She is the new star of hit TV show Homeland, but Nazanin Boniadi already has a claim to fame.
The Iranian-British actress, who debuted in the show in the US on Sunday night, was chosen to become Tom Cruise’s third wife by Scientology chiefs back in 2005 before Tom married Katie Holmes.
The then 23-year-old and was allegedly told she had been “chosen for a mission” and was “going to save the world”.
Nazanin, who plays a Muslim CIA analyst in the show, was secretly chosen to date then 43-year-old Tom who met Katie Holmes later that same year.
Nazanin’s relationship with Tom was exposed by journalist Maureen Orth. In her Vanity Fair article, Maureen revealed that the pair dated between November 2004 and January 2005, after Scientology officials auditioned “dozens of young women” to be Tom’s bride and she was chosen.
“[She] was told that she was being chosen for a mission that was really going to save the world,” Maureen told a TV interviewer. “That she was going to be meeting dignitaries, that it was very important that she look good, and be worldly.
“And she had no idea, when it began, that she was going to end up meeting Tom Cruise.”
At the time Nazanin, who is no longer a scientologist, was allegedly ordered to leave her boyfriend and taken to New York, where she met the Hollywood megastar.
The pair began a relationship and moved in together, but after unintentionally insulting a church leader, she found herself out of favour with the actor.
Following their split, Nazanin was allegedly sent away to the Scientology facilities in Clearwater, Florida.
Maureen’s claims were strenuously denied by the Church at the time her article appeared.
“The entire story is hogwash. There was no project, secret or otherwise, ever conducted by the Church to find a bride (audition or otherwise) for any member of the Church. Never,” the Church of Scientology said in a statement.
“The allegation and entire premise of the Vanity Fair article is totally false. Like clockwork, stories about this ‘phantom’ audition surface in the tabloids every few months. We have been denying this ridiculous tale now since it first appeared in print FOUR years ago.”
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