Did Tom Cruise Try To Date Jennifer Garner? Inside The Rumors
Tom Cruise's relationship with Katie Holmes was one of the most popular and talked-about celebrity romances of the aughts and early 2010s. It all fell apart in 2012 when Holmes filed for divorce. However, there have been rumors that Cruise was interested in another brunette actor before linking up with Holmes. In "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography," author Andrew Morton claims that he tried to woo none other than Jennifer Garner.
After Penélope Cruz and Tom Cruise's Y2K romance came to an end in 2004, and following Garner's divorce from Scott Foley, Morton alleges that rumors began to swirl about Garner and Cruise. Supposedly, the A-lister watched her in "Alias" and fell for Garner instantly. "Legend has it that he left messages on her voicemail asking 'if she knew what freedom was,' sentiments so trite that Garner apparently read them to her girlfriends," Morton wrote.
Morton also reported another wild story that circulated: Cruise sent Garner a live tiger in a cage once he found out that she loved them. Talk about going wild for love! However, Morton noted that Garner's representatives denied that this happened. The author recounted more about Garner in "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography" too, even revealing that she was among a handful of actors considered by The Church of Scientology to be Cruise's wife.
Cruise supposedly told Scientology higher-ups that he liked Garner
According to "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography," former Scientologist Marc Headley detailed the process of finding Tom Cruise a wife in an interview with a British tabloid. It was framed as a casting call and Headley was assigned to film the auditions for the head of the church, David Miscavige. Some Scientologist actors were auditioned but not chosen. According to Andrew Morton's book, "'They had to look outside the herd, so to speak,' Headley told writer Lewis Panther. 'They went for Jennifer Garner, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba, in that order.'"
Garner reportedly didn't even attend the audition. Neither did Alba, and Johansson got too anxious and left when she saw that it was being held at The Church of Scientology. Naturally, the organization didn't take too kindly to the book, and in a lengthy statement decried it as "a bigoted, defamatory assault replete with lies" (via Today). However, Morton talked more about the audition situation in a 2012 New York Post article. He also contended that Garner was considered since she was on a list of women Cruise wanted to date that he submitted to Scientology higher-ups.
Garner and her ex-husband Ben Affleck started dating in 2004 and got engaged the following year. Although the stories about the "Mission Impossible" star's infatuation with Garner remain unconfirmed, it's possible that she turned him down due to already being involved with Affleck (or maybe she found those rumored voicemails strange).
Garner's show helped one of Cruise's biggest movies get made
Even though Tom Cruise and Jennifer Garner seemingly never had any kind of romantic relationship, Garner's hit show "Alias" reportedly helped Cruise's movie "Mission: Impossible III" get made. After several failed attempts to get the threequel into production with different directors, J.J. Abrams and Cruise had a crisis meeting. Abrams, who created "Alias," gave him the Season 1 and Season 2 DVDs, though he didn't expect Cruise to actually watch them.
The "Risky Business" star thoroughly enjoyed the show, subsequently offering Abrams the directing slot for "Mission: Impossible III." It was his first time helming a movie, and as the "Lost" co-creator admitted to MTV News, in 2004, "The thing about 'Mission: Impossible' is that it is an incredible challenge, it's an incredible opportunity. And I just couldn't feel luckier that I'm gonna get to do that movie, 'cause I think the series is really fun. I'm a huge fan of the TV show."
Even if Cruise didn't really gift Garner a Bengal tiger, they were at least friendly enough to hang out at a pre-BAFTA party in 2013. According to Metro, Ben Affleck was there too and he and the "Top Gun" star happily rubbed elbows with many other celebrities. One thing that hasn't happened yet is a professional collaboration between Garner and Cruise, but considering they both like to do their own stunts, maybe it's only a matter of time.