As Tom Cruise attempts to move on from his split with Katie Holmes, alleged secrets from the actor's past are beginning to emerge.
In the October issue of Vanity Fair, special correspondent Maureen Orth claims that in 2004, Shelly Miscavige, wife of Scientology chief David Miscavige, was in charge of finding a suitable girlfriend for Cruise, who had recently split with his Vanilla Sky costar, Penelope Cruz. (The actor was married to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990. He tied the knot a second time with Nicole Kidman in 1990; they split in 2001 and have two children, Isabella, 19, and Connor, 17.)
According to Orth's sources, the organization began by seeking out actresses who were already Scientology members. The women were called in, told they were auditioning for a new movie, and then asked a series of questions including: "What do you think of Tom Cruise?"
Marc Headley, a Scientologist from age 7, claims he watched several actresses' audition tapes when he was head of Scientology's in-house studio. "It's not like you only have to please your husband — you have to toe the line for Scientology," Headley tells Orth. (Scientology representatives deny any search took place and dismissed the article's sources as disgruntled apostates.)
Orth claims Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian-born, London-raised actress, was selected to date Cruise from November 2004 until January 2005.
"In a month-long preparation in October 2004, she was audited every day, a process in which she told a high-ranking Scientology official her innermost secrets and every detail of her sex life," Orth writes. "Boniadi allegedly was told to lose her braces, her red highlights, and her boyfriend." One source says Boniadi signed a confidentiality agreement.
Boniadi, 32, first met Cruise, 50, in New York City in November 2004, according to Orth's sources. "That's when she first sensed that this was possibly going to be an arranged marriage," Orth writes. After dining at Nobu with Cruise and "an entourage of Scientology aides," they retreated to Trump Tower, where Cruise and his entourage had rented an entire floor. "The two spent that first night together but, according to several sources, they did not have sex," Orth says.
During that date, Cruise reportedly told Boniadi, "I've never felt this way before." The actress was then asked to sign a second confidentiality agreement, this one specifically about Cruise.
According to Orth, Boniadi did eventually fall in love with Cruise, albeit briefly. The actor's frequent public displays of affection his intense adoration became overwhelming, Orth claims. "I get more love from an extra than I get from you," Cruise reportedly complained to Boniadi.
At one point, Boniadi moved into Cruise's home and they shared a bedroom; she was also given a credit card issued in the name of Cruise's production company.
After an incident in which Boniadi asked David Miscavige to repeat himself, Cruise barely acknowledged her, according to Orth. (In Scientology, the ability to have one's communication "land" is vital, and asking its chief to restate his sentence is considered highly offensive.)
By the third week in January, Boniadi was asked to move into Scientology's Celebrity Centre. It was there that she was told the Rock of Ages star "wants someone with her own power — like Nicole." When Boniadi asked why Cruise would not break up with her in person, she was told he was not to be disturbed, Orth claims.
Boniadi was later sent to a Scientology center in Florida, where she reportedly broke down and told a pal about her relationship with Cruise. According to Orth's source, the pal reported Boniadi, and her punishment for violating her confidentiality agreement included scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush, cleaning bathroom tiles with acid and digging ditches in the middle of the night. She was later tasked with selling Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics on street corners.
A Scientology spokesperson denied Orth's source's claim, telling Vanity Fair: "The Church does not punish people, especially in [that] manner."
Cruise began dating Dawson's Creek star Holmes, 33, in early 2005. They welcomed a daughter, Suri, in April 2006 and tied the knot seven months later in Italy. In June 2012, Holmes reportedly blindsided Cruise when she filed for divorce. The two quickly reached a settlement, with Holmes receiving primary legal and physical custody of their daughter. The mother-daughter duo currently live together in New York City.
