Leah Remini, who grew up in the Church of Scientology, made headlines when she left the organization in 2013 and equated it to a cult. She has been vocal in her criticism of Tom Cruise, who is hailed as the most important figure within the church.
Earlier this week, Tom Cruise was captured on audio tape yelling at crew members of latest Mission Impossible film with regard to a breach in Covid-19 safety protocols. The star threatened to fire members who would fail to adhere by the rules.
While many celebrities defended Cruise, ex-Scientologist and Emmy winner Leah Remini accused him of staging a publicity stunt. In a letter, Remini called Cruise “an abusive dictator just as he was taught by his guru David Miscavige,” the leader of the Church of Scientology.
“Tom does not care about the families of his crew; this is all for publicity,” Remini wrote. “Tom does not believe in family values. I mean, how anyone is falling for this is just mind-blowing. I would bet that Tom had this rant written for him and had his Scientology assistant record and release it. Hearing a rich actor with enormous power address his crew in this way is a sign of weakness and a deeply troubled person.”
Remini added, “Tom seems to think that Hollywood is incapable of making films without his help. Saying such a thing indicates the godlike figure Tom believes he is, and what he is told by Scientology. The reality is, anyone who is working in Hollywood today is working under strict Covid guidelines. Anyone who is working knows this. Tom Cruise is not dictating how films are being made, even if he seems to think so."
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In the leaked audio tape, Cruise said, “I’m on the phone with every fucking studio at night, insurance companies, producers and they’re looking at us and using us to make their movies. We are creating thousands of jobs, you motherfuckers. I don’t ever want to see it again. Ever! We are not shutting this fucking movie down! Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re fucking gone.”
According to a statement from a Church of Scientology member in response to Remini's letter, “Scientology has done more than any other religious institution in promoting COVID-19 prevention actions – throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Long before ‘stay at home’ directives, the Church took aggressive actions to prevent the spread of the virus. The Church’s leader acted well ahead of the curve. Remini is an unreliable source who attacks Scientology for publicity and money — as she herself has admitted.”
Tom Cruise with leader of Scientology David Miscavige Collected
Scientology, created by prolific science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, has long been accused of abusing, exploiting, and robbing its followers, including allegations of child abuse, human trafficking, separating families, illegal surveillance and others.
Earlier this week, George Clooney said regarding the tape that he could see where Cruise was coming from, but would have preferred a different tone.
Spencer MacDonald of entertainment union Bectu said to The Sun: "After a very difficult year for freelancers working in the industry, the last thing crews deserve is a multi-millionaire Hollywood star screaming abuse and threatening their jobs."
