Tom Cruise , introduced to the Church of Scientology in the late 1980s by his first wife, actress Mimi Rogers , quickly became one of its most prominent and devout members. He publicly credited the Church with a deeply personal achievement: curing his dyslexia , a struggle that had plagued him since childhood and made studying and reading scripts a major difficulty.
The Search for Stability That Fueled His Devotion
However, the reason for his rapid ascent within the organization ran deeper than a professed cure. Having grown up poor, unstable, and having suffered abuse from his father, Cruise was fundamentally searching for a sense of stability and control . Scientology, with its highly structured system, intensive courses, and promise of radical self-improvement and control over one’s life, perfectly meets this profound, underlying need.
The Explosive Wedge in His ‘Marriage of the Century’
This intense devotion was widely cited as the ultimate cause of the surprising breakup of his high-profile, 11-year marriage to actress Nicole Kidman (1990-2001). The Australian actress was reported never as invested in the religion as Cruise was.
According to several former senior members of the Church, Kidman began to be viewed as a “threat” because she was no longer interested in participating in the religion’s practices. These reports allege that the Church of Scientology began to interfere deeply in the couple’s personal life. The subsequent divorce not only ended one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples but also cemented the Church as a central, irreplaceable factor, a profound influence that would go on to shape every major decision in Tom Cruise’s life and all his subsequent personal relationships.