New Homeland star Nazanin Boniadi 'vetted by Scientologists to become Tom Cruise's wife'

Homeland's Nazanin Boniati, who plays CIA agent Fara Sherazi (Getty Images)

Homeland’s newest recruit has already undergone a secret mission of her own, having reportedly been vetted by Tom Cruise to become his Scientologist wife.

Actress Nazanin Boniadi, 31, who plays CIA analyst Fara Sherazi in the news series of Homeland, was one of dozens of women screened by the Church of Scientology to find a suitable wife for Cruise.

Boniadi, a former Scientologist, was singled out by the Church because of her petite figure and medical degree, according to an article in Vanity Fair.

She had a short relationship with the actor in 2004, before he dumped her after two months because he allegedly said he “wanted someone who has her own power- like Nicole [Kidman]”.

The actress, then 25, is said to have undergone a strict screening process to see if she was eligible to become Cruise’s wife.

The Vanity Fair article alleges she went through a month-long preparation that involved having to telling a Church official in-depth details about her sex life, as nobody who had been in a threesome could be considered.

She was also told to get rid of her red highlights, have her braces removed and dump her current boyfriend.

In the second month of their relationship, Cruise allegedly asked the actress to have her incisor teeth filed down and brought in his hairstylist to change her hair. She was allowed to finally tell her mother, also a Scientologist, that she was involved with Cruise.

The article says her mother reportedly had to sign a confidentiality agreement about their relationship as well.

When Boniadi was later sent to a Scientology centre in Florida following their split, she broke down and told a friend about her secret relationship with Cruise. Her friend later reported her.

The article, which never quotes the actress but relies heavily on a number of “close” sources, says: “Boniadi’s punishment was to scrub toilets with a toothbrush, clean bathroom tiles with acid, and dig ditches in the middle of the night.”

The Church of Scientology denies the allegations. Karin Pouw, a spokeswoman for the Church, told The Independent: “We stand by the statement we issued last year: there was no project, secret or otherwise, ever conducted by the Church to find a bride [via audition or otherwise] for any member.”

Boniadi has since left the Church of Scientology. In 2012 she featured in an anti-Scientologist rap that appeared on YouTube, in which she said the lines: “But we all know how it is, there ain’t no road to freedom. It’s a blind alley, like Kirstie Alley, Travolta and Cruise, but we ain’t no fools.”

Her other TV credits include How I Met Your Mother, 24 and Grey’s Anatomy.

Tom Cruise allegedly sought out Boniati for his third wife (PA)