Cruise Vacation
Jan 07 2009
Scientology's Money Trail
You didn’t have much shelf life as a studio executive. You’ve been criticized for putting only two movies (Lions for Lambs and Valkyrie) into production at U.A. How do you respond? Look, I don’t pay any attention to critics. I know who I am. I know what I did. Those 18 months at U.A. were about putting together a management team, building an infrastructure, securing financing, creating a label, and creating a development slate with top talent. I’m really proud of that.
You still own a piece of U.A. Will you and Tom Cruise collaborate in the future? Absolutely. We are talking about four or five pictures together. How are Wall Street’s troubles affecting Hollywood? Fewer movies will be made. And I think that’s good. Every single weekend, movies are cannibalizing themselves. We’re in an era now where less is more. Make fewer movies. Make them better.
If fewer movies are going to be made, you’ll be affected too. Will you be forced to change course? I have been strictly in the movie business, but now I’m looking at crossover. The industry needs brands. I’m looking at theater. I have things I’m not ready to announce.
You were the third female talent agent at Creative Artists Agency and the second to have a child. What pressures did you face? A woman had to be far better. When I got pregnant, I didn’t tell anyone until five months in. I worked until 7 p.m. on a Friday, went into labor on Saturday, and had a C-section on Sunday. On Monday morning, I was making a deal from the hospital bed.
What else have you been up to since you left U.A.? I read medical books as a hobby. I love the New England Journal of Medicine. If I start to get stressed, I pick up a medical book and I feel a lot better.
Really? Why? I’m always analyzing cause and effect. And I’m fascinated by longevity. Somebody said to me, if you can make it through the next 20 years, you can live to 120.
Looking back, were you surprised when you heard that Viacom’s Sumner Redstone fired Cruise in 2006? I don’t look in the rearview mirror, except to adjust my makeup. That’s a joke!
