We need some backstory before we can get into this. In 2012, after Katie Holmes left Tom Cruise, Vanity Fair published a story, by Maureen Orth, about Tom’s “secret wife auditioning process” before he and Katie started dating. It was revealed that actress Nazanin Boniadi was chosen by the Church of Scientology and then trained for the role for three months. Most of the sourcing for the piece came from ex-Scientology members and Nazanin’s story was corroborated by Paul Haggis who’d also recently quit Xenu. 

The following year, in 2013, Lawrence Wright (who’s won a Pulitzer) wrote a book called Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief (which was later adapted into a documentary for HBO). In the book, Lawrence includes details about how the Church allegedly auditioned several well-known actresses to be Tom’s girlfriend including Jessica Alba, Kate Bosworth, and Scarlett Johansson. 

The Church of Scientology, as you’d expect, has long denied these allegations. 

Yesterday, Brendan Tighe, a former Scientologist, was on Megyn Kelly Today and he was asked about all the Tom Cruise rumours and he mentions that he heard about Scarjo and that her audition “didn’t go well”. 

Scarlett then issued a statement in response to Brendan’s claims: 

“The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning. I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships. Only a man aka Brendan Tighe would come up with a crazy story like that.”

She’s right. It’s gross to suggest that a person would have to audition to be in a relationship. That’s why these reports, all the reports about what really goes on inside Scientology, which are coming from people who’ve left the church and are exposing its secrets (including Leah Remini who’s been winning awards for exposing Scientology secrets), have gotten so much attention. Because it’s a shocking practice, if true. 

So… can both things be true? 

Is it possible that Tom Cruise and the Church were auditioning girlfriends for him but that the women who were being auditioned didn’t know? Is it possible that Scarjo auditioned to be in a movie when she was also, unbeknownst to her, also being considered for the off-camera part of Tom Cruise’s Girlfriend? 

Because Brendan Tighe aside, it’s kinda hard to discount Vanity Fair and Maureen Orth, and Lawrence Wright, and Paul Haggis, and Leah Remini. Scarlett Johansson is saying she had no interest in being Tom Cruise’s girlfriend and that she never auditioned for the specific purpose of being his girlfriend. I believe this. But it’s also the only specific conclusion I can take away from her statement. You?