The Stunning Transformation Of Suri Cruise

On April 18, 2006, Suri Cruise was born in Santa Monica, California, to Hollywood superstar couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, at the time publicly known as "TomKat." Holmes had been previously told Seventeen magazine that she "used to think that I was going to marry Tom Cruise," so the public became enchanted as Holmes and Cruise, over the course of a year and some enthusiastic couch-jumping, eventually did begin to date in 2005. The couple quickly become engaged and announced they were expecting a child together in October 2005, according to People. Cruise was reportedly so excited that he even bought a sonogram machine in order to see baby Suri in utero.

The name Suri, according to Cruise in an interview with Vanity Fair, came from a baby-naming book, and means "red rose." CBS News reported that Suri was born weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long. 

"It was everything that we wanted it to be," Cruise said in an interview days after the birth with "20/20's" Deborah Roberts (via ABC News). "It was spiritual. It was powerful. It was indescribable. What words can you use? It's still something that I'm processing and keep reliving."

Throughout the course of their six-year marriage, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes became persistent tabloid icons — as did Suri Cruise. The family had the constant attention of paparazzi, whether they were walking down the street for a family outing in NYC or on the red carpet while promoting a film release. 

Suri quickly became a style icon — even before she could walk. By the time she was five years old, Suri had already accrued a wardrobe worth approximately $3.2 million, including $150,000 worth of shoes alone (as reported by the Daily Mail). Her collection included high fashion brands such as Dolce and Gabbana and Ferragamo. According to Marie Claire UK, Suri even became the subject of the eponymous "Suri Cruise Effect," in which parents were influenced by the chic wardrobes of A-list celebrity children and spent top dollar on the latest fashions for their own toddlers. The young influencer's parents generated media buzz concerning questionable fashion choices, including allowing Suri to dress in high heels and letting their young child wear lipstick and manicured nails. 

Tom and Suri Cruise haven't been seen in public together since a visit to Disneyland in 2012, as reported by Yahoo. According to Us Weekly, the "Mission: Impossible" leading man has the right to see his daughter up to ten days a month, but chooses not to, allegedly because of Holmes and Suri's distance from the Church of Scientology. According to Huff Post, Tom admitted that post-divorce, Holmes and Suri were no longer practicing Scientologists. 

In a deposition with Bauer Media, Cruise was asked whether he and the church considered Holmes a "Suppressive Person," or someone who tries to keep others down. "That is a distortion and a simplification of the matter. I don't want to just give an oversimplification of religious doctrine," Cruise said. According to Scientology expert Rick Ross, Church followers are taught to avoid Suppressive Persons (SPs) and "Potential Trouble Sources," (PTS). "Tom Cruise would not want to come in contact with an SP. And if he views his daughter as a PTS, which is very likely, he would not be that excited about dealing with her either," Ross told Hollywood Life.

In June 2014, InTouch reported that Cruise had not seen or spoken to his daughter in 1,000 days. In April 2019, an insider told Hollywood Life that Tom "still loves" Suri and that "Tom never intended to be estranged from his daughter," and "looks forward to repairing the relationship one day."

Suri Cruise turned 13 in April 2019, and was immediately labeled by ET Online as "One of Hollywood's Most Iconic Teens." Through glimpses of Suri's life on her mom's Instagram page, we can tell she's already becoming a stylish and confident young lady. The proud mama shared a rare video on her Instagram of Suri in black-and-white bounding through an empty street. In an interview with "Today," Katie Holmes said her parenting secret for raising a down-to-earth teen is to "listen" to her daily and "reward her for hard work." 

"I do a lot to put perspective on life," Holmes said. "We help out the homeless. We do small acts of kindness. I don't over-gift. I don't inundate my child with a lot of things. We're trying to raise good humans and some days we're better at it than others. We just focus on what she's passionate about and how you feel when you achieve your goals." She continued, joking, "I also demand a 100 on a spelling test!"

