Tom Cruise's Daughter Reveals Experience With The Church Of Scientology
Actor Tom Cruise's daughter Isabella Cruise has spoken out about her time with Scientology, specifically about her internship with the organization's London-based center.
In an email sent out to Scientology members and shared by journalist Tony Ortega's website The Underground Bunker, Isabella, the adopted daughter of Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, described her time interning to become an auditor and learning to use an E-meter.
According to Gizmodo, an E-meter is a piece of technology that Scientologists claim can measure the "galvanic skin response of a person." It's supposed to help Scientologists decide if the person they're testing has been "relieved from spiritual impediment of past experiences," and is thus ready to continue on their journey with the organization. Gizmodo, which compared the machine to a "lie detector ... shrouded in mystery and faux science," notes that the auditors interpret the results "as he so chooses."
But while Gizmodo criticized E-meters, Isabella Cruise has apparently found them to be effective and, according to her email — which included a photo of herself — her use of the technology helped quell any doubts she'd had. "Suddenly everything began to make sense. My metering... Wow. It became clear I actually knew my metering. Even to the point of having any slight doubt on a read," the 26-year-old wrote. She continued, "The tech that I felt was wavering and on the verge of disappearing from my mind became part of me. I know it. Like really know it to the point that it's just there man. I never thought I could know something like that."
Regarding her experience, Isabella shared, "I became that annoying girl in the org who would just talk endlessly about how incredible training is and how phenomenal the internship is. I'm sure a few people couldn't deal just like I couldn't. But I won't stop with that because now I KNOW." She went on about how all Scientologists "need to do this," noting that it's "hard work" and may result in "a few [meltdowns]" but that it's "worth everything."
She stated, "The internship, for me, is what made me a Scientologist. I don't just believe the tech works now. I know without any doubt that it does."
Isabella then thanked her famous father, Tom Cruise, for "everything." She also noted her appreciation to "COB" and "LRH," presumably Chairman of the Board David Miscavige and the organization's founder L. Ron Hubbard, respectively.
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Tony Ortega, who published the email on his site, spoke with The Daily Beast about the email, sharing that the message included "a link that will take [Scientology members] to find more information about getting trained as an auditor." Regarding Isabella's claims that the internship was difficult, Ortega explained, "She was being observed questioning somebody else. That's why she's talking about how hard it was to get through. Because if you do anything wrong, you've got to go back and do that whole exercise all over again. And it's brutal. It's physically brutal, it's mentally brutal—they will spend hours and hours." He added, "I remember I talked to one guy, he spent weeks on a process just learning to turn the e-meter on. This is how obsessive they are."
He continued, "It's really demanding, but she's saying this has changed her life—but then, she has to say that. She wants to convince you that this expensive internship she just went through was worth it (and it would be something like 14 or 15,000 pounds [about $18,500 to $19,800] just for that internship)."
Ortega added that for Isabella to allow Scientology to use her picture and testimonial to send out to others when many celebs don't want the attention may mean that she's made "a conscious decision" to let others know "she's really down with this stuff."
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In 2016, it was rumored that Isabella may have been leaving Scientology after she married a non-Scientologist and allegedly reconnected with her mother, actress Nicole Kidman, who is not a member of Scientology, as noted by Hollywood Life. But apparently, that was just gossip, since Isabella has since more deeply connected herself with Scientology.
In 2018, Kidman told Who magazine about her adopted children, Isabella and Connor Cruise, "They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it's my job to love them."
While we don't doubt that Kidman loves the kids she had with Cruise, we have to wonder just how she feels about Isabella's strong ties to Scientology, especially now that she can reportedly audit others.