It's been almost impossible to get away from the ubiquitous Tom Cruise as of late. The three-time Oscar-nominee has been making the rounds of the TV talk shows, from Oprah to Letterman to anybody else who'd let him stand on a couch and shout just how much he is in love with Katie Holmes. Fortunately, Tom hasn't completely lost it, and does still have some saner moments, too, since people are interested in a little behind-the-scenes info about his new movie, War of the Worlds.
KW: Why did you agree to be cast as a father, an unusual film role for you, which you haven't played since Eyes Wide Shut?
TC: "Well, first of all, I have to say that I love the way that [director] Steven Spielberg deals with families in his movies. I find them to be very real.. unique... Like that scene in Close Encounters with the son and the bathtub. When we started talking about this story, and Steven said, 'It's going to be about a father and a family,' I couldn't wait to play this character. Growing up, I always wanted to be a father. "
KW: How would you compare collaborating with you Steven Spielberg this time versus when you worked with him on Minority Report?
TC: "I had a lot of fun on minority Report. I had even more fun on this one. And the next one is going to be even more fun. For me, the experience of working with Steven just gets better and better. And I also like making movies with him just because I get the great pleasure of hanging out with him."
KW: You sound more like a Spielberg fan than his star actor.
TC: "I'm always a fan, first, of Steven's films, then I'm an actor. When I'm working with other filmmakers, I'll always actually go back to Steven's pictures and study his editing to see how he's telling that story. He gives you the environment, but it's also, from a character's point-of-view, always in story. It's always on that storyline. So, I often go back and study his stuff and look at those sequences."
KW: This is your second sci-fi film with Spielberg. are you a fan of the genre?
TC: "I dig going to science fiction movies. I always have. Look at the role that science fiction has played in our culture. It was the sci-fi writers during the pulp fiction era who were dreaming and pushing for the space race."
KW: Do you believe in UFOs and alien life forms?
TC: "Personally, I'm a very practical person, so unless I meet them one day, I don't know. Yet, I think it's supreme arrogance to think that in all the universe of all the universes that ours is the only planet that could support life."
KW: Did you ever get spooked thinking about the possibility of an actual alien invasion while making this movie?
TC: "It would get very intense on the set between the takes. Steven, Tim [co-star Tim Robbins], Dakota [co-star Dakota Fanning] and I would look at each other and go, 'Aliens! woooooo!'"
KW: How did you like working with Dakota Fanning?
TC: "She's enormously talented and so much fun to work with also, because you can have a laugh with her, too. She's a unique talent. You can just see it. And she's a terrific person. She's very sincere and has impeccable manners. She even writes thank you letters."
KW: What would you do if you found yourself in a predicament like your character finds himself in in War of the Worlds?
TC: "I have no idea what I'd do, man."
KW: What was your most difficult day on the set?
TC: "The most difficult day was the last day of shooting, because it was over. That was the hardest day, because I really do, quite sincerely, love working with Steven. I have a great admiration for him, and I knew that I was going to miss him."
KW: It was recently reported that the director of The Fantastic Four said his picture is going to whip War of the Worlds at the box office. What's your response to that?
TC: "You know what? It doesn't matter. I want to see that picture do really well. I want all the movies to do well. I'm going to see that picture. I can't wait."
KW: After proposing to Katie in the Eiffel Tower, how do you plan to top that romantic setting for the wedding?
TC: "Do you have to top it? I didn't realize that was a prerequisite. I don't know, we haven't decided yet."
KW: Are you upset by tabloids suggesting that your love life, your religion and your exuberance are drawing attention away from the movie?
TC: "No. [laughs] No, listen, There's really nothing to say outside of, 'I don't pay attention to it.' It doesn't bother me. Do you know what I'm saying? I do my work. I live my life. It's never affected anything before. It doesn't matter. What do I do? I make my movies, and I live my life in the best way that I can. I can't control what other people are going to say or do. They're going to say and do what they want. And that's never going to change how I live my life."
KW: Everybody has seen you bouncing on talk show sofas with boundless energy. Do you care to share your secret to such vitality?
TC: "My interest in life, quite honestly. I'm someone who gets excited about living. There are things that I apply to my life, Scientology and tools, that have been extraordinary in helping me overcome barriers and problems. And I have the privilege of doing something that I love, like working with Steven and making War of the Worlds. I feel truly honored by the life that I have. I'm just enjoying myself. That's it,"