Tom Cruise found himself in an awkward spotlight this week - not for a stunt, but for a question that hit closer to home.
While walking the red carpet at the Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning premiere in New York City, the 62-year-old action star was asked by an E! News reporter about his plans for the forthcoming Father’s Day.
“Father’s Day is just around the corner,” the reporter began. “What would an ideal Father’s Day look like for you?”
Caught off guard by the question, Cruise paused and glanced off to the side before mumbling, “You know…” He then trailed off in silence, shaking his head and staring into the distance.
Eventually, he composed himself and said: “Just having fun, man. Making movies, big adventures, having a great time.”
Notably, Cruise made no mention of any of his three children: Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30, whom he adopted with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, or his youngest daughter, Suri, 19, whom he shares with ex-wife Katie Holmes.
The moment immediately caught fire online, with YouTube users slamming the exchange. “Seeing the daughter he has abandoned for a decade perhaps???” one user commented. Another wrote, “Making movies? That’s definitely not a Dad activity. His loss.”
“What about being a parent, Tom? There was a time when that was important to you. Sad for this man,” a third slammed.
Others, however, turned their criticism toward the journalist, with one calling it a “naughty final question,” adding, “I’d never give her another interview.”
Cruise has been estranged from Suri since his 2012 divorce from Holmes.
While he reportedly remains close with Bella and Connor, who were adopted during his marriage to Kidman, Suri has lived full-time with Holmes in New York City and appears to have distanced herself from her father.
In June 2024, Suri graduated from LaGuardia High School and made headlines by debuting her new name in the ceremony program: Suri Noelle - Noelle being Holmes’ middle name.
She is now attending Carnegie Mellon University as a freshman.
Holmes has remained fiercely protective of her daughter, occasionally speaking out to correct false narratives.
In December 2024, she shut down speculation that Suri was receiving money from a Cruise-funded trust. “I don’t want a target on my child’s back,” she wrote in an Instagram comment. “It’s dangerous," cited by PEOPLE.
And in 2019, the Dawson’s Creek alum reflected on raising Suri in an interview with Elle UK, saying the two “kind of grew up together,” per ABC News.
Meanwhile, Cruise has continued to center his public persona around filmmaking.
During his latest press tour, he’s also made headlines for his rumoured relationship with Ballerina star Ana de Armas. Speaking to Extra, Cruise praised the actress as “very, very talented, great dramatic actress, comedic, tremendous ability, learns quickly.”
De Armas echoed the excitement during a Good Morning America interview, saying, “It’s so much fun. We’re definitely working on a lot of things. It’s not just one, but a few projects. With [directors] Doug Liman and Christopher McQuarrie and, of course, Tom. And I’m so excited.”