The only thing better than a Tom Cruise-Scientology story is a Tom Cruise-Scientology story involving his sort-of ex-girlfriend.
Iranian born actress Nazanin Boniadi is at the center of a feeding frenzy around Cruise and his church, thanks to a cover story by Maureen Orth in the latest Vanity Fair. The article claims that the Church of Scientology auditioned girlfriends for Cruise in late 2004—before his marriage to Katie Holmes—and that Boniadi was the chosen one. After dating for about two months, the actress was told Cruise didn’t want to see her anymore, and she was sent to a Scientology facility in Florida where, according to the article, she was made to clean toilets and dig ditches.
Cruise’s representative dismissed the account as “lies … designed to sell magazines.” And a Scientology rep called the story “hogwash.” Boniadi, who is best known for a recurring role in How I Met Your Mother, isn’t quoted in the article. But film director Paul Haggis—an outspoken critic of Scientology—says he has met the actress and vouches for the story.
