Before she ever even dreamed a dream in her designer crib, blissfully unaware of the existence of paparazzi and tabloids, Suri Cruise was a star. No red carpet arrival could rival the attention that the coming of the TomKat child received in 2006, and rumors swirled about how “Dawson’s Creek” alum Katie Holmes and “Top Gun” actor Tom Cruise were preparing to become parents of one of the world’s most famous babies.
There were the whispers that Tom was pushing Holmes to embrace Scientologists’ preferred childbirth method while she was pushing in the delivery room: a “silent birth.” Cruise denied speculation that this meant Holmes would have to stifle her screams of pain, but told “Primetime” host Diane Sawyer that everyone else in the room would be expected to pipe down. “If she’s going to make noise, she’s going to make noise,” he said. “But why have other people make noise?”
So it’s safe to say that no trumpets were blasted to herald Suri’s arrival on April 18, 2006, and Holmes would later tell Glamour that the little Aries wasn’t all that extraordinary when compared to other kids — Suri liked listening to her dad read to her and watching “Cinderella.” But most parents can’t rent out the highly coveted Cinderella Castle Suite in Disney World through mysterious means, which is exactly what Tom did for Suri in 2012. And this wasn’t the only time that the child of Hollywood royalty got the princess treatment.
Her Vanity Fair debut
The Instagram era hadn’t arrived when Suri Cruise was born in 2006, and it was expected that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes would follow Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s lead by agreeing to have their child’s first photos published in the pages of a major magazine. Days ticked by with no such splashy debut, but the nonexistent pics were still a story; TMZ spoke to industry insiders who estimated that the baby photos could fetch up to $5 million. A source even suggested that Suri’s parents were holding out for the best possible payday.
When Suri made her magazine debut in Vanity Fair about five months after her arrival, the cover girl’s parents decided not to accept any payment at all. They also revealed that they were flummoxed by the photo frenzy, which had People polling its readers to see if they believed that Suri was even real. (A majority were convinced that her existence was a fairytale.)
Holmes explained the delay, telling Vanity Fair, “We were always going to release a photo. We just didn’t want to get into the whole production of setting up a photo shoot at that time. I really just wanted to enjoy this precious time with my daughter. I knew I’d never get that time back.” Among those who were aware that Suri did, indeed, exist before then were her celebrity visitors, who included “Men in Black” star Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tom’s “Vanilla Sky” co-star Penelope Cruz. Suri also met famed photog Annie Leibovitz, who snapped the tot’s Vanity Fair photos at Tom’s sprawling estate in Telluride, Colorado.
A sitcom star comforted Suri Cruise during her parents’ wedding dinner
Suri Cruise was present at her parents’ 2006 fairytale wedding in Italy, but aged just seven months, she was far too young to remember the star-studded event. Per People, the guest list included a number of high-profile Hollywood couples: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Beckham and Victoria Beckham. “King of Queens” star Leah Remini also attended the ceremony, which was held at the Orsini-Odescalchi castle.
In her book “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” Remini, a former Scientologist, claims that poor Suri couldn’t stop crying during a pre-wedding dinner and had been placed in the care of a group of female Scientologists, including Tom Cruise’s sister. They were gathered inside a bathroom, but Remini could hear Suri’s wails from the dining area. She eventually decided to scope out the situation herself.
Inside the bathroom, Remini saw that the women had placed Suri on the floor. “[They] were looking at her like they thought she was L. Ron Hubbard incarnate,” Remini recalled. “Rather than talking to her in a soothing voice, they kept saying, ‘Suri! Suri!’ in a tone that sounded like they were telling an adult to get her s*** together.” Remini realized that Suri was likely hungry and ended up tracking down her bottle and taking it to the kitchen to have it heated up. When she returned and directed Suri’s caretakers to feed her, the distressed infant quieted down.
Tottering around in heels as a toddler
In 2009, outlets including Just Jared published photos of Suri Cruise taking a stroll with her mom while rocking a pair of tiny silver kitten heels. Some critics felt that the then-three-year-old was too young to be wearing such mature footwear, including famed shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, who expressed surprise over Suri channeling her inner Carrie Bradshaw at such a young age. “That girl is destined to be a victim of a high heel!” he predicted while speaking to New York magazine (via Radar).
