HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — He has written biographies of high-profile people from Princess Diana to Madonna, so author Andrew Morton is certainly no stranger to tabloid-style tell-all books. But his latest work, "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography," just might be his juiciest work yet.
In the biography, Morton explores the actor's love life, rumors about his sexuality, his connections to Scientology and his family.
"This book has taken me two years to research and write, and what surprised me was the number of people who — in spite of possible intimidation by Tom Cruise and his organization — were prepared to speak to me on the record, to stand up and be counted," Morton tells TodayShow.com.
According to the New York Daily News, the Cruise camp and the Church of Scientology are considering a $100 million lawsuit over the publication of the book, which includes several startling revelations.
Among them, that the "Top Gun" actor tried wooing Jennifer Garner at one time. Morton writes that Cruise left messages on the "Alias" star's voice mail in 2004 asking "if she knew what freedom was," but his advances were rebuffed.
However, it's the Scientology portion of the book that is receiving the most attention. Morton claims that after talking with former Scientology members, he learned that Cruise is Scientology's de facto "second in command."
It's a claim that the controversial religion has denied: "Insinuations that Mr. Cruise is second-in-command of the church are not only false, they are ludicrous," according to a statement from the Church of Scientology. "Mr. Cruise is a Scientology parishoner and holds no official or unofficial position in the church hierarchy."
Other claims in Morton's book include:
Some Scientology followers wonder if Katie Holmes, Cruise's third wife, was impregnated with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's frozen sperm. "In her more reflective moments, Katie might have felt as if she were in the middle of a real-life version of the horror movie 'Rosemary's Baby,' in which an unsuspecting young woman is impregnated with the devil's child," Morton wrote.
Scientologists are to blame for the breakup of Cruise's marriage to his second wife, actress Nicole Kidman. "The fear was that a lukewarm Nicole could fatally compromise Tom's commitment to his faith," Morton says in the book.
Cruise's latest mission is to recruit soccer player David Beckham and his wife, Victoria.
The book also claims that Holmes signed a contract to commit to Scientology and that her father brokered a high-paying pre-nup. Holmes was not asked about the book's claims during her recent promotional appearances on "Good Morning America," "Live with Regis and Kelly," or "The Late Show with David Letterman."
"I soon discovered that his life, his very persona, is inextricably linked to his faith and that he lives and breathes his religion," Morton said. "It means that he feels able to criticize someone like Brooke Shields from what he feels is a position of absolute righteousness.
"He believes, as do others in his organization, that he has a monopoly on truth and wisdom, that he is the authority on the mind, on health, on education. This certainty, coupled with an inability to brook any criticism, has shaped the man we see today."
Writing such material about the famous actor was not without its share of threats Morton says.
"I remember a self-styled private detective in Los Angeles saying to me: 'Do you want a piece?' And I said, 'A piece of what?' He replied: 'A gun — to protect yourself from Scientology goons.
"It was a little unnerving, and I declined. It was all the more unnerving, as I had just been warned in no uncertain terms by a former Scientologist that it was, and I quote, 'less risky to sandpaper a lion's ass than to take on Scientology.' "
Morton's biography on Cruise hit U.S. newsstands today.
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