Scientology Lies

Tom Cruise's faith in Scientology was nurtured at a secretive Southern California desert compound that catered to the actor's needs around the clock, a newspaper has reported.

Long before Cruise jumped onto talk-show host Oprah Winfrey's couch or blasted Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants, the Hollywood star undertook intensive study and counseling at the compound in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday, citing present and former Scientologists.

Behind the guarded gates of the 500-acre compound near Hemet, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, Cruise had a personal supervisor to oversee his studies in a private course room, ex-members said.

Cruise stayed at the resort for weeks at a time, arriving by car or helicopter, the Times reported.