Tom Cruise braces himself for a sparkling future

LOS ANGELES--The first thing you notice about Tom Cruise as hewalks into a hotel suite for an interview is his teeth. He's wearingbraces--plastic on top, metal on the bottom--that he'll have on foranother few months.

Why does someone with a picture-perfect smile feel the need toimprove it (particularly given that he's turning 40 soon)?

"My upper teeth were coming down hard on my lower teeth, and theywere kind of fracturing my lower teeth," explains Cruise. He speakswith a slight lisp, owing to the new hardware. "I couldn't close mymouth."

Cruise long suspected he had a problem with his teeth but didn'tpay attention to it until he took his kids to the orthodontist forbraces. "The dentist looked at my teeth and said, 'You've got aproblem,' and I said, 'I know.' I figure I'm asking my kids to do it,so what the hell. I'll give it a go."

Cruise has taken into account that the correction may alter hisfamous smile, but he's willing to accept the risk. After all, thesuccessful actor has been all about taking risks in almost everyaspect of his life.

"I'm an active person," says Cruise, sporting slightly mussedshort hair and a three-day beard growth. "I fly airplanes. I climb."Indeed, his adventurous spirit leads him to do most of his ownstunts.

In his newest film, a futuristic mystery-thriller called "MinorityReport," he plays John Anderton, the leader of an elite JusticeDepartment unit called Pre-Crime. Using "pre-cogs," a trio ofpsychics who have the ability to see future murders, Pre-Crime tracksdown, arrests and convicts would-be killers before the deed can bedone.

Emotionally distraught over the loss of his child, Anderton hasthrown his passion into a system that could potentially sparethousands of people from the tragedy he lived through. He hascomplete faith in the system until he becomes a target of the Pre-Crime team. Cruise leads a cast that includes Colin Farrell, SamanthaMorton, Max von Sydow and Tim Blake Nelson.

As the father of two, Cruise connected with the emotional aspectof the story. "I always felt that [the story] should start out with acharacter that's had a loss," he says. "That was kind of mycontribution, the part about a loss of a child."

Cruise first read the script, based on a short story by renownedsci-fi author Philip K. Dick, when he was making "Eyes Wide Shut." "Ithought it had great potential for a movie that had wonderful twistsand turns. And yet there is also this other wonderful layer of thefuture," says Cruise, a fan of the science-fiction genre.

Cruise was intrigued with the idea and decided to go for it. Heparticularly relished the opportunity to work with director StevenSpielberg. "Steven's imagination and ability to tell a story is juststaggering," the actor gushes.

Spielberg incorporated futuristic props and tools that could beused in crime prevention in 50 years. For example, there's the "sickstick," a sort of billy club that induces suspects to vomit when theyresist arrest.

While he admires some of the gadgetry--like the suspect-seekingmechanical spiders--Cruise says the film has a cautionary messageabout society's reliance on technology. "Look at what's happeningtoday," he observes. "In terms of privacy issues and what we're allgoing to be asked to give up.

"I was reading the other day on the Internet that there's thisscientist who developed a program that could predict human behavior.I think they're going to test it in airports to spot terrorists. Andit's all done on computer.

"I'd like a system in place that would prevent crimes, preventterrorism, certainly. But when you look at the freedoms you have togive up, that is something that I think people should be more awareof, the ramifications of that."

Living in the public eye for half of his life, Cruise has had toforfeit more than his share of privacy. The past year has beenparticularly difficult. His messy divorce from actress Nicole Kidmangrabbed headlines. His subsequent relationship with Penelope Cruz,his leading lady in "Vanilla Sky," has kept him in the spotlight.

"Obviously, what happened last year was the toughest time in mylife," Cruise remarks. "But it is what it is. I have a blessed life.I have the opportunity to do something that I love and to keep doingit. So I'm not someone who talks about stuff like that."

Though his relationship with Cruz is still going strong afternearly a year, Cruise dismisses marriage rumors. "She's a lovely andwonderful person, and I am enjoying the time we have together," hesays of the stunning Spanish actress. "But we have no plans formarriage right now."

Still, Cruise says he's a romantic at heart and will likely getmarried again someday. "I enjoy that relationship," the twice-married actor says. "Despite everything's that happened, I have noregrets with Nic and I."

Cruise says his recent divorce and the publicity surrounding ithave made him wiser, giving him a greater appreciation for life.

Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in Syracuse, N.Y., Cruise spentmuch of his childhood moving from place to place with his divorcedmother. He made his movie debut at 18 in 1981's "Endless Love" andgained further attention that year as a psychotic cadet in "Taps."His breakthrough role was in 1983's "Risky Business," then he soaredas a flying ace in the highest-grossing film of 1986, "Top Gun."

Cruise is proud of the fact that his films have all beenmoneymakers. "I haven't lost a studio money ever," he states proudly."Eventually it's going to happen, but so far I haven't been in thatsituation. I give it everything I have. That's all I know how to do."

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