Tom Cruise Blasts Reporter Over Intimate Question About Nicole Kidman in Resurfaced Clip: "No One's..."

Tom Cruise, often admired for his composed demeanor both on and off screen, showed a different side during a 2005 interview with Australian journalist, Peter Overton, on 60 Minutes Australia. A resurfaced video captured the tense exchange where Cruise chastised Overton for asking what he considered personal questions about his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman.

The interview started with Overton addressing Cruise’s views on Scientology, which reportedly required the journalist to undergo a four-hour crash course on the religion. During the conversation, Overton asked, “Do you feel discriminated against when people say, ‘This is what Scientology is,’ that you’re a bunch on the lunatic fringe?” Cruise responded curtly, “Peter,” to which Overton replied, “Tom.” The actor then asserted, “No one’s ever said that to me.”

Things took a turn for the worse when Overton brought up Kidman, asking questions about whether she was the love of Cruise’s life and if the two maintained a professional relationship with their projects. Cruise cut him off, saying, “Listen, here’s the thing, Peter. You’re stepping over the line. You know you are.” Overton, defending himself, stated, “I suppose it’s a question that people want to know,” but Cruise argued, “Peter. Peter. You want to know. Take responsibility for what you want to know. Don’t say what other people…this is a conversation I’m having with you right now. So I’m just telling you right now, put your manners back in.”

When Overton asked if he had crossed a line, Cruise didn’t hesitate. “Yes, absolutely,” he said. At the end of the interview, Cruise referred to the exchange as 'terrific,' adding, “You stepped out of line, I whacked you, we got on with it.” Years later, the interview continued to make waves. Overton and others connected to the segment were reportedly excluded from the red carpet list for Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning in 2023. According to a source, “Anyone connected to ‘that interview’ was scratched off [the list], and Peter Overton was certainly among the people who didn’t get an invite," as per LADbible.

When asked about the reported snub, Overton said during a radio interview, “We didn’t get an invite, but I also had another thing to do: the six o’clock news.” He reflected on the infamous interview and remarked, “Every now and then it pops up. I’ve always said I like Tom. I think he’s amazing—what he’s done with Top Gun: Maverick. I’ve seen that a couple of times. Mission: Impossible, I can’t wait to see." 

During a 2020 appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Overton also explained that he remained composed despite Cruise’s reaction. “I just maintained who I am, and I didn’t get angry. He did,” he stressed. Overton stated that he still believed the question was fair. Kidman, meanwhile, has seldom spoken about her marriage or divorce from Cruise, though she once admitted that her openness in the past may have been a mistake, as reported by The Things. “I was young. I think I offered it up,” she said in an interview. “Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way.”