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American Morning
Actor Tom Cruise Wearing Braces
Aired February 26, 2002 - 09:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's a Hollywood hot flash for you this morning: Actor Tom Cruise, it turns out, isn't perfect. You may not have noticed, but Cruise has a bit of a bite problem, and he's wearing braces to correct it, the see-through kind, we were told. It will be another year or so before he has them removed, which probably won't make Penelope Cruz very happy, the other Cruz in his life. Tom Cruise isn't the first celebrity to get wired.
Joining us now with more on that "New York Post" "Page Six" columnist Paula Froelich.
How are you this morning?
PAULA FROELICH, "NEW YORK POST": Fine, thanks.
ZAHN: You've had braces. I've had braces. You suffered for how many years?
FROELICH: Four.
ZAHN: I had it for 3 1/2 years. Still did the popcorn. Still did the bubble gum. Let's talk about Tom Cruise. Why does everybody care? Why is it such a big deal?
FROELICH: I think it's more of a personal...
ZAHN: Maybe he didn't want to torture himself when he was a teen.
FROELICH: I think it's more of a personal thing, because it was a small overbite.
ZAHN: Check this out, what is wrong with that smile, except he's not smiling there. Come on.
FROELICH: His children's orthodontist told him that there's something wrong.
ZAHN: That's how this happened, he went in when they were having some sort of an orthodontic appointment.
FROELICH: Absolutely. To our eyes, there's nothing wrong. However, to an orthodontist eyes, there was a slight disalignment, and he offered him braces. ZAHN: Now he's getting the invisible kind.
FROELICH: Yes, he is, which actually...
ZAHN: He always smiles. In all these pictures, he's always smiling.
FROELICH: I'm a little worried about the invisible kind, because when I was growing up the people who got the invisible kind tended to stain.
And you have to Abstain from coffee and everything else.
ZAHN: And then the food becomes more apparent on the brace.
FROELICH: Absolutely.
ZAHN: But it's very funny. I mean, this become big news. It was announced yesterday. Pat Kingsley, his rep, confirmed it, and said, when he films movie, the braces will come off.
FROELICH: Absolutely, because you can't have Tom Cruise wearing braces in movies.
ZAHN: Absolutely. Now he's not the first guy to have done this in Hollywood. Let's go down the list of people who've recently subject themselves to orthodontic hell.
Cher. We have some pictures of her. Of course you can't make out her teeth there. But I like the hat.
FROELICH: It's a great hat. She's always got great hats.
ZAHN: Kris Kristofferson, nice smile there. Kind of your Rhodes Scholar smile, which he was.
Cameron Diaz. I had forgotten that she had worn them. Does she wear the invisible kind?
FROELICH: I believe she did.
ZAHN: Heather Locklear. Lovely teeth.
Diana Ross.
FROELICH: Perfect smile.
ZAHN: Nice voice, too.
Barbara Walters. Where are those teeth, Barbara? Come on. I don't remember her wearing braces.
FROELICH: I think she also wore the clear kind.
ZAHN: Yes, and Prince Harry, one of the most photographed men in the world. He's not showing those braces in that picture, is he? Christina Ricci. And Jody Foster.
So is this supposed to be part of the Hollywood fashion statement now?
FROELICH: Well, I think more than the Hollywood fashion statement, it's more Tom Cruise is turning 40, and better that than plastic surgery.
We all go through our little phases, and if he feels that it's something he wants do to make himself look better and feel better, then go for it.
ZAHN: I actually think it's very positive, because this may be yet another reason to get your kid to go to orthodontist.
FROELICH: Hey, Tom Cruise is doing it.
ZAHN: Cher did it.
FROELICH: Let's just hope all of Hollywood doesn't start breaking out the clear braces. And let's hope Penelope Cruz doesn't do it. Can you imagine the whole kissing fiasco, you know, getting them locked?
ZAHN: I don't even want to go there, not at all.
Paula Froelich, thank you for bringing us up to date on the story. Believe it or not, there was huge news on the west coast yesterday. It took a while to get a confirmation that he had actually done this.
Tom, we thought you looked pretty good before the braces, too, but this is going to be a long process. I love the fact that he can take them off. I mean, I would have loved to have taken mine off during my school periods.
FROELICH: I wonder what that does to the alignment, because it loosens your teeth a bit when you put the braces.
ZAHN: I guess the orthodontist Figure that into the equation.
FROELICH: Yes.
ZAHN: Think about much better your junior year would have been if your orthodontist would have removed those braces for a year, and then put them back on.
FROELICH: But then I would have had to have them in college.
ZAHN: Forget that.
FROELICH: Thanks for dropping by, Paula.
ZAHN: Thank you. And nice to see you.
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