Seth Rogen has recalled a “bizarre” conversation with Tom Cruise in which the actor reportedly attempted to pitch to him the benefits of Scientology.

The spectacular confrontation occurred in 2006, when Rogen and Judd Apatow were summoned to the “Top Gun” legend’s Los Angeles estate to talk comedy, the Canadian says in his new collection of essays, “Yearbook.”

The reunion took place while Rogen was filming ‘Embarrassing Mess’ with Apatow, and around a year after Tom Cruise was mocked and scrutinized for his mental health following his interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which he leapt on a sofa.

Suri, Cruise’s daughter with then-wife Katie Holmes, was born shortly after the visit. Holmes, according to Rogen, “had a vague ‘please rescue me from this place’ look on her face.”

After Apatow arrived, the three got down for a four-hour talk about movies. His directing credits include “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Funny People.” The topic then moved gradually onto the public’s opinion of the superstar.

“There is a coordinated effort to make me look that way,” Cruise revealed. When asked who was behind it, Tom boldly stated, “The pharmaceutical industry because my exposure of their fraud has cost them so much money that they are desperate. They are struggling and doing their best. to discredit me so that it does not hurt sales further.”

Then Rogen gently inquired, “Did Big Pharma make you jump on Oprah’s couch? ” Cruise explained that the recording had been edited “to make it look a lot worse than it was. They do that all the time. You should see it! What do you do to my friend Louis Farrakhan! ”

Tom Cruise’s public image got battered when he enthusiastically jumped on Oprah Winfrey’s couch.

The Superbad star stated that Cruise then began to discuss the attractiveness of his faith with him and Apatow, stating, “It’s like with Scientology. If you let me just tell you what it was really about… just give me like 20 minutes to really just tell you what it was about, you would say, ‘No f***ing way. No f***ing way.’”

What was Seth’s reaction to the pitch? “The wording, I was like, ‘Is that a good thing to be saying?'”

Seth and Judd exchanged glances, and Seth was concerned about the result of the crucial moment. “Is he gonna bite? Am I gonna bite? Can we come out of this? Are we strong enough to have him do this to us and not be converted?” Seth reflected of his state of mind at the time. “I don’t know if I am. I’m generally a weak-willed, weak-minded person. I would assume on the grand scale of people, if they got [Tom], what chance do I have?”

Apatow is credited with intervening and changing the subject, according to Rogen.

“Thank god Judd was like, ‘Eh, I think we’re good. Let’s just talk about movies and stuff,'” Rogen narrated. He went on to explain that he was “relieved” that he wasn’t there by himself.

“If I was there alone, I would be singing a very different tune right now,” he told the radio presenter.

Both Rogen and Apatow, according to Rogen, respectfully refused Cruise’s offer of a free Scientology introductory course and left.

Cruise is one of Scientology’s most renowned believers, calling the religion “beautiful.” He has been a member of Scientology since 1986, when his first wife, Mimi Rogers, introduced him to the organization.

Seth Rogen began his career as a stand-up comedian before landing a role in Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks. He then appeared in films such as Knocked Up, Superbad, Steve Jobs, and the television series Preacher. Seth Rogen recently voiced the role Allen the Alien in the 2021 film Invincible.