By now you've undoubtedly seen "The Video" (on the off chance you haven't, Gawker still has it up), in which it is established beyond all reasonable doubt that Tom Cruise, the once-irresistible leading man from such American classics as Top Gun and Risky Business, isn't playing on the same field as the rest of us. But where exactly is he playing? How did this happen? Is there any hope for him? For these answers and more, we chatted with Scientology expert Rick Ross, the founder of the Rick Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults, Controversial Groups and Movements.

Radar: So what's the first thing that strikes you about this video?
Ross: It reveals the extent to which Tom Cruise views everything in the world through the lens of Scientology. He is totally and completely indoctrinated. He sees himself as the chief visionary of Scientology, and it's obvious that the Church perceives him that way, too. He's essentially become their number-one missionary. What's shocking is how fully the line between "Tom Cruise the person" and "Tom Cruise the Scientologist" has been erased.

As evidenced by his reliance on all the lingo—KSW, SP, PTS ...
Right. All of those acronyms are what I call "thought-terminating cliches." They are typically used by individuals who've been brainwashed, or are otherwise involved in cultlike behavior. Tom is not critically thinking. He is repeating over and over the dogma that has been drilled into him. He's a cheerleader, not a theologian. His single-mindedness is striking.

Why is he so giddy? It's totally creepy.
You have to remember that this is a recruitment tool that was not supposed to be seen by the general public. He's laughing, having a good time, having fun because he is a movie star and can afford to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to reach OT3 status, which is when you get to learn about the "incident" with Xenu and the intergalactic overlord and all that other nonsense hardcore Scientologists believe. He is trying to entice others to do the same. Remember, he's still Tom Cruise.

What was with that bit about him being the only person in the world who could help if you were in a car accident?
He's referring explicitly to "Touch Assists," wherein Scientologists believe that they can heal injured individuals simply by putting their hands on people. They even have "Volunteer Ministers" who show up at the sites of major disasters (9/11, the Virginia Tech massacre) wearing bright yellow vests trying to "address trauma." That's why he thinks that he's the only one who can help.

Is there any way we can make him normal again? We kind of like the old Tom Cruise!
It would be very, very difficult, for one reason: He actually thinks he is normal. Scientology has so consumed his life that he's living in a double cocoon: Not only is he separated from the public at large by his celebrity status and wealth, but by Scientology as well. You look at him and see a crazy person. He looks at you and sees someone who has yet to come around to Scientology. That's why he makes that remark about there one day being a world in which you can only find SPs (suppressive people) "in the newspaper." His goal is for everyone on Earth to attain "Clear" status—the mindset in which you have no unwanted emotions—so that they can then progress to Operating Thetan status. Nothing can deter him from this.

Which is why he makes that statement, "I have to do something, because I can't live with myself if I don't."
Right. He has cast himself as the number-one agent and face of Scientology in the world. He now lives, breathes, and thinks it to the degree that many would describe him as being "brainwashed."

Would you?
Yes.