Tom Cruise is once again the man of the moment. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hits theaters very soon, with the latest spy caper somehow once again upping the ante on the death-defying stunts he brings to the screen. The actor is so beloved and presents such a nice public figure, in fact, that it’s often easy to overlook the whole Scientology thing as a weird quirk.
After all, his personal beliefs are his alone, and many top celebrities wholeheartedly believe some seriously weird stuff. But then occasionally, Cruise’s vast iceberg of Scientological strangeness peeks over the surface.
Greg Tarzan Davis, who worked with Cruise on Top Gun: Maverick and Dead Reckoning Part One spoke to ET about working with the star. During the interview, he was asked what was the most important thing Cruise had taught him:
“Accepting that anything that happens to me is the result of what I have done. Whether it’s good or bad, I need to accept responsibility for it. If it’s good, learn how to keep going. If it’s bad, learn from it and do better.”
This is 100% Scientology, and sounds suspiciously like L. Ron Hubbard’s “Overt-Motivator Sequence,” which (to vastly simplify things) is essentially a reworking of karma.
Scientology uses this philosophy as a way of gaining control over people, as anything bad in their lives can be blamed not only on things they’ve actively done, but anything they’ve done in past lives they have no awareness of. Naturally, the fix for that is a whole lot of very expensive auditing. And once you’re holding that E-meter and spilling your most personal secrets on tape, the squeeze is on.
So watch out Davis! Cruise may be apparently offering some sensible life advice, but this is the worm on the hook that’ll drag you into a cult. Chomp down on this way of thinking and you’ll be up to your ears in ancient clams, galactic warlords, and alien souls before you know it!