The former high-ranking church member revealed how the controversial religious organization showered its’ poster child Cruise with their services and staff to help him overcome his divorce from Nicole Kidman, and subsequent introduction to Cruz.
“Cruise started making some noises about getting some help [from the Church of Scientology, and] Miscavige had me drop me everything,” Rathbun told the Channel 4 expose, which provided a rare insider view of the controversial religion from those who have renounced their membership.
According to Rathbun, Cruise “became number one priority” and he soon found himself catering to the Top Gun star’s every emotional need — providing the best Scientology could offer.
“I helped him on his divorce from Nicole and then I was auditing him and I was helping him get Penelope auditing,” recounted the former top lieutenant. “I was helping him in all aspects of his life.”
Scientologists claim the process of auditing clears negative influences in order to heighten spiritual awareness and access untapped potential.
Everything was designed to obligate Cruise to the Church and its’ head honcho Miscavige, who would later be the actor’s best man at his wedding to Katie Holmes.
“Once Miscaviage was able to hobnob with Cruise again, he was done with me,” Rathbun said.
“He [Miscaviage] actually tried to denigrate me a little bit in Tom’s eyes. I was his biggest opinion leader having salvaged his marriage, his kids, his family life — even his career. It was crazy. Miscavige had to try and undermine me in front of Cruise.”
Cruise and Cruz, once consider Hollywood’s most influential power couple, split in 2004 after three years together. He later remarried while the Spanish actress, 39, is now pregnant for a second time and married to Javier Bardem.
In an eyebrow-raising 2012 Vanity Fair expose, investigative journalist Maureen Orth reported that the reason for the Cruise-Cruz split was because the Oscar-winning actress would not give up her Buddhist beliefs and adapt to the Church of Scientology.
Miscavige, Orth reported, referred to Cruz as “dilettante” when he discovered she wouldn’t quit her religion.
According to the Church, Rathbun is “an anti-Scientologist, desperate and delusional.”
It was said he was “expelled from the Church for violating Scripture” and has “a history of malfeasance.”
But his claims about Cruise’s leading a life in a gilded cage are consistent with other ex-Scientologists.
Amy Scobee, a former high-ranking Church executive who fulfilled various management positions — including at the Celebrity Centre sector — during 27 years in the Church, previously detailed how she and other influential staffers were assembled to establish Cruise’s seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom $35 million home with Kidman and their children, Isabella and Connor, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
It was finished with the best staff Scientology dollars could engage, she said.
“It was a confidential project that I was not allowed to discuss with any other staff member… it was being run directly by Miscavige and his wife,” Scobee — who “blew” the organization (Scientology speak for an unauthorized departure) in 2005 — previously told this author.
“To that effect, it was a privilege: an honor to set him and Nicole up. But the clear goal was to ensure that he was set up with Scientologists only around him. Now that I am out of the Church, I have discovered that it is against the law, because the Church was using members to give him special favors. Members working for him, directly. Putting together his sound theater, cooking, various work.”
As a result of the extravagance bestowed upon him, Scobee said Cruise turned over multiple facets of his life to the Church — including, according to Rathbun, his private confessions.
“I audited a number of intensives of confessionals on Tom Cruise from July through November 2001,” Rathbun, who left the Church in 2004 and is now an independent Scientologist, wrote on his popular blog three years ago. “By order of Miscavige, many of those sessions were secretly recorded by a well-concealed video camera and voice recorder system built into the VIP auditing room at Celebrity Center International.”
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Battle of the cheekbones! Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp lend their suave star power to producer Jerry Buckheimer's Walk Of Fame ceremony
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They are two of Hollywood's most famous and handsome leading men.
And on Monday, Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise joined forces to support heavyweight producer Jerry Bruckheimer as he received his Hollywood star on the Walk Of Fame.
The heart-throb stars, both 50, looked far younger than their years as they posed with the 67-year-old mogul.
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Star studded: Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise stepped out in Hollywood in a show of support for producer Jerry Bruckheimer as he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday
Depp sported a brown pin-striped three piece suit and grey shirt with his favourite blue sunglasses.
