Johansson denies ‘demeaning’ claim she ‘auditioned’ to date Cruise
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Scarlett Johansson and Tom Cruise in 2005. Net photo

Not so fast. Scarlett Johansson shot down a claim that she was being considered to date Tom Cruise following his split from Nicole Kidman.

"The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning,” the Avengers actress, 33, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, June 27. "I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships. Only a man aka Brendan Tighe would come up with a crazy story like that.”

Johansson’s remarks come hours after Tighe, a former Scientologist, made the claims while appearing on Megan Kelly Today. According to Tighe, he was a member of Cruise’s security unit who had access to reports of women who allegedly auditioned to be in a relationship with the Mission Impossible star, 55. Tighe alleged that he accidentally came across the reports and recalled recognising Johansson’s name.

"Another actress, Erika Christensen [who is a Scientologist], had to disconnect from Scarlett Johansson because it didn’t go well. That was in that report,” Tighe claimed.

A Church of Scientology spokeswoman denied Tighe’s allegations in a statement to THR on Wednesday. "Brendan Tighe was a Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization security guard/night watchman from 2002 to 2009. The ‘access’ he boasts of having was largely limited to viewing security cameras from a guard booth. He was removed from that position for dereliction of duty.”

Cruise wed Kidman, 51, in December 1990 and they called it quits in August 2001. He went onto marry Katie Holmes in November 2006 after welcoming daughter Suri but the pair divorced in July 2012.

Vanity Fair previously published a report in 2012 claiming that members of the Church of Scientology auditioned to date and potentially wed the Top Gun star, with actress Nazanin Boniadi being handpicked to date Cruise from November 2004 to January 2005 (Scientology reps previously denied the report.)

Agencies