"Vanity Fair's story is essentially a rehash of tired old lies previously run in the supermarket tabloids, quoting the same bogus 'sources.' It's long, boring and false," Tom tells The Hollywood Reporter in a statement issued by his lawyer Bert Fields.
In the shocking story, Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi allegedly passed the first stage of the audition and dated Tom in November 2004. Their relationship went well until he started having a series of complaints about her including her reluctance for PDAs.
She was reportedly kicked out of Tom's house and ended up being forced to scrub toilets with a toothbrush, clean bathroom tiles with acid, dig ditches in the middle of the night, and sell Dianetics on street corners after telling a friend about her relationship with the actor.
While the Church dismissed the allegations, the rumor kept persistent after a second source, Haggis, testified that the story was indeed true. The former Scientologist said he kept silent in the past years because "Naz was embarrassed by her unwitting involvement in this incident and never wanted it to come out."
"The last thing she wanted or needed is this kind of publicity, but here it is, and I am sure she will deal with it with the same grace and dignity she exudes in her daily life. I'm appalled that any church would treat its parishioners this way, but Naz has never cast herself as a victim. She is strong and resilient and I am very proud to call her a friend."
