July 11, 2000
Neue Presse
"Scott makes it hot as hell for Cruise"

How seriously as an actor do you take a role in such a Popcorn film?
Popcorn?  The film script comes from nonetheless, Oscar winning screenwriter Robert Towne!

Does one become actually somewhat neurotic, if one sees oneself on a "M:I-2" electronic game?
A video game with my face on it doesn't bother me at all, it belongs to the kind of marketing of such large productions.  You become really neurotic, if you find your own life in the Internet.  People always ask me: 'have you really made this or that one?  it said so on the Internet.'  That is insane, ultimately nobody knows how many people believe all these stories on all these unofficial homepages.

What is the worst Internet rumor about you?  That you would be member of the Scientology sect? 
No comment (laughs).  Nothing that serious, rather strange things about films which I am to supposed to make, some of which I've never heard of. Actually I wanted to publish my own homepage.  However someone in America actually registered my own name.  Now I must go through the process in order to get my own name back.

Are you prepared for being a Star?
Well, a film which brings in 60 million dollars in the first four days, is already seen by very many people, who then suddenly know your face.  But my work is more important to me than the fame.  I want to always learn, I am also still interested in small, European productions.

Was Tom Cruise surrounded at the "M:I-2" filmshoot by the usual entourage of Scientology advisors?
Not at all.  I would have never noticed that he is a Scientologist.  Tom works normally and naturaly.  His door was always open with the (film) shooting.  Again, all those are rumors, of which nothing is true.  As for instance, that one may never look him in the eye - that is the worst, absolute rubbish!  I must know, I finally did it.