So, um, this is the literal definition of the "sneaking a glance" emoji (👀). Katie Holmes just followed Thandie Newton on Instagram. Which is cool and great, but the timing is...interesting! In a tell-all interview with Vulture published this week, Newton got candid with reporter E. Alex Jung, sharing not only that Newton turned down Charlie's Angels over racist stereotyping but a "nightmare" story about working with Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible: 2. Cruise and Holmes were married for six years and share a daughter, Suri (who Cruise reportedly hasn't seen in years), but Holmes has never publicly opened up about their marriage or divorce.
The full Vulture quote is below, but in a nutshell: Cruise's then-wife Nicole Kidman got Newton a role in Mission Impossible: 2 (which came out in 2000); according to Newton, Cruise become super frustrated with Newton on set, to the point where a zit appeared on his face that "would [have taken] anyone else 48 hours to manifest." Later, Newton regretted not standing up for herself more, but says she expected an apology from Cruise; instead, Cruise called her to demand they shoot the scene again, she recalled. Newton explained that when she returned to set, she channeled an "alpha bitch," saying "I realized what he wanted." She says that Cruise "wasn't horrible," but just "a very dominant individual," and that was why Newton never wanted to do any more Mission Impossible films.
Two days later, Holmes started following Newton on Instagram, according to the Mail. So. There's that.
Holmes has only very obliquely talked about her six-year marriage to Tom—with whom she shares a daughter, Suri, although Tom and Suri reportedly haven't seen one another in years. Holmes and Cruise married in 2006, and in 2012 Holmes abruptly filed for divorce. “Katie’s primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter’s best interest," said her attorney at the time; the Los Angeles Times reported that Holmes had used a disposable cell to communicate with her team about the divorce, and hired three legal teams in three different states. Days later, she was awarded full custody.
Tom later admitted that Holmes' decision came about in part because of his religion. In a 2013 lawsuit against a media company who claimed Cruise had "abandoned" Suri, Cruise was asked if Holmes had divorced him "in part to protect Suri from Scientology." Cruise said there was "no need" to do so, but added: “Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.”
Anyway, here's Newton's full Vulture quote, which is, um, a lot?
I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries superhard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done. There was one time, we were doing this night scene, there were so many extras with pyrotechnics and you name it, and it was a scene with him and me on the balcony. And I don’t think it was a very well-written scene. I get angry with him. We’re frustrated with each other. And we’re looking out over Spain. It wasn’t going well. And John Woo, bless him, wasn’t there. He was downstairs looking at everything on a monitor. And John had made a decision at the beginning of the movie, unbeknownst certainly to me, that he didn’t speak English. Which I think was very helpful to him, but it was extremely unhelpful to the rest of us. So this scene was happening, and Tom was not happy with what I was doing because I had the shittiest lines.
And he gets so frustrated with having to try and explain that he goes, “Let me just — let’s just go do it. Let’s just rehearse on-camera.” So we rehearsed and they recorded it, and then he goes, “I’ll be you. You be me.” So we filmed the entire scene with me being him — because, believe me, I knew the lines by then — and him playing me. And it was the most unhelpful … I can’t think of anything less revealing. It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame. And bless him. And I really do mean bless him, because he was trying his damnedest.
I remember at the beginning of the night, seeing this slight red mark on his nose, and by the end of the night, I kid you not — this is how his metabolism is so fierce — he had a big whitehead where that red dot was. It would take anyone else 48 hours to manifest a zit. I saw it growing, and it was like the zit was me, just getting bigger and bigger. I remember calling Jonathan Demme. I described the night to him: “A nightmare.” As I was describing it, it was clear that I thought I was the big fucking problem. And Jonathan was like, “Thandie, shame on you for not backing yourself.” He was really sweet. And then Tom called and I thought, Oh, this is it. The apology. No, he was just like, “We’re going to reshoot this next week.” I’m like, “Way brilliant.” And the next time we shot it, I went in there and I just basically manifested all the — because I realized what he wanted. He just wanted this alpha bitch. And I did as best as I could. It’s not the best way to get the best work out of someone.
Anyway, if you need me, I'll just be over here all: 👀
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
