Whenever there is an article about Tom Cruise, it makes a point about
his strong work ethic.

I know he’s into Scientology, but is that the reason behind his
attitude to work, or is it something else?

I’d like to know about the philosophy behind working 12+ hour days
when he is worth so many millions.

Tom Cruise doesn't usually go too in-depth when talking about his
involvement with Scientology, so it's hard to find out how much of his
work ethic comes from that.  In interviews he is never too specific
when it comes to explaining the philosophy behind work ethic.

As stated in this article, Scientology has an "elaborate and lengthy
'Bridge to Total Freedom,' a journey that requires a strong work ethic
and dedication":
http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/scien296.html

An article at Rolling Stone states...:

"If anyone has a good theory about the source of Cruise's steely
determination, it's [Nicole] Kidman. ...'I think the self-confidence
comes from inside him,' she says. 'It's always been with him. When you
talk to his mother, she says he's been like that since he was two
years old. Tom was raised by women, by his mother and his sisters,
under very difficult circumstances. And I think when you have that
loving support group, it really grounds you. I think it made Tom
confident enough to handle anything.'"

"Others say some of Cruise's focus and intensity come from his
involvement in Scientology. ...  Kidman has also been involved since
she met Cruise. ... Adherents like Cruise say Scientology sharpens
their focus and helps them gain more control over their lives."

The above sentences come from this page:
http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:oO0FFgIUpRkC:www.rollingstone.com/mv_news/feature.asp
Note: this is a cached version of the page.  It appears that the
actual page is not currently available.  A copy of the article is also
at:
http://www.pinkpear.net/Interviews/rollingstone3.htm

Additionally, here are some other applicable quotes:

"It's something that has helped me to be able to live the kind of life
that I'm living and work hard being the kind of person that I want to
be." Cruise on the Church of Scientology.

"I don't like dragging things on or having a lot of unfinished
projects sitting around. That drives me insane." Cruise on his work
ethic.

The above two quotes appear at:
http://www.circuit-empire.com.lb/Mguide109Profile.asp

I wish I could pinpoint more specific information, but all of it seems
to be rather vague, as vague as the inner workings of Scientology.

Some related links:

Scientology Official Home Page:
http://www.scientology.org/

Operation Clambake - The Inner Secrets Of Scientology (a site critical
of Scientology -- the Scientology people have repeatedly tried closing
it down):
http://www.xenu.net/

I hope this info is helpful.  If you would like for me to clarify my
answer, just let me know.

leep-ga


search terms used:
"tom cruise" "work ethic"
Scientology "work ethic" "tom cruise"
Scientology "work ethic"
"tom cruise" work philosophy

---

Request for Answer Clarification by markabe-ga on 08 Oct 2002 22:55 PDT

I also wish you could pinpoint more specific information, but I do
understand that Scientology is not so easy to research.

I would settle for some examples of cruise's work ethic in action.

---

Clarification of Answer by leep-ga on 08 Oct 2002 23:44 PDT

Hello again markabe!  Examples of his work ethic in action...

From an article about a Scottish actor who appears in Mission
Impossible 2:
"The experience of working with Cruise is not lost on [Dougray] Scott.
He was astonished at the work ethic Americans possess. Cruise, it
should be noted, insisted on doing his own stunts for the film
including hair-raising climbing scenes 2,000ft in the air.":
http://www.geocities.com/sylleeh/0101_high_life.htm

Cruise on working with Spielberg on Minority Report:
"We have the same work ethic. I don't need much sleep. (Like
Spielberg.) I'm usually there before the crew. Warming up, preparing
for the day.":
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/73591_cruise07.shtml

Director Cameron Crowe on Cruise:
"Some days I would worry for Tom but never because of anything he said
or did. He never missed a day, never had to go and think things over.
It sort of deepened his famous work ethic...He did dramatic scenes
about the time a lot of stuff was hitting the news with extras who all
knew what was going on in his life, nobody talked about it."
On top of that Cruise went straight into a gruelling schedule for
Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller Minority Report after finishing
Vanilla Sky.
"I was averaging three hours sleep on some nights," he says But I'm
not the kind of person who believes in making my problems other
people's problems. I'm not a complainer. No matter what has been
happening, I lead a very blessed life."

