Tom: Kate and I will have more children

LOS ANGELES, California—“We’ll have more children. I’m (the one) saying this. Kate is not here,” said Tom Cruise in a recent press con at the Four Seasons Hotel.

But don’t stop the presses yet — Suri, Tom’s youngest child, may have to wait awhile for her sibling. “Kate is working and we’re enjoying this time,” Tom said of his wife who’s appearing in the Broadway play, “All My Sons.”

He added: “It’s very precious. We don’t get this time back. That’s why when Suri was born, we really shut down everything for months.”

Tom, speaking to reporters to drum up publicity for his new film, “Valkyrie,” was quite game to talk about other issues as well. A lot is riding on the film, the second release of United Artists (UA) since he and Paula Wagner took over the film studio founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and other early Hollywood titans. “Lions for Lambs,” their first release, did not perform well at the box office. And Paula, Tom’s long-time producing partner, has left UA.

“Valkyrie,” based on a true story about Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, a World War II German officer who helped hatch a plot to kill Adolf Hitler, was scheduled for release during this awards season, then was moved to spring 2009, but now it’s back to its awards season release date.

Directed by Bryan Singer, “Valkyrie” also stars Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Carice van Houten and Thomas Kretschmann.

Maricel Pagulayan, a Filipina who contributed visual effects work to Bryan’s “Superman Returns” and “X2,” was tapped again by Singer to work her digital wizardry on “Valkyrie.” More about our kababayan in our next column.

Strong woman

Asked by a reporter how Katie is taking the criticism that the couple have been getting from some tabloids and blogs, Tom answered, “Kate is a very confident and strong woman. There’s an escalation of those things, obviously. It’s a confluence of events that occurred. Kate gets it. She is incredibly wise. But that kind of stuff— you go through it — it’s not pleasant. It’s not something that would make you go, ‘Oh boy, I’m really excited about this’ (laughter).”

“Yes, I was surprised,” the three-time Golden Globe award-winning actor confirmed how he reacted to this negative talk. “Then there are things where I went, ‘Hmm, I could have done better. I could have handled a couple of moments better.’” Tom may have been alluding to his infamous trampoline act on Oprah Winfrey’s couch and his public criticism of Brooke Shields’ use of anti-depressants. “Katie’s family is made up of incredible people. And certainly, my children are incredible. So that’s (the criticism) something that actually brought us — her entire family and my entire family — even closer.”

Tom seemed resigned over the paparazzi issue. “Some of the paparazzi shots of my daughter are incredible,” he quipped, laughing. “I’m happy to have the family that I have. People have been very good to us and to my daughter. They give us space. I’m not going to be critical of any of that stuff. We just live our life and I feel very fortunate.”

Hottest baby

As for newspapers and magazines ranking Suri as No. 1 in the list of “Hollywood’s hottest babies,” Tom chuckled one more time. “She doesn’t know that she’s number one … As a parent, you protect your children and you do everything that you can. But I’m not going to live in fear or have her be frightened of people. She’s a very open and warm child…”

On how he’s preparing Suri for the increasing onslaught of media attention, Tom explained, “Like I did with Bella and Connor, there’s a lot of communication about everything. I let them know that there’s that (negative) aspect of it (fame), but it’s also an incredible life.” Bella and Connor are his adopted kids with ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

“It came right back,” Tom said of his child-raising skills, honed with Bella and Connor, when Suri was born. “I’ve been around kids my whole life. But it’s different when they’re yours. I feel like I was a very helpful husband (laughter), and excited about it. ‘Movie-tired’ is different (from being tired as a parent). The level of exhaustion in the middle of the night is … you enjoy it so much … With Bella, I remember looking at any breath she took. I’ll never forget that first night with Bella. We laugh about it. Because I looked at Bella and said, ‘I think I kept you up more that first night.’ ”

Small pleasures

Prompted to share the small pleasures in the daily life of the Cruises, Tom recited them: “Family breakfast. Hanging out at dinner and watching movies and football. In the evening, coloring and reading books to Suri. We all love reading books to Suri. Kate is an artist on many levels. So there are lots of fun things. Always lots of arts and crafts. Just the pleasures of family getting together. Talking about the day — ‘How’s school? How’s the book you’re reading? Did you finish your homework?’”

Home right now is the Big Apple. “I’ve always had the apartment in New York,” he explained. “We’re based in New York while Kate is doing her play. We are wherever the movies or plays are. Wherever Kate is, I am.”

“He’s very charismatic, smart and sweet,” Tom answered when asked about Connor, who appears as the younger version of Will Smith in the latter’s drama, “Seven Pounds.” “He’s a good guy. All my children are. If he wants a role, Connor has to audition for it. Will (Smith) mentioned to him that there’s a role in that movie but he had to audition. So he went in and auditioned. He ended up getting the part…”

Timeless film

On “Valkyrie,” Tom explained why he believes the film will also appeal to today’s generation. “The story is timeless,” he said. “That’s why I felt it was important. Tales like this were told all the way back to Homer. The story is Homeric in its journey of oppression, suppression, conflict, integrity, friendship and thinking for the world. People can relate to the story today. Making the right choices is something that each of us face every day — ‘Which way am I going to go? What is it that I believe in?’”

Since Paula has left UA, will he be more active in running the film studio? “No,” he said. “If you look at the history of United Artists, when Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford started it, they weren’t running the day-to-day operations of the company. I’m an actor. Paula and I will still be making movies in the future. But we’re moving ahead. ‘Valkyrie’ is our latest film. We have projects in development that I’m very excited about. ‘The Champions’ is going to be a great film, hopefully, for United Artists. But I never did run the day-to-day operations of United Artists. Acting is a full-time job. There are people whom I trust to do their jobs and are excited about them.”

(Source: Inquirer.net, 4 December 2008)