Tom Cruz. It’s been a pretty busy couple of weeks for the movie star. His relationship with Katie Holmes spawning a thousand tabloid headlines. He came here to our studio on Thursday for a freewheeling discussion. In the first part of our interview, we talked about his new love and his new movie as his fiance looked on.

 Anything at all interesting happening in your life these days? N you know, same old same old same old. You know what? Same old you know what. How are you handling this? I mean, every magazine, every newspaper, every entertainment show I What’s it like for you to be to be living through this right now? I have to tell you, it’s uh it’s just a great time in my life.

I’m really happy. I’m engaged. I’m going to be married and uh I can’t restrain myself. You know, you got it’s like you have two little cords on your cheeks and your teeth just keep showing, which is great. Congratulations. I was thinking about it. On the one hand, it’s got to be a little hard to see yourself everywhere splashed across the pages.

Another aspect of this though is how many actors 20some years into a career can generate this kind of interest still? You know, I just do what I do. I love making movies and I feel privileged to be able to do that always. And it’s something that uh I’m just living my life. We’ll talk about life in a second.

 Let’s talk about the movie though. Okay. War of the Worlds. I mean, I’ve always been fascinated by this whole concept, the we are not alone in a big way concept. Do you remember your first exposure to it? To the story? I remember uh I was a kid uh and I heard about the Orson Wells radio play. It was my first exposure to the story.

 This is not just an alien movie. The the story breaks down on a lot of different levels. And in one one of the levels, your character is a father. Mhm. Not the best father in the world. When we were working on on the story originally three years ago, Steve and I came up with this idea of making it about a family. It’s okay. Want to go inside? It’s okay.

 Huh? I want to go inside. Okay, you go ahead. That’s enough weather for me. I want to go by myself. And so now he is forced in these circumstances to rise to the occasion. Come on. Like the 4th of July. No, I thought who say? I just think it’s a it’s very human. I think that, you know, you’re a father. Sure. I’m a father.

 You know, I always wanted to be a father. You know, remember when you first held your child was like tremendous sense of responsibility, life changing. Yeah. And we talk about it, but and I and I even, you know, not until you experience it can you really know it. Uh, and so that that’s I wanted I wanted to imbue this story with that journey.

 Get down. Just get down. Get down. Get down. [Music] Is this a scary movie in the traditional sense of Hollywood? Scary. I think it’s in the in in Spielbergian. Scary. Is that a word? It now is. I think, you know, you you Stephen’s movies are films that I I tease him because I say, you know, I know your movies better than you, you know, because I I know I’ve studied his edits so many times.

 I’ve studied his movies. For Steven, it’s not analytical. He’s just creating uh and he has a tremendous power because he understands the medium and he’s just that great great storyteller. I think he’s the greatest storyteller cinema has ever known. Let’s talk about selling this movie. So you’ve just toured basically around the world getting the story of War of the Worlds out there and at the same time you’ve got this great thing happening in your personal life that has become the subject of so many headlines and and stories. Any fear on

your Is it really? Yeah. From what I’ve seen, you want to count 3,4 Are you serious? Is there No, I made that up. Is there any fear in your part that what happens personally overshadows the movie? No, it never does. What’s You know, does it help the movie? I don’t know. You know what? It’s it’s it comes down to the movie.

 It always comes down to it. You are being so much more open. You’ve been on this show in the past at times where you were in other relationships and I’d kind of broach the subject of a personal life and you would very gingerly steer it away. That was how we came to know Tom Cruz. And now you’re saying, you know what, I’m okay with it.

 So, it is a ch it does seem like a different guy. Yeah, but it’s still they were still writing it. You got to understand all that stuff was they’d still write it. They’d still talk about it. And and the thing is is that I still feel that I always feel I will talk about what I feel what I want to talk about and I won’t talk about what I don’t want to talk about.

 And it just doesn’t matter. comes down to the movie, you know, and I also feel Matt, I’m living my life and and and I feel uh man, I feel fortunate, you know. I’m I feel really fortunate and I’m excited. you. But you just you just said something that made me think about something. And if you get out there and talk about it, it kind of takes away a lot of their power to make stuff up, doesn’t it? Because you’re telling the real story.

 Where does it leave them to go? Yeah. But here’s the point. It’s I I don’t even get into that game. I’m just living my life, man. It’s not It’s something that uh I’m just living my life and and I’m doing the best that I can and doing it in a way that I feel is is right. Uh, and I think that when I like hearing good news, you know, I like hearing, you know, if something good happens to you, it’s nice.

 I I like sitting here talking to you. I mean, before we, you know, you’re, you know, it’s it’s I like hearing good news from people. And it’s something that I’m happy. So, if you like hearing it, you must want to share it, too. Yeah. And you know what? And I think it’s I I don’t have any problem with So, when you hear the cynics, Mr.

 Cruz and you’ve heard him who say this is publicity for a movie this relationship or this is Tom Cruz in his in his 40s trying to become or stay relevant for a younger audience and that’s why he’s out there talking about this relationship with this lovely young lady who happens to be sitting right over there.

 How do you respond to that? You know what? There’s always cynics. There’s there’s always has been. There always will be. Do you laugh about it or just bug you? No, you got to just I I have never worried, Matt, about what other people think and what other people say. Katie, close your ears for a second. Okay.

 You You have said that Katie is the real thing. She is sensational. She’s magnificent. Can you explain to me what she’s brought to your life that hasn’t been brought to your life in the past? You know, I don’t want to compare things. I just say you know no because you know it but but what it is it’s that thing where you just in life when it just happens man you know it just you meet someone and it’s I can’t even describe it.

