Deconstructing Tom Cruise - Glosslip30 August 2009, 9:23 pm
Glosslip
Deconstructing Tom Cruise
Glosslip
For as long as I have been following the celebrity aspect of Scientology, there has been something I have been unable to put my finger on about Tom Cruise. On one hand, he is handsome, successful, charismatic and talented. Yet on the other hand, even his most exuberant proclamations of amorous devotion are met with a flurry of side-eyes and smirking skepticism. Even Tom Cruise must scratch his head wondering “what’s a guy gotta do to get some respect?”
But in spite of 25 years of building a career with many highs and very few lows, Tom still has yet to master the skill of connecting with his audience. Sure there are women (now much older) who grew up on his boyish good looks and sexy dance moves (Risky Business anyone?) this however has not translated into that inimitable quality that allows the audience to look into a performer’s soul and feel a sense of mutual connection – the human touch. Even the most glamorous couple in the world, Brangelina, have managed to give us a sense of who they are, however hypocritical and shallow it may be.
Before I became intimately aware of the bizarreness of Scientology, I’d often wonder why an actor of Tom Cruise’s caliber had never won an Academy Award, despite being nominated three times (Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, Born On The Fourth Of July.) Sure you can make comparisons to similarly acclaimed actors who’ve been snubbed, like Leo Decaprio, then again, Leo’s 12 years younger and hasn’t generated close to $5 billion in film revenue. In fact, Tom is the top-grossing actor of all time — AND STILL PEOPLE DON’T CONNECT with the top gun.
I’d been unable to identify whatever that unidentifiable quality that makes Tom Cruise seem so “off” until I read this insightful article at the Sydney Morning Herald. Check it out.
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Deconstructing Tom Cruise - Glosslip
