Former Scientologist Leah Remini praises Thandie Newton for revealing her ‘nightmare’ working with Tom Cruise: ‘That takes huge balls’
- Leah Remini abruptly left the Church of Scientology after 30 years in July 2013
- She has spoken out in support of British actress Thandie Newton who detailed a difficult working relationship with Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible II in 2000
- Leah, 50 attended Tom’s 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes where she claims she was urged to persuade pal Jennifer Lopez to join the Church of Scientology
Thandie Newton is finding herself with quite a few celebrity supporters after she detailed her ‘nightmare’ of working with a ‘really stressed’ Tom Cruise on the set of their action flick Mission Impossible II back in 2000.
First, Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes promptly began following Thandie, 47, on Instagram, and now, actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini is praising the English star for speaking out.
‘That takes huge balls to do what she did, and if more people speak out in that way, and be brave enough to do so, I think we might get somewhere,’ Leah, 50, said in a recent podcast, Scientology: Fair Game, The Daily Beast reports.
Troublemaker: Former Scientologist Leah Remini praises Thandie Newton for revealing her ‘nightmare’ working with Tom Cruise saying ‘that takes huge balls’
‘Tom has gotten away with being this ‘nice guy,’ because that’s what Scientology policy says – to create good PR in the world and make those ‘good actions’ known. But if you actually look at his actions, they’re not consistent.’
Leah added that she was once punished for questioning why the 58-year-old Top Gun movie star was ‘the poster child’ of the religion, saying that while he is ‘considered a messiah in Scientology,’ Tom is not ‘this super-nice guy’ in real-life, the actress claims.
Thandie played Tom’s character Ethan Hunt’s love interest Nyah Nordoff‑Hall in the movie two decades ago, and in an interview with Vulture she has shed light on feeling ‘terrified and insecure’ on-set of the movie.
All smiles: Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton in 2000 for the Mission Impossible II premiere in London
Stressful sitch: Thandie detailing her unhappy time working with megastar Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible II
In an anecdote about filming a scene in Spain, the Westworld actress boldly admitted: ‘I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot.’
Thandie detailed how they struggled with filming a scene in Spain, in which they battled top get the perfect take of the – as she described – poorly-written scene. She explained: ‘So this scene was happening, and Tom was not happy with what I was doing because I had the s**ttiest lines, and he gets so frustrated’.
After Tom attempted to align and improve the scene by getting them each to switch roles to practice, Thandie confessed the method made her suffer more.
Instant follow! Tom’s ex-wife Katie Holmes (pictured above in 2011) began following Thandie Newton on Instagram following her comments on the actor
She went on: ‘It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame. And bless him. And I really do mean bless him, because he was trying his damnedest… He wasn’t horrible. It was just — he was really stressed’.
Thandie revealed she then called late director Jonathan Demme, who she worked with on Beloved and The Truth About Charlie, to seek advice after which he scolded her for not ‘backing herself’ and made her realise Tom wanted a ‘apha b***h’.
She also revealed that Tom’s then-wife Nicole Kidman scooped her the role.
Meanwhile, Leah Remini – who abruptly left the Church of Scientology after 30 years in July 2013, has previously spoken out against Tom.
She previously claimed that she was once encouraged to recruit her BFF Jennifer Lopez at Tom and Katie Holmes’ wedding in 2006.