The Oscar-nominated star gave a speech at the ceremony honouring the producer who has found success as the man behind films including Beverly Hills Cop, Gone in 60 Seconds and National Treasure.
Depp has worked with the producer on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise along with forthcoming film The Lone Ranger.
There's some cheekbones! Depp and Cruise show off their chiselled good looks at the star-studded ceremony
Round of applause: Cruise shows his appreciation for the uber producer at Monday's ceremony
Suited and booted: Depp looked smart in a brown suit with waistcoat and matching shoes as he strolled down Hollywood Boulevard for the ceremony
He happily posed alongside Cruise who looked more casual in a navy blue sweater, shirt and jeans and enthusiastically applauded the speeches at the open air event.
Cruise, who worked with Bruckheimer on Top Gun and Days of Thunder arrived with his arm wrapped round a mystery blonde woman.
The good looking stars were joined by actors Jon Voight, and Martin Lawrence, along with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Pirates director Gore Verbinski.
Tribute: Depp made a speech at the ceremony honouring the heavyweight producer
Joker in the pack: Bruckheimer seemed to find Depp's speech a little humorous
A show of hands: Depp and Bruckheimer have worked together on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
It's in the genes: Although both stars are 50-years-old, they both looked years younger on Monday
Isla Fisher, who worked with Bruckheimer in 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, arrived sporting a black lace long sleeved top and apricot patterned skirt.
The TV world was also represented, with former CSI star Marg Helgenberger turning up sporting a pretty blue sundress and blue heels.
Bruckheimer is executive producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation along with the Miami and New York strands of the show.
It's a mystery: Cruise arrived at the ceremony with his arm wrapped around a mystery blonde woman
Smart but casual: Cruise sported a navy blue sweater, white shirt and jeans for the ceremony
Red alert: Isla Fisher sported a black top and peach coloured patterned skirt
TV and film show: Former CSI star Marg Helgenberger worked with Bruckheimer on the hit TV show
And although the producer has not worked with Cruise since Days of Thunder in 1990, he is interested in shooting a sequel to cult classic Top Gun.
'We’re at a point right now where everybody wants to make it,' Bruckheimer said recently. 'For a while it was Tom was excited about it but the studio didn’t want to commit or the studio was excited and Tom didn’t want to do it.
'And that’s been going on for 30 years. And now we’re at a point where the studio is excited and Tom is excited.
'A lot of that has to do with Tony Scott‘s vision,' Bruckheimer added about the late director who helmed the original. 'He had a really exciting vision and he got everybody excited about it. That enthusiasm has carried forward.'
Stars of the show: Jerry was supported by actors Martin Lawrence, Depp, Cruise and Disney CEO Bob Iger
Show of success: Jon Voight and Gore Verbinski joined the group of men posing with Jerry
Look at that: Depp and Cruise had a chat at the ceremony, while Bruckheimer seemed uninterested
Accolade: The successful producer happily posed with his Walk of Fame star
Meanwhile, he will be hoping for box office success for the big budget western The Lone Ranger starring Armie Hammer in the titular role and Depp as Tonto.
Depp has likened his latest character to his cockney Pirates of the Caribbean alter ego so beloved by fans.
'What I like about Tonto, what I feel good about Tonto is that I feel like he’s - you know when I came up with Captain Jack I thought "Okay I’ve really arrived at something different here," and Tonto feels right on par with Captain Jack, it feels like another Captain Jack to me,' he told Collider.
Support in the sunshine: Actor and comic Lawrence wore a striped T-shirt and black baseball cap for the outdoor event
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2347689/Tom-Cruise-Johnny-Depp-lend-suave-star-power-producer-Jerry-Buckheimers-Walk-Of-Fame-ceremony.html#ixzz2XC8cMDZn
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'He's too expensive': Why Will Smith won't star in Independence Day 2
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Pricey: Will Smith won't star in Independence Day 2
Will Smith won't be in Independence Day 2 because he's 'too expensive'.
The After Earth actor was one of the lead stars in the 1996 original movie - which grossed a massive $817 million worldwide - but he is unlikely to reprise his role in the follow-up film, which is due for release in 2015.
