9 Signs Suri Cruise Hates The Celebrity Life
As the only child of former It couple Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, Suri Cruise has been subjected to media attention her entire life. Born in April 2006, it wasn't long before everyone knew her name. After much attention from the paparazzi, Suri's parents chose to publicly introduce her to the world in a cover feature for Vanity Fair, in which they revealed what their first few months as a family of five (at the time Tom had full custody of his son Connor and daughter Isabella who he adopted with ex Nicole Kidman) was like.
Katie and Tom appeared blissfully happy for the next few years, and they were often photographed out and about as a family with their daughter, Suri. But the couple shocked the world in 2012 when they announced their divorce. It was settled in just 10 days, with Holmes retaining sole physical custody of Suri. Since then, the "Dawson's Creek" star has done her best to keep her daughter shielded from media attention. However, there has continued to be a public fascination with Suri due to her famous parents, especially after Tom admitted that Scientology played a role in the divorce. For her part, Suri has done her best to keep out of the public eye while growing up, too.
She was upset growing up surrounded by paparazzi
Suri Cruise is Hollywood royalty by blood, but that birthright comes with a lot of pressure, and Cruise definitely didn't have a typical upbringing, especially during her early years. As Katie Holmes told InStyle, Cruise was constantly bombarded by paparazzi and followed from a young age. Reflecting on that time, Holmes explained: "We were followed a lot when she was little. I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, 6 in the morning when nobody would see us."
That kind of pressure can be overwhelming for a child. Although Cruise didn't initially understand what was going on when she was a baby and would wave for the cameras, her unease around the paparazzi definitely increased as she got older.
When Cruise turned 3, she learned that having famous parents made her different from other kids. Instead of enjoying her birthday party with family and friends that year, a group of paparazzi interrupted the celebrations in a helicopter and caused a huge scene. The photographers were desperate to get a glimpse of the birthday girl, but their intrusion forced her parents to call the police, who sent another chopper to resolve the situation. Safe to say, Suri's party ended in disaster and was moved to the following week, but the second attempt at her princess party was much more intimate.
Suri Cruise has always shied away from media attention
Suri Cruise had to quickly become used to the constant presence of paparazzi in her life. While she may have given them a wave when she was 2 years old, she soon began shying away from any media attention. Cruise got into the habit of hiding her face from photographers, usually using her hands to block their view or hiding her face behind Katie Holmes or Tom Cruise's shoulder when they were carrying her.
This didn't seem to deter the paparazzi, who were determined to get snaps of her, though, so she resorted to using props to hide herself from them. One video clip from 2011 showed Suri being escorted from a car to a hotel and, as usual, paparazzi were desperate to get a shot. However, she actually used her doll to cover her face. As the photographers vied for her attention, Cruise yelled, "Take a picture of my baby [doll] instead!"
This was actually one of Cruise's first-ever spoken words to the public, and she certainly made it clear she had no desire to participate in that element of celebrity life. Paparazzi on the scene thought her outburst was cute and laughed it off but, a few years later, that was no longer the case.
She stood up to paparazzi from a young age
Throughout her childhood, Suri Cruise subtly showed her dislike for the paparazzi's attention, as she was often spotted poking her tongue out or glaring at photographers. Despite her young age, Cruise became more confident speaking up against paparazzi and using her voice when necessary.
However, there was one 2013 incident when Cruise and Katie Holmes were exiting a building, which took a disturbing turn. Video captured the mother and daughter trying to get into their car, but their path was blocked by both paparazzi and fans trying to get autographs and photos. Cruise, visibly upset by their presence, yelled for them to stop and "get out of the way," making it clear that she wanted to get straight to their waiting car.
Cruise and her mom made it to the vehicle, but one of the photographers on the sidewalk yelled back at the then-7-year-old shouting verbally abusive comments. "Bye, Suri, you little brat," the paparazzo yelled, even going so far as to call her a b***h. While another man on the scene called them out for speaking to her like that, it's a pretty clear indicator of the treatment Cruise has had to endure throughout her life just because she doesn't want to stop and pose for photos.
Katie Holmes wants her daughter to have a normal life
In spite of the fame Suri Cruise inherited from herself and Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes has always wanted her daughter to have a normal life. As the product of such a union, Suri was never going to have a totally regular upbringing, but the "Batman Begins" actor has been doing her best to give her one, anyway. "I try very hard because I am very grateful for my upbringing and my parents and siblings. I try to do what they did for me for my little one," Holmes said on "Today" (via the Daily Mail) in 2014, referring to her own family-orientated childhood.
