She's been bombarded by tabloid attention ever since she was born, but Suri Cruise has also managed to carve out time to help those less fortunate than her and even professionally collaborate with her mom.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00She's been bombarded by tabloid attention ever since she was born, but Suri Cruise has
00:05also managed to carve out time to help those less fortunate than her, and even professionally
00:09collaborate with her mom.
00:12Following her 2012 divorce from Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes gained full custody of Suri Cruise.
00:17The mother-daughter duo then struck out on their own and settled into a swanky New York
00:21City apartment.
00:22Since then, Suri has spent her days growing up in the Big Apple.
00:25As Holmes told InStyle in 2020,
00:27It's a little too exposed at times, and we work hard to maneuver and navigate.
00:31But what I love about New York City is that for me and my child, this is our vibe."
00:35New York City may have been the ideal backdrop for Suri's childhood, but dodging the paparazzi
00:39was no easy feat, so Holmes did everything she could to shelter her daughter from the
00:43spotlight.
00:44To that end, she rarely mentions her on social media, except on special occasions like her
00:4815th birthday.
00:50Holmes has also taught Suri to disregard the rumor mill.
00:53As she told Town & Country in 2017,
00:54In today's world, a lot of celebrities probably shield their children from the tabloids.
00:59In my household, we know what they print isn't true, so we don't pay attention."
01:04One of Suri Cruise's first tabloid scandals occurred when she was just three years old,
01:08and for a somewhat bizarre reason.
01:10It happened in October 2009, when she was out with her mom, and she was sporting a pair
01:14of glittery high-heeled sandals.
01:16Some observers thought that the shoes were inappropriate for someone so young, while
01:20others declared that they were downright unhealthy.
01:22Fox News even took the liberty of consulting a podiatrist.
01:25The New York Post went a massive step further by writing,
01:28Apparently, it's never too early to start introducing girls to outward displays of sexualization.
01:33A few months later, Katie Holmes was talking with Access Hollywood when she insisted that
01:38Suri's shoes were completely harmless.
01:40As she explained,
01:41They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids.
01:43I found them for her, and she loves them.
01:46Celebrity children can lead incredibly posh lives, but that lavishness is often accompanied
01:51by a lack of privacy, and Suri Cruise has undeniably been subject to that invasiveness.
01:56Case in point, when she was just 19 weeks old, artist Daniel Edwards created a bronze
02:00statue to commemorate her first solid poop.
02:03The gross effigy fetched $10,000 at auction, and the funds were donated to charity.
02:08Another unfortunate aspect of childhood fame is the prospect of public criticism, and many
02:12adults have criticized Suri without shame.
02:15When she was just two years old, she was slammed by the tabloids for drinking from a baby bottle.
02:20And in 2010, when she was just four, fashion mogul Tim Gunn took a swipe at her wardrobe
02:25when he said,
02:26She's her mother and father's dress-up doll, and I feel in many ways she's a fashion victim,
02:30and it's just very inappropriate.
02:32Make it work!
02:34During their toddler years, many children develop an attachment to a special blanket
02:37or toy.
02:38When Suri was just a toddler, her interests seemed to be focused on fashion.
02:42She was frequently spotted strolling around Manhattan with her mom, dressed to the nines.
02:46Suri's excursions with her mother were an early indication that she had a serious flair
02:50for fashion.
02:51Then in 2010, Suri sported a pair of valet flats and a high-fashion tutu while she and
02:55her mom were out and about.
02:57That same year, she made headlines once again when she stepped out in a $635 designer dress.
03:03By age three, Suri's wardrobe was reportedly worth $3 million.
03:07One of her priciest possessions was a Salvatore Ferragamo handbag that came with an $850 price
03:12tag.
03:13But as she's gotten older, she's seriously leveled up her fashion game and increased
03:16her wardrobe budget.
03:18According to the Daily Mail, the 18-year-old Suri now has about $5 million worth of clothes
03:22in her closet.
