Chapter 245: Interesting Things, Scientology

In the original timeline, the movie Pearl Harbor starred Ben Affleck.

However, in this world, Ben Affleck's career was suppressed by Martin during his rise, and though he has since been forgiven, he missed many opportunities and is now just a third-rate actor.

Naturally, a big production like Pearl Harbor would not cast him.

On the other hand, Tom Cruise's performance in Top Gun made Michael Bay believe he was the best candidate for the lead role in this film. Coupled with DreamWorks' growing ambition and their willingness to meet Cruise's high salary demands, Spielberg persuaded him to take the role.

As a result, this movie, which originally had a production budget of $135 million, now had a budget of $190 million in this world. Tom Cruise himself also invested $50 million.

So, his anger was not just because of the film's failure, but also because of his failed investment.

After Tom Cruise left, Nicole picked up the phone and dialed out.

"Martin, where are you?"

"I just got back to Los Angeles. What's up, Nicole?"

Martin's calm voice made Nicole feel a little better.

"I'm feeling down. Come to my Malibu villa tonight and keep me company."

"Okay, no problem."

Night fell.

Nicole drove away from Tom Cruise's estate.

What she didn't notice was a car following her.

The black Honda sedan followed her all the way to her Malibu villa, where it parked just across the street.

Inside the car were a middle-aged white man and a young woman.

The middle-aged man, sitting in the driver's seat, was using a DSLR camera to observe Nicole's villa.

The woman, sitting in the back seat, was using binoculars to survey the passing cars on the street.

After a while, they both saw a black sedan pull up in front of the villa, and their faces lit up with excitement.

The man quickly aimed his camera at the black car, preparing to snap a picture of the person who would step out.

"Nicole really has an affair? Oh my God, no wonder Tom Cruise spent $400,000 hiring us! Who is in the car? Why aren't they getting out?"

"Shut up, get the camera ready," the middle-aged man scolded the woman.

The woman stopped talking and picked up the camera, aiming it at the black sedan.

However, they waited for a long time, and no one got out of the car.

After a while, the car door finally opened, and a handsome white man got out.

"F*ck, it's Brad Pitt! This is our big break!" The man excitedly clicked the shutter.

"Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise's wife are having an affair?! If this news gets out, it'll shock everyone!" The woman lowered her voice as she filmed Brad Pitt.

"Too bad we signed a confidentiality agreement. We can only give this information to Tom Cruise. Once he knows, he'll be furious," the man said, sounding a little regretful.

"Stop talking, someone's coming out of the villa."

"It's a woman, it must be Nicole. Quick, get the shot, make sure to get her face."

A moment later, the woman greeted the man inside.

"We're leaving!" said the middle-aged man.

"Don't wait for them to come out?" the woman asked in confusion.

"Who knows how long they'll take, they might even spend the night. Let's go give Tom Cruise the pictures we've already taken, and if he needs more, we'll come back to continue filming!" The man said.

"Okay!" The woman agreed.

On the balcony of the Malibu villa, Martin stood with a glass of red wine, leaning on the railing and gazing at the empty road lit by streetlights.

"Hey, darling, why don't you come inside?" Nicole hugged Martin from behind, pressing against him.

Martin felt her softness behind him and smiled. "I think something interesting is going to happen tonight."

"Really? I think so too."

Nicole's face was slightly flushed, whether from the alcohol or the mood, or perhaps a combination of both.

Martin turned around, gently kissed her on the lips, then casually placed the wine glass on the balcony railing. With a swift motion, he picked her up in his arms, startling her, and carried her into the house.

The moonlight was intoxicating, and the breeze was starting to feel enticing.

"Seventy-five million years ago, an evil overlord named Xenu ruled the galaxy."

"To solve the problem of overpopulation, he decided to use a DC-8-type spaceship to transport 135 billion people to Earth (then called Teegeeack), where they were placed into Hawaiian volcanoes and vaporized by hydrogen bombs."

"The souls of these aliens, known as thetans, entered human bodies when humans first appeared. This is the source of all human fears, confusions, and problems."

"For humans, in order to eliminate this state, thetans must be cleared through a treatment called auditing, which is the central practice of Scientology." [TL/N: Oh, ok.]

"Tom, your confusion and distress are because the thetan inside you has reawakened, and we need to conduct the auditing to clear it."

"When will my purification session begin?" Tom Cruise asked solemnly.

"Now!" said the auditor.

Just then, Tom Cruise's phone vibrated.

The Scientology "auditor" David Miscavige sighed and said to Tom Cruise, "Go take care of your earthly matters first, so you can fully immerse yourself in the auditing session later."

"It's about Nicole," Tom Cruise explained. "I've decided to divorce her, but I want the responsibility to fall on her!"

David Miscavige's eyes brightened, then quickly masked his expression, speaking in a melodramatic tone, "Nicole is a rebellious one. Your decision is the right one. It's because of her negative influence that you failed on Pearl Harbor."

"Auditor, you're absolutely right," Tom Cruise nodded in agreement.

"Go, do what you need to do."

"I'll be back soon."

David Miscavige watched Tom Cruise's retreating figure, his gaze filled with greed, longing, and excitement.

Nicole Kidman had long been antagonistic toward Scientology, often speaking against the church in Tom's presence. David Miscavige had been eager to separate her from Tom Cruise.

Especially after Nicole's public statement in 1998: "I believe in a bit of Buddhism, a bit of Scientology, but I've always been a Catholic. So, if you ask which religion I belong to, I can only say, mostly a Catholic."

Nicole's remarks distancing herself from Scientology had been seen by David Miscavige as a potential source of trouble.

Tom Cruise, after all, was the public face of Scientology.

Over the years, whatever Tom Cruise wanted, the church gave him—mansions, sports cars, movie contracts—all without question.

At the same time, Scientology had gained much from Tom Cruise, who had brought many influential and wealthy people into the fold.

David Miscavige had long desired to control this superstar more deeply, and Nicole Kidman was the obstacle.

A funny story:

Many people know that in the original timeline, David Beckham was a close friend of Tom Cruise.

However, sometimes Beckham and his wife were so annoyed by Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise once vowed to "bother" the Beckhams until they joined Scientology.

According to insiders, "Cruise once left 18 voicemails for Victoria Beckham within an hour, each one about Scientology. They were so annoyed!"

Victoria Beckham privately said, "Cruise has the thickest skin. I've told him repeatedly that neither David nor I will join Scientology, but he keeps bringing it up."

This shows how relentless Tom Cruise was in trying to recruit people into Scientology.