Tom Cruise isn’t just famous, he’s one of the most well-known people in the world. But before he was making bank and going viral, the Mission: Impossible 7 star was just another up-and-coming actor trying to make it in Hollywood. Anyone who has achieved that level of fame is bound to have increased scrutiny on both their careers and their private lives. Sometimes, details and allegations about what they’re like off-screen take years to come to light – like, for example, recent claims about Cruise’s temper from his former manager, which follow his polarizing M:I 7 rant.
It was at the tail end of 2020 that some Mission: Impossible 7 crew members allegedly quit after Tom Cruise's viral rant over COVID-19 protocols not being followed on the set. While the headlines about his outburst eventually died down, one unexpected person has now come forward to speak about the actor’s past temper issues. Eileen Berlin was the actor's manager more than 40 years ago and, according to The Daily Mail, she alleges that he had anger issues at the time:
Tommy had a terrible temper. He harbored a lot of anger at his natural father. He was moody and would get angry in a snap of your fingers. It was like something was smoldering and it would boil up and explode. I put it down to his insecurity. I presented him with an album with all his publicity articles from teen magazines for his 19th birthday. He screamed, ‘I don't want to be in the teen mags.’ He had told me he considered himself an adult, not a teen idol. He threw the album hard at me and it hit me on the cheek.
As she claims, this behavior allegedly happened when the Top Gun star was much younger. It’s not the first time someone has made allegations about his behavior during that time period. Several years ago, Curtis Armstrong, his Risky Business co-star, alleged that the actor was engaging in some scandalous activities during production on that film. The 59-year Ethan Hunt actor has not responded to either allegation.
Risky Business was Tom Cruise’s big break in many ways and, as a result, he's been in the spotlight for so long that we've seen many different facets of his personality. He is notorious for being a daredevil and frequently makes headlines for his death-defying, sometimes seemingly impossible stunt work. He has been known to go out of his way to help fans who are in a pinch, even if it means letting them borrow his helicopter.
But despite all of his moments in the public eye, Tom Cruise is an intensely private person. He keeps many aspects of his personal life guarded, including his work within the Church of Scientology. So as is always the case with celebrities, it’s important to remember that it’s impossible for most of us to know what they are like behind closed doors – whether in the past, or in the present day.
