and especially Hollywood actors are a part of the Church of Scientology, like John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Nancy Cartwright, and of course, Tom Cruise who is perhaps its most famous member. The actor’s beliefs about Scientology have often made headlines, like the recent admission by comedian and actor Seth Rogen that Tom Cruise once tried to recruit him and director Judd Apatow into his infamous religious cult.

During Rogen’s recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show to promote his new memoir, Yearbook, the comedian shared a “bizarre” encounter with Tom Cruise when he and director Judd Apatow met with the actor to pitch him a film in 2006. But before the discussion could reach the topic of the film, Cruise made his own pitch to the duo about the perks of Scientology. 

Seth Rogen shared that Tom Cruise suddenly started talking about how the pharmaceutical industry was making him look bad like they did his friend Louis Farrakhan. The Mission Impossible actor then proceeded to ask Rogen and Apatow to give him 20 minutes to convince them about the benefits of Scientology and “really just tell you what it was about.” 

tom cruise

Seth Rogen admitted that he was too “weak-willed” to say no to Tom Cruise but he “dodged a bullet” thanks to Judd Apatow who lightly declined the offer and veered the conversation towards the film they had come to pitch to the actor. 

Apparently, Seth Rogen is not the first fellow celebrity that Tom Cruise tried to sell Scientology to. Last year, his Mission Impossible 2 co-star, Thandiwe Newton shared that while they were working together, he would send her gifts including “a book with the greatest hits of Scientology, a bit like a Bible kind of thing.” Initially, Newton was curious about it all but when she read through the book, she wasn’t convinced by the whole thing. 

This is not the first and probably not the last time that Tom Cruise’s Scientology beliefs have become the topic of debate. Like last year, after the actor made headlines for yelling at his Mission Impossible 7 crew for breaking COVID-19 restrictions, actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini claimed that the entire thing was a stunt orchestrated by the Church of Scientology. 

mission impossible

Recently Tom Cruise, finally addressed the event and defended his actions in a chat with  Empire Magazine, adding that he has no regrets about any of it. He said what he said in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases in England at the time. According to Cruise, him reprimanding the crew has had the desired effect as filming of Mission Impossible 7 has continued flawlessly since then compared to the numerous times it was delayed earlier due to the pandemic and members of the crew contracting COVID-19. 

On the work front, Tom Cruise is currently filming Mission Impossible 7 in England, scheduled for a 2022 release, and waiting for the release of Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to his 1986 film Top Gun. Top Gun: Maverick’s release has been delayed multiple times and is currently set to debut in theatres across the U.S. and Canada on November 19, 2021.