Say, Has Anyone Seen Tom Cruise?

For a man who is among the best-known humans in the world, the question is surprisingly difficult to answer: Just where does Tom Cruise live? And it is the one Caity Weaver sets out to answer in a wildly entertaining piece for the New York Times Magazine. Cruise, you may be surprised to learn, has not given a substantive interview to a journalist in more than a decade. Which is part of the reason nobody seems to have any idea where he lives. As in, nobody's even sure in which country he lives. Weaver's sleuthing brings her in contact with a Brazilian woman "who is quite possibly his most dedicated fan in the world" and who agrees to an interview on the condition she not be named. The problem is, the super fan doesn't know where Cruise lives either, but she notes he seems to spend "most of the time" in Britain.

That syncs with a tantalizing snippet that appeared in a British tabloid about Cruise owning a home in the small British town of Biggin Hill, near an airport. Weaver sets out to explore herself, getting directions from a man in pub to a massive estate she finds only after getting hopelessly lost in the woods. Is it Cruise's place? Probably not. But maybe? He's not the owner of record, but the owner of record won't respond either which way. The story, though, is not just about the hunt but a reflection on Cruise's odd type of celebrity. After plugging his movies on the world stage, he vanishes. "In disappearing the moment his work is through—always, like Santa Claus, with the promise of return—Cruise retains the mystique that so many Hollywood stars have lost this century." Weaver's full story is worth a read. (Or check out other longform stories.)