Unusual Aspects of Ana De Armas and Tom Cruise’s Growing Relationship That We Can’t Overlook

Though having different opinions on religion isn’t always a dealbreaker, it can make for some difficult conversations in a relationship, and we can’t ignore that Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas have very different religious upbringings. Cruise is an outspoken Scientologist and has been for years, while the “Knives Out” star was raised Catholic. 

Sources have suggested the couple’s religious differences are already causing conflict. “Ana is enamored by Tom but her friends are torn, and her family have concerns too … She knows her family wouldn’t approve, but she is her own woman,” a source told Daily Mail, noting de Armas had spoken about the potential problem with her nearest and dearest.

As relationship expert Natalie Lue told Vice, “Spiritual and religious beliefs are part of our core values.” So it may spell bad news if the two find their morals don’t gel as their relationship develops. “At the dating stage, we don’t usually think too deeply about how these will pan out, or sometimes we’ll even downplay the importance of them. But once you look at deepening the commitment and building your lives together, it’s possible to run into problems,” Lue added.

There are multiple celebrities who have forced us to confront our fascination with age-gap relationships and, in consenting relationships between adults, age can be just a number. But we can’t ignore that the odds are stacked against age-gap romances. Cruise was born in 1962 and de Armas in 1988, resulting in a 26-year age gap — and that could be detrimental.

Both are older, which means their age difference might have less impact than if de Armas was in her 20s, relationship expert and author of “Older Women, Younger Men: New Options for Love and Romance” Susan Winter exclusively told us when discussing 10-year age gaps. However, they still risk incompatibility. Oftentimes, the older person in the relationship may inadvertently (or otherwise) take on a guidance or mentor role, which could affect their dynamic. “While certainly the senior partner has had more life experience, this impulse can feel like control or manipulation to the younger partner,” Winter exclusively told Women.

There are plenty of other reasons why age-gap relationships don’t always work out. People in different life stages may discover their maturity levels vary, could find it difficult to relate to one another, or have different priorities. This could be particularly true for Cruise and de Armas, as he was a star before she was even born (“Top Gun” was released in 1986). And, though de Armas is famous in her own right, Cruise has much more star power and influence in Hollywood. He also has three children, while she has none, suggesting he’s had different life experiences.

Prior to sparking romance rumors with Tom Cruise, Ana de Armas was in a high-profile romance with Ben Affleck. But the two reportedly split over her desire to have children (Affleck already has three kids with his former wife, Jennifer Garner). “Ben is not in a place to start a new family,” one source told Page Six. Another added, “He would not commit to having more kids. She is in her 30s. It was a dealbreaker.”

The strange thing here is that Cruise has also publicly shared he doesn’t plan to have any more kids. “I’m so happy with three,” he told People in 2012, referring to his children Connor and Bella with his second ex-wife Nicole Kidman, and daughter Suri with his third ex-wife Katie Holmes. “I’m enjoying every second with Suri that I have. And I’m enjoying the relationship with my older kids, and the way it is right now,” he added. 

So, if de Armas wants to have children, it’s odd that she’d date someone who’s publicly stated his intention not to grow his family. Not to mention, Cruise was 62 years old when the two first started dating, and even less likely to consider welcoming a new baby than he was over a decade before they got together.