Hollywood actor Tom Cruise is on the hunt to buy a luxury holiday home in Malta but has given his agency something of a mission impossible: The home must have a 200 square-metre living room. Cruise… who will be in Malta at the end of next year to shoot his own film, is not fond of renting property
Sources said the famous actor fell in love with the island earlier this year when he paid a secret two-day visit to his A-list friend Brad Pitt, who was filming World War Z. Together with Angelina Jolie and their six children, Mr Pitt had stayed in the Guarena Palace, an 18th century fort-like villa in Qrendi, which he rented for the summer.
However, Mr Cruise, 49, who will be in Malta at the end of next year to shoot his own film, is not fond of renting property. Instead, he plans to buy himself a home which he can use while filming but keep in the future as a holiday home.
Sources said Mr Cruise enrolled Alessandro Proto Consulting, a real estate agency based in Milan, which has already helped the star buy property in Italy and London. The company has also worked with Mr Pitt and Leonardo di Caprio in the past.
When contacted, a spokesman for the agency confirmed Mr Cruise’s interest to buy a house in Malta but refused to give more details. However, sources said an agent will visit the island to scout for the right home in the coming weeks.
The actor, who is also known for his faith in the controversial Church of Scientology, is said to have “no budget limit” but a number of specifications for his island retreat. At the top of his list is “privacy”.
However, he also wants six bedrooms, a swimming pool and a gym, as well as a massive living room; almost as big as a tennis court. In 2007, Mr Cruise bought a $35 million mansion in Beverly Hills, where he lives with his wife Katie Holmes and their five-year-old daughter Suri.
The year before, Mr Cruise topped Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list and was reported to earn €67 million a year.
Last year, his ranking fell to 56th place and his pay was reported to have dropped to a still healthy $22 million. His net worth was last estimated to be $250 million. The star, mostly known for the Mission Impossible film series, Jerry Maguire, Top Gun and Vanilla Sky, is said to have four new films in the pipeline: Horizons, We Mortals Are, One Shot and Rock of Ages.
Source: TimesofMalta.com
