A strange man (Tom Cruise: Unfairly treated by the media or not?)

Member Name: jesperado

Product:	Tom Cruise: Unfairly treated by the media or not?
Date:	19/01/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I think he should accept media interest as such a public figure

Disadvantages: Sometimes they go too far

There is something weird about Tom Cruise. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is something not quite right about the man. In interviews, he never seems natural. It is as if someone has asked him to play the part of 'Tom Cruise: the film star' in some kind of Truman show type ongoing movie. The next time you see him on TV, look at his eyes; they are a mix of complete soullessness and religious zeal which is quite creepy.

Saying that, I don't think he is as sinister as he is presented as being by the media. There is definitely something calculated about his life and it seems like a very well organised publicity generating machine. But I don't think he is as cold or unfeeling as people portray him as. To sustain the level of international success that he has enjoyed for so many years must require incredible drive and determination. It must also require sacrificing a large portion of your personal life to remain an accessible, box office hit. I think this is what Tom Cruise has done. In fact, I think he is probably so used to it that he sees photo-opportunities rather than enjoying social and personal events as most people would.

As for Scientology, there are obvious sinister and cultish aspects to that. But again, I do not think that Tom Cruise practices this religion with malice, rather it fits in perfectly with his determination to succeed.

As someone who lives his life in the public eye and is open about his links with such a controversial set of beliefs, Tom Cruise must accept that the media are going to be all over him. I don't think the 'closing ranks' of Scientology when is comes to dealing with the press does him any favours but I think that journalists are justified in trying to get to the truth of this organisation. I also think that Cruise should accept mocking from the papers with more humour than he often does as his inability to laugh at himself only creates more ridicule.

Summary: He needs to lighten up and not get so defensive