45. They Took His Side

Since the divorce, Cruise’s two adopted kids with Kidman, Isabella and Connor, have spent more and more time with their father. But they’ve also become more active in Scientology. Sadly, this came with a devastating side effect—as a result, they seem to have drifted further and further from Kidman.

46. He Drew Inspiration From His Own Loss

One of Cruise’s best performances was in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film Magnolia. In one scene, Cruise’s character has a complete breakdown—but it wasn’t acting. He went completely off-script for the brutal moment where he falls apart beside his dying father. He didn’t love the lines as written, so he channeled his own grief over the passing of his actual father 15 years earlier.

His scene was so moving that it even brought Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of his generation’s greatest actors, to the verge of tears.