The outcry over Suri’s footwear put her parents’ feet to the fire, and both of them explained why they supported her right to add an inch or two to her diminutive height. Holmes told Access that her daughter was just trying to be like her stylish mom (awww!) and even revealed where she got Suri’s heels. “They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids,” she said. “I found them for her and she loves them.” Tom Cruise also mentioned dancing in his defense of his parenting skills. “In Spain, they wear the high-heeled flamenco dance shoes from birth,” he said on GMTV (via Now to Love).
If Star magazine (via the Daily Mail) is to be believed, Suri was a full-blown shoeaholic by age five, adding so many pairs of designer heels to her collection that it had a value of around $150,000. “She’s a massive fan of Marc Jacobs and she’s had several shoes custom-made,” an insider dished.
Suri Cruise’s closet quickly got filled with designer clothing and accessories
Suri Cruise’s street style made her a fashion icon as soon as she started getting papped. The Suri Cruise Fashion Blog broke down the estimated cost of an outfit Suri wore to school in 2013, and she was giving the “Gossip Girl” elite a run for their old money. Her Lanvin mink vest was valued at $850, while her velvet frock from the same designer retailed for $750. She traded her heels for a more practical pair of $130 Crewcuts flats. (Blair Waldorf who?!) In 2018, Page Six published a photo of Suri rocking another expensive piece, a bright pink $900 trench coat from Burberry. Oh, and let’s not forget the $850 Ferragamo handbag she was spotted toting around at age three, per Us Weekly.
In a 2010, Tom Cruise confirmed that he didn’t take cost into account when it came to his daughter’s wardrobe. “Whatever she wants to wear, she wears it. I’m not going to tell her different,” he told Oprah. “She’s got great taste too. She tells me what to wear.” As for Katie Holmes, she seemed hopeful that her daughter would gradually develop a similar sense of style to her own, allowing Suri to fully appreciate her fashion inheritance. “Oftentimes, I will buy something with her in mind, thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll wear this once or twice,'” Holmes told Extra, “‘but it’s gonna look so great on her when she’s 25.'”
Suri Cruise made a lot of fun memories on her parents’ sets
Suri Cruise spent a lot of time on her parents’ sets when she was a young child. Tom Cruise told Extra that she became interested in the dynamics of his vocal performance in the 2012 movie “Rock of Ages” after attending a few rehearsals. “I’d get all the questions about, ‘How’s it going? How are you moving the air through the diaphragm and the vocal chords?’ So she’s fascinated by it,” the actor said.
Two years earlier, Suri had joined her mom on the set of “The Romantics.” The film’s cast, which included Malin Akerman, Elijah Wood, Josh Duhamel, and Adam Brody, treated her like she was the biggest star present. “We all shared her,” Akerman told People of their adorable new bestie. “We drew, we played hide and seek, we played dogs and cats, ate cupcakes together.”
That same year, Suri worked her magic again on the set of Holmes’ miniseries “The Kennedys.” There, she made some new friends closer to her age, including the child actors who were there to work. “Everyone brings their kids and we do play dates there and paint pottery,” Holmes told Access of the fun, family-friendly atmosphere. When Holmes revisited the Kennedys’ story for “After Camelot” seven years later, Suri took advantage of her mom being the director. “I love when [Suri] would come into the trailer,” actor Kristin Booth told People. “She would get hair and makeup done.”
What Tom Cruise pays in child support
In 2012, Katie Holmes decided to pull the plug on her marriage to Tom Cruise. After their divorce settlement was quickly hammered out, TMZ reported that Cruise’s annual child support payments would be around $400,000, and he’d also be obligated to pay for his daughter’s schooling and medical expenses. Additionally, Cruise had to sign off on certain restrictions on Suri Cruise’s education options — which would reportedly prohibit Tom from enrolling her in a Scientology boarding school.
