TBT: Mimi Rogers Said Ex-Husband Tom Cruise Was Considering "Becoming a Monk" (2024)

ICYMI — or are just having a hard time remembering — Oscar-nominated actor Tom Cruise and actress Mimi Rogers dated in Cruise'spost-Cherand pre-Nicole Kidmandays. The pair met in 1985 — although how, exactly, is up for debate — and married in 1987, marking a first for Cruise and the second marriage for Rogers. The pair later finalized their divorce in 1990.

During the course of their relationship, theRisky Businessstar andThe Rapturestarlet spoke highly of each other when giving interviews and confidently stepped out in public as each other's arm candy (not everyone can pull off T-shirts tucked into Bermuda shorts with ease). However, as with any couple, Cruise and Rogers had their ups and downs. Throw in the pressures of Hollywood, and it would eventually prove all too much for the actors.

Here's a look back at Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers's relationship.

1985: Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers first meet

In 1986, Cruise, then 23,toldRolling Stonehe'd met Rogers, then 29, "at a dinner party about a year ago" when he was developing the originalTop Gun.However, the courtship wasn'tquiteas simple as a young Cruise introducing himself and asking to date Rogers. The actor said Rogers "was dating a friend" at the time.

"I thought she was extremely bright," Cruise recalled to the publication.

Rogers remembered things differently,tellingSun Sentinelthat she and Cruise had been introduced by mutual friends.

"I wasn't seeing anybody, he wasn't seeing anybody, and they thought, 'These people should be going out with somebody — let's see if they want to go out with each other,'" Rogers told the newspaper. "And we said, 'Aw, what the heck. OK.'"

May 9, 1987: Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers get married

The idea of marriage was introduced quickly, but given the magnitude of Cruise's stardom following the success of the blockbuster Top Gun, the couple referred to their wedding by an ominous title: "The Project." Rogers, a second-generation Scientologist herself, is believed to have been one of Cruise's first links to the polarizing belief system.

In May 1987, Cruise and Rogers executed their, uh, project and tied the knot,according toPeople.The Mighty Ducksactor Emilio Estevez was Cruise's best man at the "very small, intimate and beautiful" event. Interestingly, nearly one year before Cruise and Rogers wed, he toldRolling Stone,"I don't know if I could get married."

Rogers spoke fondly of Cruise in their years together."There's a lot of contentment and security (in marriage)," shetoldChicago Tribunein 1988. "I highly recommend it.''

December 9, 1989: Tom Cruise files for divorce from Mimi Rogers

According to Andrew Morton'sTom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, the actor filed for divorce on Dec. 9, 1989. Production onDays of Thunder(starring Cruise and his future wife, Kidman) began just two days later. In 1995, Cruisedescribed toVanity Fairhis reaction to meeting Kidman as "instant lust."

Morton cited a statement made by Cruise and Rogers to address the announcement of their split in January 1990: "While there have been positive aspects to our marriage, there were some issues which could not be resolved even after working on them for a period of time."

Ironically, just days before news of Cruise and Rogers's split broke, theRain Manstar insisted that (despite tabloid conjecture) he "couldn't imagine being without" his then-wife. "Since I've been with her, it's opened me up a lot," herevealed toRolling Stonein 1990. "I think it's helped me be a better actor. We live a lot of life together. We share everything. That's the best thing about life. Otherwise, you go through it pretty sad and lonely and angry." At the risk of laying it on too thick, Cruise added, "I care about my wife more than anything in the world. She's my best friend. I just really like being with her, you know? I love her."

February 1990: Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers finalize divorce

After finalizing his divorce from Rogers in February 1990, Cruise and Kidman reportedly wed in December. The actortold Barbara Waltersin 1992 that he and his ex hadn't spoken "in a couple of years," though he did "wish her well."

In 1993, theBoschstar spoke toPlayboy,per E! Online, and made some interesting comments about her ex."Here's the real story," she reportedly told the publication. "Tom was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. At least for that period of time, it looked as though marriage wouldn't fit into his overall spiritual need. And he thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument."She also mentioned that her own instrument "needed tuning."

Rogers was candid about the trouble of being married to one of the most famous men in the world.

"You cease to be an individual," shetoldPeoplein 1995. "No matter what the article is, it's 'Tom Cruise's wife ...'" Rogers added that she was waiting for the moment when she didn't "have to talk about that [blankety-blank] name anymore."

Though, in 2001, sheexplained toThe Telegraphthat "stardom wasn't really a problem" in their marriage."What did annoy me was the age thing," she added. "Every six months, [the press] seemed to add another year to my age. If we were still married, the press would have me in my 60s by now."