 Katie has mentioned that she is embracing or at least exposing herself and opening herself up to Scientology. At this stage in your life could you be with someone who doesn’t have an interest? You know Scientology is something that you don’t understand. It’s like you could be a Christian and be a Scientologist. Okay.

Scientology is something. So it doesn’t replace religion and it is a religion because it’s dealing with with with this the spirit. You know, you as a spiritual being and it’s something that there’s tools that that you have that I can actually that you apply to your life. Coming up, the mood changes a bit. You’re going to see a fiery Tom Cruz talk about his attack on Brook Shields, anti-dopressants, and rolin for kids.

Here’s a sneak peek. It’s very impressive to listen to you because clearly you’ve done the homework and and you know the subject and you should and you should do that also because just knowing people who are on RIN isn’t enough. You should be a little bit more responsible in knowing prescribing rolin Tom and I’m not asking anyone else.

 It gets a little testy and you’ll see that coming up in our next half hour. And the tone of the discussion took a turn. I’ve never agreed with psychiatry ever. uh before I was a Scientologist, I never agreed with psychiatry. And then when I started studying the history of psychiatry, I started realizing more and more why I didn’t agree with psychiatry.

And as far as the Brook Shields thing is, look, you got to understand, I really care about Brook Shields. I I think here is a a wonderful and talented woman and uh I want to see her do well. And I know that uh psychiatry is is a pseudocience. But but Tom, if she said that this particular thing helped her feel better, whether it was the anti-depressant or going to a counselor or a psychiatrist, isn’t that enough? Matt, you have to understand this.

 Here we are today where I talk out against drugs and psychiatric abuses of electric shocking people, okay? against their will of drugging children with them not knowing the effects of these drugs. Do you know what Adderall is? Do you know Riddlin? Do you know now that Ridland is a street drug? Do you understand that? The difference is this was not against will asking you a question.

 Madam asking you a question. I understand there’s abuse of all of these things. No. You see, here’s the problem. You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do. Aren’t there examples and might not Brook Shields be an example of someone who benefited from one of those drugs? All it does is mask the problem, Matt. And if you understand the history of it, it masks the problem. That’s what it does.

That’s all it does. You’re not getting to the reason why. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance. So postpartum depression to you is is kind of a little psychological gobbly goop. No, no, I did not say that. I’m just asking what you what would you call it? abs that Matt that is that post now now you’re talking about two different things but that’s what she went on the anti-depressant for but what happens the anti-depressant all it does is mask the problem there’s ways of vitamins and through exercise and various things I’m

not saying that that isn’t real that’s not what I’m saying that’s an alteration of what what I’m saying I’m saying that drugs aren’t the answer that these these drugs are very dangerous they’re mindaltering antiscychotic drugs and there are ways of doing it without that so that we don’t end up in a brave new world.

 The thing that I’m saying about Brooke is that there’s misinformation. Okay. And she doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry. She She doesn’t understand in the same way that you don’t understand it, man. But a little bit what you’re saying, Tom, is you say you want people to do well, but you want them to do well by taking the road that you approve of as opposed to a road that may work for them. No. No, I’m not.

 Well, if if anti-depressants work for Brook Shields, why isn’t that okay? I I disagree with it and I think that there’s a higher and better quality of life and I think that promoting for me personally, see you’re saying what I can’t discuss what I want to discuss. No, you absolutely can. But Matt, you’re going in and saying that that I can’t discuss that.

 I’m only asking isn’t there a possibility that do do you examine the possibility that these things do work for some people that yes, there are abuses and yes, maybe they’ve gone too far in certain areas. Maybe there are too many kids on rolin. Maybe electric shock kids on rin I’m just saying but but aren’t there examples where it works? Matt Matt, you don’t even you’re glib.

 You don’t even know what rin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt. Okay, that’s what I’ve done. And you go and you say, “Where’s where’s the medical test? Where’s the blood test that says how much RIN you supposed to get?” You’re you’re it’s very impressive to listen to you because clearly you’ve done the homework and and you know the subject and you should and you should do that also because just knowing people who are on rin isn’t enough. You should

be a little bit more responsible in knowing you’re not prescribing rolin Tom and I’m not asking anyone else to do I know some people who seem to have been helpful. I but you’re saying but it’s like this is a very important issue. I you know what and you’re you’re here on the Today Show and to talk about it in a way of saying well isn’t it okay in being reasonable about it when you don’t know and I do I think that you should be a little bit more responsible in knowing what it is because you you communicate to people but you’re now telling me that

your experiences with the people I know which are zero are more important than my experiences. What do you mean by that? You’re telling me what’s worked for people I know or hasn’t worked for people I know. And I’m telling you I’ve lived with these people and they’re better. So you’re you’re advocating it.

 I am not I’m telling you in their case in their individual case it worked. I am not going to go out and say get your kids on riddle and it’s the cure all and the end all. Matt, but here’s the point. What is an ideal scene in life? Okay. Uh ideal scene is someone not having to take antiscychotic drugs. I would agree.

Okay. So now you look at and you go, okay, a a departure from that ideal scene is someone taking drugs. Okay. And then you go, okay, what is the theory and the science behind that that justifies that? Let me take this more general because I think you and I could go around in circles on this for a while and and and I respect your opinion on it.

 Do you want more people to understand Scientology? Is that would that be a goal of yours? You know what? I absolutely of course you know how do you go about that? You just communicate about it. And the important thing is like you and I talk about it whether it’s look if I want to know something I go and find out because I don’t talk about things that I don’t understand.

I’ll say, “You know what? I’m not so sure about that. I’ll go find more information about it so I can I can come to an opinion based on on the information that I