When Tom took Bauer Publishing Company to court over claims its tabloids made about the actor purportedly abandoning Suri, he acknowledged in a deposition that his religion played a role in Holmes’ decision to divorce him. Specifically, Holmes didn’t want their daughter to become involved with the Church of Scientology, per ABC News. Tom continued to spend time with Suri after the divorce, with a source telling E! News in 2013, “Tom sent his private jet to NYC to pick up Suri so she could come to London and spend some time with him.” That was reportedly the last year the father and daughter were photographed together.
While Tom had visitation rights and could continue seeing Suri if he wished to, an insider told Us Weekly, “He chooses not to because she is not a Scientologist.” However, Leah Remini shared a theory with the New York Post, saying, “I’m sure [Tom’s] master plan is to wait until Suri gets older so that he can lure her into Scientology and away from her mother.”
Inside Suri Cruise’s pricey private school
Katie Holmes divorced Tom Cruise, she and Suri Cruise started building new lives for themselves in NYC’s swanky Chelsea neighborhood. Their rent was $12,500 a month, and, according to the New York Post, one of their apartment building’s big selling points was easy access to the mixed-use property’s ground-level Whole Foods. In a New York minute, Holmes and Suri became proud New Yorkers. “New York has been very good to both of us,” Holmes told People. “I love the theater, the galleries in my neighborhood. Stuff [like] that is so much of what makes me love this city.”
The city also provided Holmes with plenty of education options for young Suri, and she chose Avenues, a private school that caters to the elite. It was new at the time, and tuition was $40,000 a year. What made the school an ideal pick for the pair was that it was designed with parents who travel in mind, allowing students to switch campuses when needed. Students Suri’s age were given the option of learning either Spanish or Mandarin.
While Suri had to wear a school uniform, Us Weekly shared a photo that showed the stylish kindergartner taking a sartorial cue from “Gossip Girl” fashionista Blair Waldorf: She added some visual interest to her outfit by rocking a bright orange headband. Suri also used her outerwear to express her personal style, wearing a vivid pink jacket over her dark skirt and white collared shirt.
The body double conspiracy
The cost of caring for a kid as famous as Suri Cruise is astronomical. In 2012, a divorce attorney told E! News that the total monthly support expenses for her caretakers, travel, schooling, and security could be as much as $100,000. But an insider told OK! (via Contact Music) that Tom Cruise was willing to pay half that weekly for Suri’s security alone after he and Katie Holmes divorced. “Katie believes money is no object when it comes to the safety of Suri and insisted Tom handle that side of things. She’d go broke if she had to pay for it and it’s a total necessity with the enormous interest in Suri,” the source dished.
There were even reports that Suri’s parents had hired a look-alike daughter decoy in early 2013. According to the Daily News, paparazzi trailed an SUV that Suri was thought to be inside of one afternoon after waiting outside her school. When the vehicle stopped, a little girl with brunette hair was photographed getting out and hiding her face. Not long afterward, Suri and her nanny, who were in a different vehicle, rushed inside a nearby sandwich restaurant. However, Suri was also photographed, and she and her doppelganger were wearing matching dark leggings, pink-soled boots, and eggplant-colored puffer jackets.
Around that time, Tom was reportedly paranoid about Suri potentially getting kidnapped. However, according to Yahoo! Entertainment, a source said that the supposed body double was just a friend of Suri’s.
She got charitable and political at a young age
While Suri Cruise grew up wanting for nothing, she’s not oblivious to the fact that there are less fortunate people in the world. In a 2015 appearance on “Today,” Katie Holmes praised her daughter for having a giving spirit. “My little one is very, very generous and very sensitive. So she’s always [saying], ‘Mom, let’s give my old toys to people who need it,'” she said (via Us Weekly).
In 2014, Cruise adopted a rescue dog in need of a loving home, per TMZ, and that same year, she offered a $1,000 reward when she lost her pet. Thankfully, Honey the chihuahua was found and returned home safely.
