14 DAY TRIAL // In the ongoing case against a tabloid that claimed in 2012 Tom Cruise had abandoned his daughter Suri after Katie Holmes filed for divorce from him, a new excerpt from the actor’s deposition has emerged online – and it’s already getting the blood boiling in the veins of many military men.
TMZ obtained the court deposition and Cruise’s response to the question of why he’s been spending so little time with his daughter is bound to infuriate many, because he’s comparing shooting an action movie to serving a tour in Afghanistan.
No joke.
Granted, Cruise is trying to make an argument as to how difficult his training for a movie role is and how demanding the working condition but, still, from that to comparing himself to the good men and women out there fighting for their country is a giant leap that he should not have taken.
“That's what it feels like. And certainly on this last movie [“Edge of Tomorrow,” formerly “All You Need Is Kill”], it was brutal. It was brutal,” Tom says.
Because of that, because he puts in a lot of time and effort into preparing for a role, which then goes on to consume most of his time and energy, Tom had to replace actual visits to Suri with phone calls and emails, he explains.
“There is difficult physical stamina and preparation. Sometimes I've spent months, a year, and sometimes two years preparing for a single film,” he continues.
Not even an Olympic athlete is as prepared as he is when he is on set. “A sprinter for the Olympics, they only have to run two races a day. When I'm shooting, I could potentially have to run 30, 40 races a day, day after day,” the actor says.
As you can imagine, these two comparisons – but particularly the one to soldiers serving in Afghanistan – have prompted some very virulent reactions online. No one is saying being an action star is easy, especially when you’re like Cruise and you insist on doing your own stunts but, clearly, he’s never facing the very real danger of dying at every step he takes like a soldier does.
In the same deposition, Cruise also talks about how he hasn’t flown commercial in years because he always travels by private jet. He’s always on a tight schedule and he wouldn’t be able to honor his commitments otherwise.