Living in New York City, the mother-daughter duo tried to blend in as much as possible and Holmes chose a school for her daughter that would nurture her creativity but give her routine and structure. Suri has attended Avenues The World School, a 16-grade independent school in Manhattan. A source close to Holmes told Us Weekly that the school's strict uniform also keeps her on a level playing field with her peers. "She wants Suri to fit in and be more of a normal kid," they added.
Holmes doesn't put her daughter in the spotlight unnecessarily
Katie Holmes has continued her acting career while raising her daughter Suri Cruise. While her star-studded vocation means that she's often required to speak to the press and give interviews, she has largely refrained from sharing too many details about her daughter or their life since she divorced Tom Cruise. Additionally, Holmes rarely posts about Suri online or takes her to events the way other celebrities do (for example, Reese Witherspoon taking her son, Deacon Phillippe, as her date to the 2024 Golden Globes).
Since Suri's birth and her highly publicized divorce from an A-lister, one of Holmes's main focuses in raising Suri has been protecting her daughter from the spotlight and supporting her talents and interests in private, especially as she gets older. "What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her. I'm very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She's an incredible person," she explained to Glamour in 2023.
Cruise doesn't have public social media accounts
Following in her mom's footsteps, Suri Cruise doesn't post pictures of herself or share details about her life online. In fact, she doesn't have any public social media accounts at all. This might be seen as pretty unusual since there are plenty of kids of celebrities who use social media and build up their own followings. For example, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter, Willow Smith, uses Instagram to promote her music career and boasts over 11 million followers on the platform.
Additionally, Suri's siblings, Isabella and Connor Cruise, both have public social media accounts, but it seems she has no desire to capitalize on her celebrity online. This might be something she learned from her mom, who previously admitted she's not a huge fan of social media. "In my life now, I don't go on social media that much. I don't scroll that much because I don't want all that information," Katie Holmes told Glamour. Holmes also previously told Marie Claire that she limits the amount of time Suri spends on her phone, instead opting for things like volunteering. It's possible Suri has private, secret accounts, but putting herself out there on social media just doesn't seem to be something she's interested in doing.
She keeps her relationship with her dad private
The media have a particularly insatiable interest in Suri Cruise's relationship with her movie star dad, Tom Cruise. Rumors of their estrangement have been reported far and wide, and publicly the belief is that the pair has a limited, mostly financial relationship. When Katie Holmes assumed full custody of Suri after their divorce, Tom agreed to pay $400,000 every year in child support until she turned 18 years old. He was also ordered to cover the cost of her general life expenses and college tuition and in return received visitation rights.
But a source claimed to Page Six in 2023 that the "Mission Impossible" star reportedly has little to no involvement in Suri's life. There were also rumors that Suri and her dad had been communicating in secret, which is proof the public can never be privy to everything that happens behind closed doors. Whatever the status of Suri's relationship with her father, she has chosen to keep it private and keep her personal life personal.
She hasn't used her parent's fame as a stepping stone
On the rare occasions that they have spoken about Suri Cruise in interviews, both Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have gushed about her talents and natural creativity. Like them, Suri seems to have a passion for acting and made her stage debut in a school play in 2023, playing Morticia Addams in her school's production of "The Addams Family" musical.
However, Suri doesn't seem to have much of an interest in following in their footsteps publicly yet because she regularly declines her mom's offers to be in her movies. "I hope she always does something on my films. I always ask her," Holmes revealed to Glamour.
But it's clear that Suri has a love for music. She actually contributed to the soundtrack for the 2022 romantic drama, "Alone Together." But she has yet to express any interest in being on the screen, too. So far, it seems that Suri wants to keep her work behind the scenes and would rather go to college than enhance her celebrity status by pursuing a career in front of the camera.
Her career choice could keep her out of the spotlight
Suri Cruise turns 18 in April 2024, meaning that college is right around the corner for her. After graduation, Cruise is reportedly looking to attend fashion school. "Suri is applying to schools all over the place," a source claimed to the Daily Mail. "[Katie] really does want her to stay in New York so they can be close to each other." In the past, Katie Holmes has gushed about her daughter's creativity, so it's perhaps not so surprising that she has an interest in fashion design.
However, pursuing this particular career avenue could be indicative of her desire to stay out of the spotlight. Of course, there are many celebrity fashion designers out there. It is also very possible to keep a low profile in the fashion industry — just look at Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The twins became famous before they could even speak and had a lucrative childhood acting career together.
But by 2012, the "Full House" stars both retired from acting, saying they were sick of an industry that treated them like "little monkey performers," per Marie Claire. Instead, the sisters chose to build themselves a fashion empire. Since entering the fashion world, they have kept a relatively low profile and don't feel the need to share details of their personal lives online or in interviews. So, if Suri Cruise has a distaste for the celebrity life, she could be taking notes from these two.