As an independent teen, Suri sightings are becoming more frequent in public as the teen explores NYC with her friends. According to Hollywood Life, Suri Cruise is looking more and more like her mom Katie Holmes every day — and becoming a Gen-Z style icon. During a visit to the Harry Potter store in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, Suri and friends were seen rocking Slytherin house colors and bringing back 2000s clothing staples like floral midi skirts and converse sneakers (possibly raiding her mom's "Dawson Creek" character Joey Potter's closet?). This wasn't the first time the young starlet stepped out in vintage threads: She's been spotted bringing low rider flare jeans back in style, too (per Hollywood Life). Holmes and Suri's mother-daughter bond is still going strong as well, with Momma Holmes showing off their adventures in tie-dye together on Instagram. 

"I love her so much. My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it. She came out very strong — she's always been a strong personality. She'll pick an activity and work her butt off until she's really good at it. Then she's like, 'OK, I'm going to try the next thing.' She's very focused and a hard worker," Holmes said in an interview with InStyle. 

Suri Cruise is Katie Holmes' mini-me. In 2023, Suri was photographed buying flowers on Mother's Day, and the young woman is the spitting image of her mother. Over the years, headlines everywhere have noted how similar the mother and daughter look to each other, but now that Suri is almost an adult, the resemblance is even more uncanny. The duo share the same long, chocolate brown hair, angel face, and sweet, signature smile. Even their eyes are similar shades of green, although Holmes' hazel eyes have a tint of brown, while Suri's are solid green. Suri is also almost as tall as her five foot, nine inches mother, beating her dad Tom Cruise's height before she even turned 18. Suri and Holmes also share the same slender physique.

On Holmes' birthday in December 2022, she shared a throwback picture of herself as a child on Instagram, and she looks exactly like Suri did when she was younger. In fact, if you didn't read the caption, you might have mistaken it for a picture of Suri.

Considering the outfits of Suri Cruise have garnered the attention of fashion blogs and enthusiasts alike, it's no surprise that the style icon is reportedly considering attending fashion school in New York City when she graduates from high school.

"Suri is applying to schools all over the place. [Katie] really does want her to stay in New York so they can be close to each other. Katie takes great pride in her but is also extremely overprotective," a source told Daily Mail. It's reported that Holmes is helping Suri with applications, while the only input her estranged father Tom Cruise will have is paying the college tuition costs as per the divorce agreement between him and Holmes.

Fashion school seems like the perfect choice for Suri, as she was already dishing out fashion advice to her mom at the age of four. "Like today I'm wearing brown suede pants, and [Suri] said, 'I don't like your pants.' But then she'll say, 'You've got to wear these shoes.' Or 'That's so pretty, Mom. Wear that.' She's got a great eye," Holmes told Elle in 2011 (via People). Suri's interest in fashion no doubt stems from her mother, whose name these days is more synonymous with fashion than it is acting. Holmes is always in attendance at fashion weeks, she's graced the covers of multiple fashion magazines, and even co–founded her own clothing label in 2008 called "Holmes & Yang." 

Growing up, Suri Cruise was one of the most photographed children of celebrities, which is why her mother Katie Holmes has made a concerted effort to give her a normal upbringing, as shielded from the Hollywood spotlight as possible. "What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her," Holmes told Glamour.

Of course, not many "normal" teenagers can say they've had their voice featured in their mother's films, but that's as much as Suri's been involved in Hollywood so far. "Other than that, she's a 16-year-old kid doing high school," Holmes told Yahoo Entertainment. Holmes has done a good job, when you consider the lavish lives and high-profile exposure of other celebrity children. We've seen Blue Ivy sing on stage with her mother Beyonce, we've watched the Kardashian children grow up on TV, and we've double-tapped countless pictures of Stormi Webster on her mom Kylie Jenner's Instagram page. Meanwhile, Suri is content taking her dogs for walks and watching "Dirty Dancing" with her mom like any normal teen. 

"My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now," the Dawson's Creek actress told Town & Country (via Page Six). "It's very important that I'm present and she has a stable, innocent childhood."