03:24After a childhood in the spotlight, it's no surprise that Suri Cruise has developed some
03:28creative ways to dodge the paparazzi, and one of her most impressive vanishing acts
03:32involved an unlikely accomplice.
03:34As reported by Gawker, she and her mother used a secret private entrance to shop at
03:38their local Whole Foods store.
03:40The entrance is apparently accessible from the basement of Katie Holmes' apartment building,
03:44and it connects to Whole Foods via a series of underground corridors.
03:47Gawker reported that Holmes and Suri used the passageways to sneak into the store without
03:52being detected by paparazzi.
03:54All they had to do was wait for an employee to come down and open the door for them.
03:57Gawker spoke with a municipal engineer who confirmed the existence of the secret Whole
04:01Foods entrance, and revealed,
04:03"[Ms. Holmes probably went through this door and never had to step outside.]
04:07Shoes and purses aren't the only things that are on Suri Cruise's mind.
04:11When she's not brandishing the latest designer labels, she enjoys hitting the tennis court.
04:15In 2013, paparazzi spotted her entering a luxury sports club with her mom as she clutched
04:20a pink racket while shuffling into the fitness center.
04:23While we don't have the inside scoop about how strong her drop shot is, we do know that
04:26she is very athletic and interested in multiple sports.
04:30As the Daily Mail reported, she's also an accomplished ballet dancer, as she's been
04:34perfecting her pirouette since she was a toddler.
04:36She's also been spotted taking gymnastics classes near her home in New York City.
04:40"...she makes every day great and awesome."
04:44In addition to ballet slippers, Suri has been known to step into a pair of bowling shoes.
04:48In 2013, she and her mom generated some buzz while visiting their local alley.
04:53During Holmes' interview with InStyle in 2020, she praised her daughter's determination and
04:58eagerness to try new things.
04:59As she put it,
05:00"[She came out very strong.
05:02She's always been a strong personality.
05:04She'll pick an activity and work her butt off until she's really good at it.
05:07Then she's like, okay, I'm going to try the next thing.
05:10She's very focused and a hard worker."
05:13In addition to her athletic prowess, Suri Cruz is also reputedly a gifted student.
05:17She attended grade school at the illustrious Avenues, the world's school in Manhattan.
05:22The private academy boasts a language immersion program, in which students spend half the
05:26school day learning to speak a second language.
05:28Appropriately enough, foreign language classes are also a requirement for graduation at Avenues.
05:34In 2012, Radar reported that Suri was learning Mandarin Chinese while studying at the academy.
05:38Knowing a second language could certainly prove to be massively beneficial for Suri's
05:42future.
05:43It may one day come in handy for her prospective career, and she'll potentially be able to
05:47bond with other Mandarin speakers around the world.
05:50It's certainly possible that her parents considered these perks when choosing to send their daughter
05:54to Avenues.
05:55And, as you might have guessed, tuition there isn't exactly cheap.
05:59According to the school's website, it costs $68,850 per year for nursery school through
06:04the 12th grade.
06:06Tom Cruz is no stranger to controversy, and since his split from Katie Holmes, there's
06:10been plenty of chatter about his relationship or lack thereof with his daughter.
06:14Sadly, the Mission Impossible star has been notably absent throughout much of Suri's life.
06:19In fact, the two of them haven't been photographed together in public since 2012.
06:23In 2024, a source told the Daily Mail that Tom is completely estranged from Suri.
06:28As the insider claimed, he does not exist to Katie or Suri, and his daughter does not
06:32want to rely on him for anything.
06:34She feels that she has one parent, and that is her mother.
06:37Multiple sources have speculated that the Church of Scientology is to blame for Tom
06:41and Suri's fractured relationship.
06:43Tom joined the controversial religion back in 1986, and many individuals have spoken
06:47out about its cult-like atmosphere, claiming that members are encouraged to cut ties with
06:51non-believers.
