Tom Cruise advised Glen Powell to "turn down the noise" as the actor faced public scrutiny after his ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris accused him of staging a publicity-driven romance with co-star Sydney Sweeney, Powell said in a GQ cover story published Tuesday.
Powell, 36, told GQ that Cruise, 63, counseled him to treat the media attention like a volume he could control. "Hey, it’s going to get really, really loud. It’s your job to just turn the volume down. Just remember you have your hand on that switch. You have your hand on the ability to turn up that noise or turn it down," Powell quoted Cruise saying. "And really just turning down the noise and trusting your own gut has been a real godsend for me."
The remarks were the first time Powell publicly addressed Paris' criticism following the June podcast episode in which Paris accused him of treating their three-year relationship without decency and suggested he promoted a romance with Sweeney while the film's publicity was under way. On the "Too Much" podcast, Paris said she felt disrespected and questioned why Powell did not explicitly deny infidelity when the rumors surfaced.
Powell told GQ he will "always have nothing but love for her and respect for her," and that differing accounts of breakups are common. "Relationships are really hard," he said. "And when two people break up, they each go to their own brunch and they will each tell their own narrative."
Powell has been close to Cruise since they worked together on the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick. He said that relationship has left him with a clear example of a performer who embraces the theatrical experience and works physically to entertain audiences. Powell also said he sought Cruise's on-set advice in April at CinemaCon after being cast in the upcoming remake of The Running Man, asking Cruise how to run convincingly on camera.
The dispute traces to the publicity surrounding the 2023 rom-com Anyone But You, in which Powell and Sweeney were co-stars. Both actors acknowledged in separate interviews that they leaned into off-screen chemistry to promote the film. Powell told The New York Times in April 2024 that sometimes "you just have to lean into it a bit — and it worked wonderfully," while Sweeney told Variety in 2023, "It’s a rom-com. That’s what people want! Glen and I don’t really care. We have so much fun together, and we respect each other so much."
Paris, who said she dated Powell for three years, told the podcast listeners she felt misled and publicly criticized the decision not to deny cheating allegations when they arose during film promotion. She said she had lost "whoever that person was that I loved" when Powell was working in Australia on Anyone But You.
Powell rejected characterizations that his behavior was intended to harm Paris, emphasizing respect for her and noting that different participants in a breakup often offer competing narratives. He also credited Cruise's mentorship with helping him manage the increased attention on his private life.
Sweeney, who ended her engagement to Jonathan Davino earlier this year, has been linked in recent reports to music executive Scooter Braun. Her involvement in the Anyone But You publicity and the subsequent attention has placed her personal life under scrutiny as well.
The episode illustrated the intersection of film promotion, celebrity relationships and media scrutiny in modern Hollywood. Powell's account in GQ frames Cruise's advice as guidance not only for navigating press cycles but for maintaining personal equilibrium amid public commentary. Powell said the counsel helped him focus on his instincts and limit how much of the controversy he allowed to shape his public response.
Representatives for Powell, Paris and Sweeney did not immediately provide additional comment. The GQ story appears in the magazine's October 2025 special issue.
