Unit 50
　　Face to Face with Tom Cruise
　　Change terrifies most of us. Not Tom Cruise. Want proof? His dad abandoned his family, and he grew up poor. He couldn't read, and teachers said he was dyslexic. But he stayed close to his mum and sisters, and turned himself into the biggest movie star in the world. He appears to thrive on pressures and responsibilities, getting up every morning, putting on his million-watt smile and going at life hard.
　　This is Tom Cruise we are talking about, one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. But when he was born in 1962, he didn't have money, influence or famous friends. What he had was Mary Lee, his tough, optimistic mum, and a determination not to be just a good-looking average Joe. Cruise worked hard, moving to New York, then Los Angeles, to begin acting, and then created a wonderful life for the two kids he adopted with actress Nicole Kidman, whom he divorced in 2001. That leads to one of the next big things Cruise would like to change: his status as a single guy.
　　The following is an interview given by Reader's Digest.
　　RD:Were you always close to your sisters?
　　Cruise:Always. Bing raised with women, I saw their side of things. I got an understanding.
　　RD:You seem to have a real respect for women. What is it that you like so much about them?
　　Cruise:They smell good. They look pretty. I love women. I really do.
　　RD:What do you think your strength is as a parent?
　　Cruise:Everything! I'm a great parent. I want to be with my kids. They are happy. They get to do all the stuff I wanted to do when I was growing up.
　　RD:What do you want your children to learn about life?
　　Cruise:I've told them anything is possible. I started them when they were young, first swimming, then riding, hiking, climbing. It's giving them confidence to learn, to put in them a sense of integrity, sympathy and understanding.
　　RD:Do you want to be married again and have more children?
　　Cruise:Yeah, yeah. I love kids. And I'd like to get married. I like being in a relationship.
　　RD:So how does Tom Cruise, single guy, find a girlfriend?
　　Cruise:They call me up.
　　RD:How is it going?
　　Cruise:I'm dating, but I don't have a girlfriend.
　　RD:And you're confident you'll find somebody?
　　Cruise:I have to. There has to be that woman out there. I want to be with someone who's going to be a lot of fun. Someone who doesn't mind traveling, loves kids, loves a lot of activities. Someone I can really trust, someone who can really communicate, someone who enjoys life.
　　RD:You reconciled with your father before he died. What was that like?
　　Cruise:I saw him right before he died. So I don't fell regret. You look at people in his position, and you feel bad for them, for what they missed in life. I understand what he was going through.