Director Roland Emmerich told the New York Daily News: 'Will Smith cannot come back because he's too expensive.'
As well as being too pricey for the flick's budget, Emmerich insists the A-list star is too big a name for his movie - in which he plans to cast mostly unknown actors.
He explained: 'But he'd also be too much of a marquee name. It would be too much. We have like maybe half of the people that you know would know from the first film [in the script] and the other half people who are new.'
Since finding fame through his TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and movies such as the alien invasion blockbuster, Smith has become one of Hollywood's elite stars and regularly commands $20 million for movie roles.
Although Emmerich has ruled out Smith for a role in the movie, it's thought his 'Independence Day' co-stars Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum may appear in the sequel.
20th Century Fox recently confirmed the film's release for July 3, 2015 - 19 years after the first film.
Hit film: The action star in the 1996 original
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2347598/Will-Smith-wont-star-Independence-Day-2-Hes-expensive.html#ixzz2XAqg3prF
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I work as a location scout for film and the occasional TV show.
Apparently, this is a “cool” job. Specifically, I am tasked with finding and securing the filming locations for whatever project I happen to be working on. Then, once all the locations are chosen, I deal with any and all logistics of actually filming at said location.
Some things I have to worry about: city permits, where to park all of the equipment trucks, where the crew will eat/go to the bathroom/park their cars, angry neighbors, interfacing with the police and anything else no other department wants to deal with.
Mine is the first department to show up on set and the last to leave everyday.
Mostly, I know it’s a really fun and interesting job, but I also know that I often have to be at work well before sunrise so… it’s hard to always maintain perspective.
Every once in a while though, something so absurd happens at work and I am reminded, this job is special. Case in point, a few years ago I was looking for a catering space for a HUGE scene we were going to be doing in Times Square. We needed space for our enormous crew and 500 extras to get ready and eat lunch. This is not an easy thing to find and I had been looking for it for a couple weeks so, I was getting a little desperate.
I remembered that the Scientology Center had a big auditorium (you know these kinds of things after doing this kind of work for a while), so I decided to swing by on the off chance they’d let us rent it out for the day. I put on my best “I don’t think your religion is a ridiculous cult” smile and walked up to the nice lady at the reception desk. I explained what I was looking for, and she told me she didn’t think they had anything like that.
I knew she was wrong, but I didn’t want to argue so I said OK and asked if I could use the restroom. She pointed me to it and off I went. The bathroom happened to be across the hall from the elevator and before I knew it I had gotten into the elevator and push the button for the top floor. I don’t really know what my plan was once I found the auditorium.
If they were so unwilling to entertain the idea of renting space to me that they wouldn’t even admit they had it, what did I think was going to happen once I found it?
These were the kinds of thoughts I wasn’t having that day. All I could think was I MUST find the space. I got off the elevator and started wandering around the hallways looking for the auditorium. When I didn’t find it on that floor I went to the next floor down and repeated the routine. On about the 5th floor I heard two dudes approaching.
I tried to duck into the closest door, but it was of course locked, and I was discovered frantically yanking on the door-knob as the two suits came upon me.
“Can we help you?” The older suit asked me skeptically.
“I’m just looking for the auditorium!” I replied brightly straightening up and trying not to look like a total sketchball.
The younger suit started to tell me where it was but the older suit put up his hand to stop him and asked me: “Why do you need to know where the auditorium is?”
At this point I knew the jig was up and I just kind of stared at my feet and said, “Weeeeell…” The older suit gestured towards the elevator and told me I was going to have to leave the building immediately.
I sheepishly shuffled my way onto the elevator feeling defeated. As I walked by the reception desk the “nice lady” I’d initially spoken to threw me some pretty epic shade and muttered, “I hear you got lost?”
How she already knew that I had been caught wandering the halls not 5 minutes earlier I will never know, but it scared the shit out of me and affirmed all the creepy thoughts I’d ever had about Scientology. You’d think this incident would have taught me to ease up on the trespassing at work, but about a year later I found myself (illegally) on Westpoint campus being interrogated by men with guns after I got my Prius stuck in some mud.
We’ll save that story for another time, though.
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