Secret Tom Cruise phone call that made Taylor Swift 'roll out the red carpet'... backstage meeting that left her 'overwhelmed'... and the one conversation topic that's totally off limits: Inside Hollywood's most A-list new friendship

When Tom Cruise popped up at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour stop in London in summer 2024, fans had one pressing question: 'Cruise is a Swiftie?'

It certainly looked that way when the Top Gun star joined Travis Kelce in the VIP section at Wembley, with the pair laughing, dancing and enjoying Swift's stadium-sized spectacle.

Nearly two years on, Cruise, 64, has gone from surprise Eras attendee to Swift's wedding guest and game-day companion, joining her in an NFL suite Monday to cheer on husband Kelce - weeks after celebrating the couple's Madison Square Garden nuptials.

Cue the internet's wildest theories - and, in some corners, criticism - about the unlikely pairing: a hush-hush business venture, a Days of Thunder sequel cameo, or Cruise pitching Scientology to pop's most powerful woman. 

But the Daily Mail can reveal Cruise and Swift are more than just a savvy photo opportunity: they have formed a genuine friendship in the wake of that London show. 

'Since then, they've got close,' an insider said. 'They hang out together when they're in the same city. On the surface they seem like they're worlds apart, but they're really not.'

Their bond has only strengthened as they have discovered they share a rare understanding of life at the very top.

'They have so much in common and they both get what they each have to deal with in life,' the source added. 'Taylor learns so much from talking to him, and Tom loves seeing everything she does and appreciates her artistry.'

Another insider put it more bluntly: the pair 'speak each other's language' because they are both famous on a frankly absurd global scale.

'They really understand each other,' the source added.

And, as with most good Hollywood origin stories, it began with a phone call - in this case, Cruise's team ringing Swift's people to secure seats at one of her London shows.

'When Taylor's reps heard Tom's people had called for tickets to one of her concerts in London a couple of years ago, she rolled out the red carpet for him,' the insider said. 'She made sure he had one of the best seats in the house.'

It appears the singer was not entirely immune to a little movie-star awe herself.

'She admits she was overwhelmed when he came backstage after the show to tell her how amazing she was,' the source said. 'She grew up watching his movies and was a big fan.'

But the person who helped turn a glamorous backstage hello into a lasting friendship was Swift's husband.

'Travis is also a huge fan of Tom's action movies. Tom's a big football fan. That's really what brought Tom into Taylor's world,' the insider said.

'He knew Travis, but it was kind of from afar. They've now become good buddies.'

That is particularly useful timing for Kelce, 36, who has been quietly building a second act beyond the gridiron.

The Chiefs tight end made his acting debut in Ryan Murphy's Grotesquerie in 2024 before popping up alongside Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2 - and, according to the source, he has no plans to stop at a couple of cameos.

'Tom can help Taylor's husband Travis get a foot in the Hollywood door,' the insider said. 'Travis very much wants to work in Hollywood either as an actor or host, or maybe even both. He feels he has a chance and has the look for it.'

And Cruise may even be able to find Kelce a suitably fast lane.

'Tom will open doors for Travis, and Tom may even give Travis a role in Days Of Thunder 2, which would be a great fit,' the source added.

So, while the internet's theories may have overshot the mark, the Days Of Thunder chatter was not entirely plucked from thin air. 

The insider said Cruise and Swift did discuss the newly announced Days of Thunder sequel, which will see the actor back as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle - this time opposite Anne Hathaway, not his original co-star and ex-wife Nicole Kidman. 

'Their conversations were pretty innocent, but it's almost impossible for business not to come up,' the source said. 'It wouldn't be surprising if their friendship eventually became a business collaboration, with her potentially recording a song for Days Of Thunder, which was brought up in the box on Monday night.'

Even their brief televised exchange had fans trying to decode every word. 

Lip-reader Nicola Hickling claimed Swift could be seen saying: 'It's the structure of the entire infrastructure of the audience that's what I love in a positive way.'

The first portion of Cruise's answer was obscured as ESPN cut away, according to the lip-reader, who then interpreted the actor as saying: 'You may not know it, but you do have a job.'

Still, the source suggested neither star was entirely blind to the upside of two of the most recognizable faces on the planet sitting together in an NFL suite.

'They are friends, but of course they also wanted to be seen together because of the media attention,' the insider said.

'They might both find themselves nominated for an Oscar early next year, so don't be surprised when this friendship turns into something awesome professionally for them both.'

For Swift, that dream would be a first Academy Award nomination for I Knew It, I Knew You, the original song she co-wrote for Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5. 

