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BIZARRE footage of Tom Cruise staring down journalist Peter Overton goes viral 17 years later

The clip from 2005 shows Cruise telling Overton to put his manners back in after a string of questions about his former wife, actress Nicole Kidman

A 17-year-old interview where Tom Cruise stared down '60 Minutes' journalist Peter Overton has suddenly gone viral with more than 2.1 million views. The clip from 2005 shows Cruise telling Overton to put his manners back in after a string of questions about his former wife, actress Nicole Kidman.

The interview, which took place four years after the couple's divorce, shows Overton asking Cruise, "Was Nicole the love of your life?" The 59-year-old actor looked unsure and asked, "What do you mean?" The interviewer said, "You were married for ten years--" when Cruise interrupted and added, "Listen, we've raised children, you know. How do you answer that question? She's someone that I plan on getting married again."

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After a string of questions, when Overton asked, "Do you have a relationship where you talk-- it's a parenting relationship-- and talk professionally about each other's--" Cruise interrupted, "Here's the thing: You're stepping over the line. You're stepping over the line, you know you are." The journalist said, "I suppose they're questions that people want to know..."

Cruise cut him off and added, "Peter. Peter. You want to know. Take responsibility for what you want to know. Don't say other people, this is a conversation that I'm having with you right now." The actor concluded while staring down at Overton, "So, I'm just telling you right now, okay, just put your manners back in." When the journalist asked, "Do you think I was out of line?" Cruise quickly responded, "Yes, absolutely." Overton then issued him an apology as the clip ended.

Twitter users were divided over Cruise's reaction and had mixed responses. One user tweeted, "Tom has issues but he's not in the wrong here. Folks get on here everyday to rt quotes about setting boundaries then are shook when they see it actually happen. Being a celebrity doesn't mean people are entitled to know every detail of your life." Another said, "He's a scary individual."

A third wrote, "This is the kind of assertiveness and boundary setting I strive for as an adult. I want to be kind and respectful but for people to know I'm not to be played with." While a fourth user felt, "this man is unhingedness personified oh my god," a fifth added, "So this has gone viral from 05. I'm sorry but @TomCruise was honest and handled this like a grown-up. If a journalist asks personal questions like this you don't walk off or scream for your publicist, you tell them it's inappropriate."

While one user said, "he's so terrifying to me i don't believe he's real," another felt, "I'm confused why some people are trying to drag Tom Cruise for this, I feel like this is a more than reasonable response and much nicer than how most of us would've handled it lol." A third commented, "Everyone like 'valid response but so scary. He's a serial killer!' But like this is regular behavior? Like an incredibly normal and quite a polite way to correct someone. Idk what scary about it."

A fourth wrote, "they don't make sociopaths like this anymore." A fifth added, "Tom Cruz demonstrates how to deal with manipulative questioning and boundary crossing. Watch what he does here, it's worthy of imitation. Don't consent to other people crossing your boundaries." A sixth said, "This man always been scary like a villain who try to show emotions he doesn't have."

Overton spoke about the incident during a 2020 interview with 'The Kyle and Jackie O Show'. Host Kyle Sandilands asked, "What were you thinking back then? When you're being rubbished on camera by Tom Cruise? Are you thinking to yourself, how do I look respectful, but also still in charge of the interview?" Overton explained, "I just maintained who I am, and I didn't get angry. He did. And I just kept true to myself and said it's a fair question. I hold no ill will towards Tom. It was one of those moments."

Cruise met Kidman in 1989 while filming 'Days Of Thunder' and the two got married on December 24, 1990. They adopted Isabella Jane, born in 1992, and Connor Antony, born in 1995. In February 2001, Cruise filed for divorce from Kidman.

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.