06:52I think it's a privilege to call yourself a Scientologist."
06:55Katie Holmes broke away from the religion in 2012, shortly before splitting up with
06:59Cruz.
07:00In court documents obtained by Page Six, Cruz admitted that Holmes wanted Suri to be protected
07:04from Scientology, and that's what prompted their divorce.
07:07According to former Scientology spokesperson Mike Rinder, Suri wants nothing to do with
07:11the religion.
07:12As he told Page Six,
07:13"[Suri is not a Scientologist and never will be.
07:16She deserves love and sympathy."
07:18Suri Cruz may be estranged from her father, but she does have at least one positive role
07:23model in her life in the form of her mother.
07:25In addition to being a devoted parent, Holmes has also encouraged her daughter to become
07:29involved with charitable causes.
07:31In 2019, when Suri was 12, the two of them teamed up with the Artolution organization
07:35and traveled to the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece.
07:39During their visit, they spent some quality time with displaced children from Syria, Iraq,
07:43and Afghanistan.
07:44While visiting the camp, Suri and her mom bonded with refugees and participated in group
07:48art projects.
07:49Holmes commemorated the trip with a series of Instagram photos, including one of Suri
07:53exchanging a joyful high-five with a young camp resident.
07:56While attending CinemaCon that year, Holmes reflected on the experience by revealing,
08:00"...it was incredibly meaningful.
08:02It was eye-opening to see that a camp that was originally built for about 3,000 now has
08:07about 8,000, and I think that it's important to remember that it is our responsibility
08:11to do as much as we can to help people out, whether it's like going to a soup kitchen
08:15or just doing what you can to help people in need."
08:18Judging by their charity work, it's clear that Suri shares her mother's philosophy about
08:22the importance of helping others.
08:23"...She's just a good person, just sweet."
08:29With parents like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, it's no surprise to learn that Suri Cruise
08:33is interested in the arts.
08:34But unlike her movie star folks, she's reportedly gravitated more towards music.
08:38In 2022, she debuted her gorgeous singing voice on the soundtrack of her mom's film
08:44as she performed a rich, jazzy version of the 1934 song, Blue Moon.
08:48Fans applauded her vocal skills and praised her genuine talent.
08:52Then 2023 saw the release of the film Rare Objects, which Holmes co-wrote, directed,
08:57produced, and starred in.
08:58Once again, she wanted to share the moment with her daughter, so she recruited her to
09:02sing on the soundtrack.
09:03She added one more sweet touch by ending the film with a dedication to Suri.
09:07In a 2022 interview with Yahoo!, she opened up about working with her daughter, as she
09:11revealed,
09:12"...I always want the highest level of talent.
09:14So I asked her, she's very, very talented."
09:17Holmes also revealed that she gave Suri total creative control while recording the song.
09:21As she noted,
09:22"...She said she would do it and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing.
09:25That's the way I direct in general.
09:27It's like, this is what I think we all want.
09:29Go do your thing."
09:31For years, observers have kept their eyes peeled for signs that Suri Cruise is preparing
09:35to take on Hollywood.
09:36During an interview with Glamour, Katie Holmes revealed that if her daughter ever wants to
09:40pursue an acting career, she would happily open that door for her.
09:43As she puts it,
09:44"...I hope she always does something on my films.
09:46I always ask her.
09:47That's how I like to work.
09:48I like to have that kind of feeling."
09:50In 2023, Page Six reported that Suri starred as Morticia in her high school's production
09:55of The Addams Family, A New Musical.
09:57The tabloid spoke to one of the audience members, who raved,
10:00"...She was amazing."
10:01"...Now, boys and girls, what do you think that feels like?"
10:06Holmes certainly has the connections to help her daughter find her stride in Hollywood.
10:10For now, though, Suri seems perfectly content with her current claim to fame as one of the
10:14most talked-about celebrity kids of the 21st century.
10:17No matter what path she chooses, we'll almost certainly see more of her in the coming years.