It’s safe to say that Hollywood has a longstanding history with nepobabies – with the likes of Brooklyn Beckham, Lily-Rose Depp, Zoe Kravitz and Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) all copping flak in the past for trading in on their famous surnames.
But there’s one rising star who ostensibly wants nothing to do with her patronym – nor with the famous father whom she previously shared it with. Step forward Suri Cruise, who, having turned 18 last month, has made visible steps to officially distance herself from her estranged dad, Tom Cruise, once and for all.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the aspiring actress and singer, who’s currently in her senior year of high school, had chosen to use the name “Suri Noelle” in the programme for a theatre production of the musical Head Over Heels – adopting her mum Katie Holmes’ middle name, Noelle. Already, by choosing the name Noelle, instead of Holmes, it’s clear that Suri wants to be judged on her own merits, and not on her family ties.
But, crucially, by dropping Cruise, Suri has officially cut any lasting links to the dad she never sees. While it’s not known whether Suri has made any legal moves to change her name for good, the fact is that turning 18 cast a significant line in the sand for her and Tom. He’s no longer liable to be paying child payments, which reportedly amounted to £318,000 a year, plus expenses including medical and educational costs. So, according to insiders, Suri’s decided to take the defiant step and tell the world – and Tom, 61, – that she no longer needs him in her life. Not as a father, and not as a leg-up in her aspiring film and TV career.
“She is a very talented actress, and Katie is nurturing her career and helping her to take the right steps to slowly build a resume that will get her the right sort of jobs,” says an insider close the mum and daughter duo, who live together in New York City. “Suri’s starting by taking on stage plays – that way she can work on her craft and really get her skills up by turning to TV and movies. This isn’t about a cash grab. The goal is to create a longlasting career that she can be proud of and, with her mum’s careful guidance, there’s no doubt she will make that happen. She certainly doesn’t need Tom’s help, nor his name, to make it as an actress.”
It’s safe to say that Suri’s family set-up looked very different when she was born in 2006. Back then, her parents were Hollywood’s most famous, and seemingly loved-up, couple, while her public debut at six months on the cover of Vanity Fair was one of the defining moments of the year. At the time, Tom gushed about his and Katie’s new arrival, telling the publication, and the world, “My whole life, I always wanted to be a father. I always said to myself that my children would be able to depend on me and I would always be there for them and love them – that I’d never make a promise to my kids that I couldn’t keep. I’m not one of those people who believe you can spoil a kid with too much love. You can never give a child too much love. There’s just no way.”
But six years later, the veneer of their picture-perfect family was torn apart, after Katie filed for divorce and moved to New York with Suri in tow – reportedly doing so to free herself and her daughter from the dogma and doctrine of Scientology. Tom himself later admitted as much, saying that “one of the assertions” of their split was that his ex-wife no longer wanted to live under the constraints of his beloved Church. In 2013, the Top Gun actor sued a magazine for reporting he’d “abandoned” his daughter, arguing he wasn’t able to see Suri because of his busy work schedule – but that was the last year he and Suri were ever photographed together. And as the years crept on, it became more and more apparent that they no longer had any relationship to speak of.
As for Katie, 45, she’s been largely focused on shielding Suri from the world’s scrutiny, and giving her as normal a life as possible. Last year, she said in an interview, “What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her. I’m very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She’s an incredible person.”
Katie’s also nurtured Suri’s interest in the arts – even featuring her singing voice in two of her movies, 2022’s Alone Together, and Katie’s 2023 directorial debut, Rare Objects. Our insider tells us that, while she’s never forced Suri’s relationship with Tom – nor forced her to distance herself from him – she’s gently supported any decision her daughter makes when it comes to her famous dad. And her recent decision to eschew his name on stage is no exception.
“Katie is so proud of Suri, and totally supports her in dropping the name Cruise,” we’re told. “If Tom wants to make an effort to be in her life again, things could change, but at this point the name weighs her down more than it helps her.”
Time will tell if Tom does indeed make steps in time to reach out to his youngest daughter, but Suri’s name change has made it crystal clear that the ball is firmly in his court. It certainly seems that, in the past few months, the actor has made steps to nurture former relationships in his life.
Last month, he reunited with David and Victoria Beckham at the latter’s 50th birthday party, putting an end to a feud that had broken out years ago after the couple rejected his repeated attempts to ingratiate them into the Church of Scientology. He was also pictured earlier this month with his older children, Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, at a hockey game in Florida – the first time the trio have been pictured together in 15 years. Sources have said this is an indication that the movie star is determinedly putting his family and friends first, having burned bridges in the past.
Whether that leads him back to Suri remains to be seen. In the meantime, her position is clear: she can make it in her own right.