Tom Cruise’ former manager has alleged the actor had an explosive temper that she fell victim to during the early years of his Hollywood career when she represented him.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Eileen Berlin, now 86, detailed incidents she witnessed when the actor was trying to get a foothold in the film industry at the age of 18. During one of his tantrums, Berlin alleged that he even threw an album at her which she had presented him as a birthday gift.
“Tommy [how Berlin referred to Cruise] had a terrible temper. He harbored a lot of anger at his natural father. He was moody and would get angry in a snap of your fingers. It was like something was smoldering and it would boil up and explode,” Berlin told the British daily.
The industry veteran explained she put it down to “his insecurity.”
“I presented him with an album with all his publicity articles from teen magazines for his 19th birthday. He screamed, ‘I don’t want to be in the teen mags’. He had told me he considered himself an adult, not a teen idol. He threw the album hard at me and it hit me on the cheek,” Berlin added.
Cruise, who has yet to respond to these allegations, is one of the biggest stars in the world, having built a career for himself with hit films such as ‘Top Gun’, ‘Days of Thunder’, ‘Jerry Maguire’ and the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise.
Over a career spanning four decades, Cruise has worked with all the big filmmakers, from Steven Spielberg to Stanley Kubrick, with his ‘Mission: Impossible’ series listed as one of the most successful film franchises of all time, landing at number 25 on the list, which is led by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The 59-year-old actor is also awaiting the release of three films, the first being ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, out this year, followed by ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ and ‘8’, which have been extensively filmed in Abu Dhabi and are set to release in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Berlin’s allegations isn’t the first time someone from Hollywood has pointed a finger at Cruise, citing difficulties in working with him. In 2006, Paramount Pictures cut ties with Cruise, with then CEO Sumner Redstone telling The Wall Street Journal that the actor’s “controversial behavior” over advocating for Scientology and denouncing the use of antidepressant drugs were the cause for the move. However, Paramount Pictures and Cruise have since mended fences with the production house backing ‘Maverick’ and the upcoming ‘MI’ films.
Berlin was reportedly Cruise’s first manager until shortly after the release of ‘Top Gun’ in 1986, before he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his Hollywood career.
This isn’t the only time Cruise’s behavior has been questioned. In December 2020, a recording was leaked online where the actor was caught on audio yelling at crew members on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ for breaking COVID-19 protocols during the film’s shoot in London.
“I am beyond your apologies,” Cruise is heard in the clip. “We are not shutting this [expletive] movie down. Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re [expletive] gone.”
