According to a report citing Star magazine, Tom Cruise may be considering leaving the Church of Scientology, of which he has been the most visible devotee for many years. The actor’s alleged crisis of faith comes, apparently, after a phone call with his daughter Suri.

“She was going on and on about her ballet class and how much she loves it. That’s when Tom realized he’s never seen her perform ballet and he started to tear up,” a Cruise insider reportedly told Star. “It hit him that she’s growing up before his eyes and he’s not there to witness most of it. They talk on the phone and video chat, but it’s not the same.”

“Tom has been under tremendous pressure where Suri and Katie are concerned because the church doesn’t want him close to them. They can’t stand that their own poster boy isn’t raising his child in the church,” this person said.

“If they label Suri a suppressive person (a Scientology term for an enemy of the church), as they’ve been known to do with dissenters, that would make it hard for Tom to have a relationship with her. He’s between a rock and a hard place, but he’s finally making a choice to put his daughter first.”

(The report echoes a similar one from 2012, also in Star.)

“Tom has missed birthdays, school events, all the special parts of childhood that happen so fast and are gone before you know it. Suri is not a baby anymore; she is fully aware that her father isn’t around much,” the source said.

“When she speaks to him on the phone, it’s becoming more and more like she’s talking to a stranger.”

Also, his relationship with the Church has ruined all three of his marriages, which surely must be exhausting, and wouldn’t it just be easier to walk away? Come into the light, Tom.


Photo credit: AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.