above paragraphs from:
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/lancashire/leisure/movies/interviews/intview-cruise.html

One actor "credits his drive and hard-work ethic to Tom Cruise. Brent
Allen has been impressed by Cruise's ability to research and play out
his roles to his fullest potential.":
http://www.onemodelplace.com/model_list.cfm?ID=5575

The producer of Far and Away had this to say about Cruise:
"'If Tom had to go to the bathroom while we were shooting, he'd RUN to
go take a pee,' says Grazer. 'Not walk. Run. Sprint! And if Tom Cruise
can run from his trailer to the set or run to the bathroom, it sets a
tone for everyone else. They realized how serious he was about
bringing this movie in on time.'
It's this manic work ethic -- can you imagine Jack Nicholson sprinting
to the urinal? -- that sets Cruise apart from his celebrity peers.
It's no wonder the guys on Days of Thunder nicknamed him Laserhead.
His gaze is all focus -- no irony, no sarcasm, no cynicism. Total
attention. As Grazer puts it: "It seems like all of this man's energy
comes out of his eyes. When I see him, I say, 'Oh, boy, it's the
Cruise Energy Force Field.'"

Above paragraphs from:
http://www.pinkpear.net/Interviews/rollingstone3.htm

I hope this additional information is useful!


leep-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by markabe-ga on 09 Oct 2002 01:08 PDT

Ah! Your very impressive clarifications reminded me of something, so
I'm going to push my luck, just a little. I read in a book this quote
by Dustin Hoffman about Tom Cruise's work ethic - about how he does
this, that and the other. The only thing I specifically remember from
it was the memorable phrase "he eats like an old fart".

Any idea about the full quote?

---

Clarification of Answer by leep-ga on 09 Oct 2002 01:47 PDT

Hello!  

I think the quote you are looking for is in this paragraph:

"Cruise could be engagingly wacky, once taking his mother sky-diving,
but he also gained a reputation for being obsessively methodical. He
kept forward-planning documents in a folder marked 'Battle Plans', and
Dustin Hoffman said of him: 'He gets up early, he goes home early, he
studies, he watches his diet like he's an old fart, and he doesn't
drink.'"
http://www.filmreview.com/s/filmreview/news_marriage.html


leep-ga

search strategy used:
Hoffman Cruise "old fart"

OK, so you couldn't find specific info on Scientology; that's
understandable. But the stuff on examples and the Hoffman quote - top
stuff.

Hat very much in the "off" position.

I have a little to contribute here...  An ex of mine worked at Cruise
Wagner, Tom Cruise's production company, when they were making Mission
Impossible, and talked a great deal about Tom's reputation for being
an amazingly hard and supportive worker.

To start with, workdays on feature films are commonly 12+ hours, no
mater who the actors are. It's just the nature of the beast.  You can
bet that any film you see was shot on that kind of schedule.  The
difference between Tom Cruise and many other actors/celebrities is
that most spend whatever time they're not actualy shooting holed up in
their trailers.  The vast majority of time on a set is spent setting
up and moving shots, not filming, and directors are very, very careful
about leaving a star standing around waiting or doing unnecessary work
like posing so lighting and camera settings can be prepared.  There is
a 'second team' of stand-ins and doubles on every set that does that
tedious (and tiring) work, so that the actors can come in only when
actual shooting is ready to start.

Tom Cruise, however, likes to be involved in the setup of shots, likes
to know exactly how they're going to work, and to rehearse them
thoroughly (rather than having a stand in do it) until everything is
just right.  As a specific example, in the MI scene where he drops
from the ceiling, he worked in the harness for hours getting it just
right... Most other actors would have had a double not only rehearse
but actualy shoot everything but the close-ups for a scene like that.

He is also known for sticking around for other people's close-ups. 
When there's a scene between two actors, they'll shoot a master shot
of both of them, and then close ups of each.  Usually, when you see a
close up (or 'over the shoulder') angle of actor A, actor B was
nowhere near the set when it was shot, and actor A was talking to a
piece of tape on a pole as an eyeline.  Tom Cruise, however, is known
for being there to act with the other actor even if he's not going to
be on camera.  That's very unusual, and I think demonstrates a focus
on the scene and the acting rather than on schedule, convenience, and
commerce.

I hope this gives you some additional insight into your question!

Best, Rebecca