The 7 Most Surprising Revelations from Tom Cruise's Deposition

Oblivion star addressed rumors that he had abandoned his daughter for the Church of Scientology and more

By Brandi Fowler Nov 10, 2013 5:40 PMTags
Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Suri CruiseBig Australia/Flynet

Tom Cruise's legal war against Bauer Media is raging on.

The Oblivion star's $50 million defamation case against the publisher stems from two stories printed in October 2012, which claimed that Cruise chose Scientology over his daughter Suri Cruise, following his split from ex-wife Katie Holmes.

In Cruise's deposition, obtained by E! News, the actor not only addressed those issues, but Holmes' involvement with the church and more.

Take a look at the seven most surprising revelations we uncovered from the document.

James Devaney/WireImage

1. Holmes practiced Scientology before and during her marriage to Cruise. But, according to the movie star, she ended her relationship with the church when they divorced. Cruise said he found it offensive when he was asked if Holmes left him to protect Suri from Scientology, adding, "there is no need to protect my daughter from religion."

2. Since Katie left the Church of Scientology, Tom said she has had no contact with Cruise's other two children, Connor and Isabella.

3. Suri appears to no longer be affiliated with the church either. Cruise also said it showed a lack of "respect and understanding for my religion," when he was asked if Suri still "practiced" Scientology, adding that a 7-year-old child's involvement in Scientology is different than that of an adult who "studies, learns and applies their knowledge" of the religion.

Sara Jaye Weiss/StartraksPhoto.com

4. Tom only saw Suri for about 10 days between June 18 and Thanksgiving in 2012. He attributed that to a "very brutal" schedule for a film he was shooting at the time in London--the upcoming thriller All You Need Is Kill

5. The actor only flies private planes for the most part. In the deposition, Tom said he has only flown commercially once in the last three or four years, when he took a trip from Dubai to Los Angeles. Even with private flights though, Cruise said it was "impossible" for him to fly to see his daughter in New York at that time.

6. Rather than Skype or Facetime when he is away, Suri and Tom talk over the phone. The actor admitted that wasn't a better subsitute than being with his daughter in person, but was something he has tried to perfect. "You have to work at it," Cruise said. "I've gotten very good at it. I tell wonderful stories and they like hearing it. I also find that, you know, Suri is a very happy child, and confident, and has a good sense of herself."

7. Tom shot back when lawyers tried to make comparisons between his parenting and that of his absentee father, saying, "My father didn't pay money. He didn't call." He added, "The fact that you would suggest that I was being like my father, it's the same thing my father did, and suggesting that that's something that I'm doing in terms of abandoning my children, I find that greatly offensive… My parents were divorced and I didn't see him."