UPDATE: The Church of Scientology has reached out to Bustle, stating: "The accusations made in the film are entirely false and alleged without ever asking the Church." Tom Cruise is a passionate guy when it comes to interviews, after all, he jumped on Oprah's couch to profess his love for Katie Holmes. Yeah, that's... passion. Another topic Cruise is passionate about is Scientology. On March 29, the Scientology documentary, Going Clear , will premiere on HBO and will not only address the millions of questions we all have about Scientology, but also focus on the religion's interactions with the celebrity followers of the Church, Cruise being one of them. In the documentary, clips of Cruise speaking on Scientology are shown, but if you're anything like me, you're going to want to see the full video of the Tom Cruise Scientology interview.
The video itself was used when Cruise won Scientology's Freedom Medal of Valor award, being one of the most "dedicated Scientologists." It seems like in accordance of accepting the award, Cruise was given an opportunity to be interviewed on his thoughts about Scientology, and boy are they worth hearing. The video is from 2004 — and yeah, he still looks really good 10 years later — and shows a very zealous Cruise going on about the importance of Scientology in only a way Cruise could do (once again, I reference the Oprah moment).
Here is the video, in full, which will be featured on Going Clear on HBO.
I really really want to urge a complete nine minute dedication to the video, it's worth it, but in case that's not in the cards today, here's the TL;DR version:
Cruise talks about the privilege of being a Scientologist. He says that Scientologists are dedicated to changing peoples' lives, which is in turn, something he's dedicated himself to. He mentions that as a follower of the Church, if you were to drive past a car accident, you know you have to do something about it because Scientologists are the "only ones" that can help. There's a lot of references towards "It." A lot of, "You know it," "It's a blast," and it doesn't really seem like "it" is Scientology, but something much deeper within the religion.
Here are some standout quotes from the video for you to use however you so wish.
The Privilege
"I think it is a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist. And it’s something that you have to earn."
Being An Authority
"We are the authorities of getting people off drugs. We are the authorities of the mind. We are the authorities on approving conditions… We can the ability to rehabilitate criminals… We can bring peace, and unite cultures."
"It"
"Being a Scientologist, people are turning to you, so you BETTER KNOW IT. You better know it. And if you don’t, then go and learn it. "
Seeing Things
"If you’re a Scientologist, you see things the way they are… in all its glory, in all its complexity."
Vacation Time (My Favorite)
"I’d like to go on vacation. And go and romp and play, and just do that. That’s what I want it to be. There’s times I’d like to do that. But I can’t, because I know. I know."
Fighting The Fight
"It’s a blast. It really is fun. Because dammit, there is nothing better than going out there and fighting the fight."
Being Committed To Scientology
"You’re either in, or you’re out."
Images: Giphy
