Rebecca De Mornay reflects on relationship with 'Risky Business' co-star and ex Tom Cruise

Rebecca De Mornay is opening up about her former relationship with Tom Cruise, expressing admiration for the actor and their early days together. In a recent interview with Page Six while promoting her new thriller Saint Clare, the 65-year-old actress spoke warmly about Cruise, whom she dated for nearly three years after meeting on the set of Risky Business in 1982.

“I’m really, really proud of him,” De Mornay said, acknowledging Cruise’s extraordinary rise to Hollywood superstardom. The 1983 film, which launched both of their careers, remains a cultural touchstone, and De Mornay credited Cruise’s drive and vision even back then. “He is a brilliant interpreter of the zeitgeist,” she added. “We started this together and look what he did with it.”

De Mornay reflected on their differences, likening Cruise to a “major chord” and herself to a “minor chord,” noting that his career path fulfilled what America wanted, while she pursued more unconventional and gritty roles after Risky Business. Her filmography includes Runaway Train, Backdraft, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and a role in Marvel’s Jessica Jones.

Now, De Mornay appears in Saint Clare, a dark thriller starring Bella Thorne as a serial killer with a fixation on Joan of Arc. De Mornay said she was drawn to the project by its unique perspective. “It’s very rare that I read scripts about a female serial killer who’s obsessed with Joan of Arc,” she explained. “I just wanted to be a support to this project.”

Despite the film’s violent themes, she admitted she didn’t initially associate it with real-life figures like Jeffrey Epstein. “I never even thought of that… it’s freaky that that would come into it,” she said.