Leaders at the church are claimed to have become angry with the actress after discovering she had convinced her then husband to distance himself from the organisation
The breakdown of the marriage of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was orchestrated by the actor’s furious Scientology bosses after they branded the actress a ‘potential trouble source’.
A controversial documentary makes the astonishing claims exposing the alleged use of aggressive intimidation tactics to force the Hollywood couple apart.
Leaders at the controversial church are claimed to have become angry with Kidman after discovering she had convinced her then husband to distance himself from the organisation between 1992 and 2001.
The film, called Going Clear, is based on the book by journalist Lawrence Wright which exposed the secret religion claiming it abuses its members.
But the movie’s creator Alex Gibney now makes a number of alarming revelations including allegations the group used aggressive intimidation tactics to force the A list couple apart.
The pair pictured together in 1994 ( Image: REX)
Marty Rathbun, formerly the second highest-ranking official, claims he was assigned to “facilitate the breakup” because the head of the church, David Miscavige, was suspicious of Cruise’s second wife.
The Moulin Rouge star, 47, was identified as a ‘Potential Trouble Source’ as her Australian father was a psychologist.Rathbun suggests the campaign to cause the marriage break up began when Miscavige grew angry at Cruise.
The Top Gun star, 52, was due to be his best man but kept failing to return his calls during the filming of Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.
Other allegation include claims that the actor had his movements psychoanalysed at all times.
Church investigators then passed their dossier to Miscavige who the film claims is believed to have condemned Cruise for his “sexual festishes”.
Rathbun goes as far to say the Church ‘re-educated’ Cruise’s adopted children, Connor and Isabella, in order to turn them against their mother in a bid to make Cruise’s custody case stronger.
Tom Nicole Kidman with children Connor and Isabella ( Image: Rex)
Before Going Clear was premiered on Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the makers HBO hired 160 lawyers to look through the film.
It is expected to be aired on US television on March 16.
After it was screened Gibney said he hopes it will lead to more investigations and reports into Scientology.
He told America’s Variety magazine: “We hope that this film and Larry’s book will start the process where more media will say well we don’t care anymore.
“We’re going to pursue this no matter what.”
The movie received a standing ovation when it finished with Spiderman star Tobey Maguire and Alec Baldwin in the audience.
According to the credits at the end of the film, Cruise and Kidman refused to be interviewed.
Cruise pictured last year on set ( Image: Getty)
The pair divorced in 2001 and following the split, Cruise became more active in the church receiving its Freedom Medal of Valour in 2004.
After the film was shown the Church of Scientology issued a statement attacking the film.
It read: “Despite repeated requests over three months, Mr Gibney and HBO refused to provide the Church with any of the allegations in the film so it could respond.
“Their sources are the usual collection of obsessive, disgruntled former Church members kicked out as long as 30 years ago for malfeasance, who have a documented history of making up lies about the Church for money.
“The Church is committed to free speech. However, free speech is not a free pass to broadcast or publish false information.”
