When Tom Cruise tried to recruit David Beckham to Scientology

Have you been absorbed into the life of David and Victoria in the new four-part documentary ‘Beckham’ being shown on Netflix? If so, there is a chance you have had your eyes opened to the ups and downs of their incredible life to date, and the people that they have engaged with across that time.

Becks was a rock star of the world of football, obsessed by Manchester United, driven by England dreams, and an utter refusal to ever give up even when things got to the lowest points imaginable for him. But one aspect of his life not covered in the short series was his invite into Scientology from one of the biggest names in Hollywood: Tom Cruise.

The Mission Impossible star tried to recruit David and Victoria for the Church of Scientology, something that was revealed by Mike Rinder, who was a senior official of the cult, in his book ‘A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology’.

What is Scientology and why was Beckham targeted?

Scientology is a kind of hybrid between the devotion to the empirical and the religious. It has often been classified as a sect due to its secrecy and absolute dedication on the part of its faithful followers, including the actor Cruise.

The main objective of Rinder’s work was to expose the abuses of authority by the institution, as well as to narrate his departure from the cult. However, what has attracted the most attention has been the exposure of a particular public image strategy, in which its followers seek to popularize their beliefs among their friends so that, in the end, they join them.

To illustrate this point, Rinder gave the example of the time Cruise tried to recruit the Beckhams.

Tom Cruise’s Scientology promise to recruit David Beckham

To persuade one of the most powerful couples in the celebrity world at the time, Cruise made a tempting promise to the player: an offer to build a stadium in the organization’s headquarters, in California, so that Beckham would have a place to train “normally.”

Tom “was doing his best to court celebrities other than those with whom he was working on films,” wrote Rinder. “Perhaps the most famous were David and Victoria Beckham.” Although in the end it never succeeded.

“A professional-grade soccer pitch was constructed on the property at Gold [HQ in San Jacinto]. The ground was leveled, irrigation installed, perfect turf, goals raised. A full-time caretaker was appointed from the Gold staff.

“It was built for one purpose only: so Tom Cruise could woo his friend David to come to Gold. It never happened.”