Holmes has shared an Instagram photo of Cruise putting a smile on the face of a child at a Moria refugee camp — and flashing a pretty big grin herself — by playing a clapping game with her new friend. The activist-entrepreneur attended NYC Pride in 2018, where she sold lemonade to thirsty revelers, per Us Weekly. “She was very sweet and kind, telling everyone to enjoy their day,” said one parade attendee. Cruise also got interested in politics at a young age, with Holmes telling Jenna Bush Hager (via Vanity Fair) that the then-10-year-old was disappointed when Hillary Clinton lost her 2016 presidential bid. “We have to raise our girls to be very strong, not just for themselves, but to open the doors for other people,” Holmes said of what she learned from the loss.
Suri Cruise’s birthday celebrations are always special
Proving that her daughter always gets the princess treatment on her birthday, Katie Holmes shared an Instagram photo of Suri Cruise wearing a tiara when she turned 12 years old in 2018. However, the birthday girl didn’t exactly look thrilled about having her picture taken. Two years earlier, Suri celebrated her 10th birthday in NYC with some friends. According to E! News, they were spotted polishing off burgers and cookies at Tavern on the Green, where they dined al fresco. Suri’s days-long festivities also included a fun-filled night at Dave & Buster’s with a large group of kids and trays loaded with treats from Georgetown Cupcake. According to Radar, an insider claimed that one of her gifts that year was a baby grand piano.
However, one of Suri’s most extravagant birthday celebrations took place when she turned 13 in 2019. The French publication Closer (via People) reported that Holmes whisked her daughter and two of her pals away to Paris, where they dined at the upscale eatery Les Ombres. While enjoying a view of the Eiffel Tower, the sophisticated group reportedly sipped on alcohol-free mojitos and noshed on caviar before generously tipping their server $100.
A year later, Suri’s birthday would look much different. During the pandemic, Holmes shared a snapshot of her daughter rocking a floral crown at home and captioned it, “Birthday vibes.” Speaking to ET about their low-key celebration, Holmes said, “I think when you have less, you’re more creative.”
Suri Cruise’s happy holidays
Simply stepping inside Suri Cruise’s closet would feel like Christmas morning for many girls. But throwing on a coat that would cost some parents an entire week’s salary is nothing for Suri, whose dad reportedly paid $5,000 to reserve a special section of Rockefeller Center’s ice skating rink in December 2011. A source told the Daily News that Tom Cruise also had hot cocoa and gourmet treats delivered to his daughter during their family outing.
In 2014, Katie Holmes confirmed that Suri makes a Christmas list and checks it twice. “She’s just very specific,” Holmes said on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” “‘I want a puppy,’ then, ‘I want a pink collar that has sparkles on it that says the puppy’s name,’ then, ‘I want shoes for the dog.'” Holmes also said that she tries to make sure that Santa gets everything on Suri’s list.
While a magic sleigh is one item that Suri can’t get her hands on, she does spend plenty of time in the sky during the holiday season. In 2016, she and her mom spent Thanksgiving in Holmes’ hometown, Toledo, Ohio. On Instagram, Holmes revealed that they visited a local Dave & Buster’s and played video games. Two years later, she and Suri brought in the New Year during a ski trip. Holmes also makes sure that Suri remembers others during the holidays. “She and Suri spent Christmas afternoon visiting children at a local hospital in L.A.,” Holmes’ rep told People in 2014.
Suri Cruise made some friends in showbiz
Speaking to InStyle in 2020, Katie Holmes painted a pretty lonely picture of Suri Cruise’s life as a baby. “I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, six in the morning when nobody would see us,” she said. But Suri did make some famous friends fairly early in life. In 2009, the almost-three-year-old was photographed out on a playdate with two of David and Victoria Beckham’s sons, Cruz and Romeo, at the Children’s Art Studio in Los Angeles, per X17. That same year, Cruise and future “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” star Bailee Madison hung out together when Holmes and Madison filmed “Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark” in Australia, per Hello!.
