Cruise Tells Lauer: I Was Arrogant
Tom Cruise
Three and a half years after calling Matt Lauer "glib" on live television, Tom Cruise returned to Today Monday morning to offer his apologies and clear the air.
"It's not what I had intended," Cruise told Lauer. "In looking at myself, I thought, 'Man, that came across as arrogant.' ... That's one of those things you go, OK, I could have absolutely handled that better."
During a June 2005 appearance, Cruise angrily lashed out at Lauer after the host brought up the topics of the use of anti-depressants and psychiatry.
Looking back, Cruise — who adds that he's not done publicly speaking about Scientology — says it wasn't his stance that was the issue, but rather his failure in expressing his point of view in a proper manner.
"I thought I didn't communicate it the way that I wanted to communicate it," he said. "And that's also — that's not who I am. ... That's not the person that I am."
Though it took three years for the two to reunite, on screen at least, Cruise and Lauer made peace a long time ago, stressing that the interview is not a "Rocky 2." In October, the Valkyrie star made a surprise appearance at the Friar Club Roast of Lauer.
"There was no animosity," Lauer said. "As a matter of fact, at the end of the interview, we got up and shook hands and put our [arms] around each other."