An Oscar win would put the Grammy- and Emmy-winning star one Tony away from an EGOT - the entertainment industry's most exclusive four-award club.

Cruise, meanwhile, is entering a very different kind of awards-season moment.

His next film, Digger, is due in cinemas on October 2. Directed by four-time Oscar winner Alejandro G. Inarritu, it casts Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an oil baron whose own actions help trigger an environmental catastrophe.

It is a far cry from the usual run, jump and hang-from-the-side-of-an-airplane Cruise assignment.

The star has spent four decades as one of Hollywood's most durable action stars, grossing more than $13 billion worldwide and collecting acting Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, as well as a Best Picture nomination as a producer on Top Gun: Maverick.

But Digger is also a risky dramatic pivot for Cruise - his first non-franchise film since 2017, with the actor buried beneath heavy prosthetics as an eccentric billionaire. 

And there are already whispers that the $200 million gamble may struggle to win over audiences: its first trailer drew relatively modest YouTube traffic compared with rival autumn releases, while many online viewers were more fixated on Cruise's unrecognizable new look than on the film itself. 

But Cruise is certainly doing his bit to sell the new era.

The actor stripped off for a smoldering GQ cover shoot this week, posing in an unbuttoned black shirt and jeans while promoting Digger in his first cover story for the magazine in 20 years.

A source previously told the Daily Mail that a new romance would not exactly hurt the publicity push - but, for now, Cruise is said to be flying solo.

Fresh from turning 64, the ever-youthful star has no glamorous leading lady on his arm, despite renewed whispers linking him to Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova after their brief 2023 romance.

His former flames, however, have moved firmly into their own next acts.

Ana de Armas, his most recent romance, has been packing on the PDA with musician Beto Montenegro. Katie Holmes, 47, is loved up with artist Jason Bard Yarmosky, nine years her junior. Kidman has enjoyed time in Portofino with new beau Michael Reinstein, while Penelope Cruz has been married to Javier Bardem for 16 years.

Which brings the story back to Swift - and why being seen beside her is, at the very least, an exceptionally canny bit of A-list optics.

'Tom wants a younger fan base because there is a lot of pressure for his movie Digger to do well at the box office,' the source said. 'He wants it to be a success and he wants an Oscar nomination for it.'

'So hanging out with Taylor Swift is a very savvy move because she is the most powerful star at the moment with the under-40 set. Meeting up with Taylor at the football game was a smart move because all of her fans will now look into Tom and his work.'

Swift, the source said, was more than happy to help a friend.

'They have been friends for years, so she was happy to help him get some more press.'

But no good deed goes unpunished - particularly when it involves the internet, a Chiefs suite and Scientology's most famous member.

Some fans criticized Swift for sharing the box with Cruise, a high-profile Scientologist. The church has long faced allegations from former members and critics involving abuse, forced labour and harassment; it disputes such allegations.

The backlash also revived discussion of Cruise's relationship with his daughter Suri, whom he shares with ex-wife Holmes, who left Scientology following their 2012 split.

Cruise has not been publicly photographed with Suri since 2012, and longstanding reports have said the pair are estranged.

The source, however, insisted Scientology does not feature in Cruise and Swift's conversations.

'Neither of them talk about Scientology,' the insider said.

Suri, 20, has adopted the name Suri Noelle, using Holmes' middle name rather than Cruise.

The name change drew comparisons with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children. Five of their six children have dropped Pitt's surname; their eldest son, Maddox, was reported to have legally changed his name this week.

The family rift has remained under a spotlight since Pitt and Jolie's 2016 split, following allegations that Pitt was physically and verbally abusive towards the children. Pitt has denied the allegations and investigators found no sign of abuse. 

That background fed a separate strand of online reaction, after fans noted that Pitt was also among the guests at Swift and Kelce's Madison Square Garden wedding.

One Reddit user captioned a photograph of Swift and Cruise in the suite: 'Taylor Swift palling around with Tom Cruise, Scientology's most high-profile member, whose daughter Suri severed ties and dropped his last name. Reminiscent of Taylor inviting Brad Pitt to her wedding, whose children have also cut ties and dropped his last name.'

Pitt was not the only wedding guest whose presence would later raise eyebrows.

Cruise was also there, but any social-media grumbling appeared to be the furthest thing from his mind as he made the rounds among the newlyweds' A-list crowd. 

'A lot of people were surprised when they saw Tom at Taylor and Travis' wedding,' the insider said. 'He was mingling with everyone and seemed like he was having the best time.'