When she hit her tween years, Cruise befriended more kids involved in the entertainment industry. For a 2018 DuJour magazine event in the Hamptons, Page Six reported that Cruise left her mom at home and hung out with a group of friends who included young actors from the Broadway play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” as well as kids who competed on the reality series “MasterChef Junior.” Cruise reportedly got starstruck when she met Dakota Fanning there.
Suri’s exclusive inner circle also includes a few girls who share her taste in expensive accessories. In 2019, she and a pal were photographed carrying similar $385 Susan Alexandra handbags, per Page Six. A third friend toted an even pricier $2,295 purse by Mark Cross.
She got to introduce Taylor Swift at a holiday event
Speaking to Elle UK about her very “Gilmore Girls” relationship with Suri Cruise, Katie Holmes said of her daughter, “Every age that my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together.” Evidence of their complementary ages? A shared appreciation for Taylor Swift. An insider told OK! that Holmes befriended Swift when they worked together on the movie “The Giver” in 2014, and Holmes set up a surprise meeting between her daughter and the singer. “They spent an hour chatting that day, and Taylor still makes a point to spend time with Suri in New York City — whether it’s going to Katie’s for baking sessions or teaching her how to play the guitar,” the source claimed.
Cruise didn’t show off the results of those priceless guitar lessons from Swift at Z100 New York’s 2017 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, but she and her mom did introduce the singer. Their rare public appearance took place at Madison Square Garden, where Billboard quoted Holmes as saying, “She’s one of our favorite performers — and who is it tonight?” Cruise was given the honor of excitedly announcing Swift’s name, and she was dressed to impress the music star in a dark blue, star-spangled dress. Only a cool celeb Swiftie like Cruise wouldn’t need to be told, “You Need to Calm Down,” when getting the honor of sharing a stage with Swift herself.
Suri Cruise’s laidback lockdown with her mom
Suri Cruise and her mom got to spend even more quality time together than usual at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it sounds like Katie Holmes went out of her way to make sure that her daughter didn’t feel too isolated or scared. However, Holmes said that she and Cruise did isolate themselves from the rest of civilization by spending part of their lockdown somewhere near a lake. The idyllic location made Holmes want to watch one of the most iconic dancing scenes that actually takes place in a lake over and over again. “We probably watched ‘Dirty Dancing’ 10 times,'” she told Amazing magazine (via the Daily Mail).
Holmes and Cruise also had the time of their lives getting in touch with their crafty sides. “I painted, we had a sewing machine so we were making quilts, we were cooking; we were on a perpetual vacation,” she said. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Holmes explained why it was important to her to remain positive and upbeat. “I feel strongly that the power of your own attitude definitely influences those around you, including your children,” she said. Luckily, she didn’t have to feign her contentment, since she actually enjoys her daughter’s company. “I will say that this time of quarantine has been such a lesson, just really looking at everything you have and celebrating the simplicity of making dinner,” she added, noting that she prefers not to discuss Suri with the press.
Suri’s special contribution to one of her mom’s movies
In 2012, Tom Cruise told Extra that Suri Cruise was following in her daredevil dad’s footsteps by getting into gymnastics and swimming, skills that could greatly benefit any future actor who someday plans on doing their own stunts. But Suri didn’t make her movie debut playing a spy kid in one of Tom’s “Mission: Impossible” movies. Instead, at age 16, she showcased her vocal talent in her mom’s 2022 movie “Alone Together,” a rom-com set during the start of the pandemic. Suri can be heard sweetly singing the classic song “Blue Moon” at the beginning of the film. While Suri’s mom directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the movie, Holmes insisted that it was her daughter’s ability, not her blood bond, that got her the gig. “I always want the highest level of talent,” she told Yahoo! Entertainment. “So I asked her! She’s very talented.”
Whether Suri sets her heart on a singing career or chooses a different path, her mom will always be her loudest, proudest cheerleader, and she already knows that Suri has what it takes to accomplish almost anything she sets her mind to. “My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality,” Holmes told InStyle. “… She’ll pick an activity and work her butt off until she’s really good at it. Then she’s like, ‘Okay, I’m going to try the next thing.’ She’s very focused and a hard worker.”
