To most people, the words 'try' and 'conversion' would be something to do with rugby. Use those words in front of Tom Cruise and he'll take it as an open invitation to rush into your house and begin a detox ceremony.
But his new best friend, David Beckham,
insists that the Hollywood midget does not try to convert the Beckhams,
perhaps because they are empty-headed and smiley enough anyway. After
all, there's no point in attempting to brainwash someone without a
brain.
The golden corner-kick taker of his generation has been speaking to Arena magazine over this thorny issue, and who'd have guessed? Tom has never been anything but a cold and calculating best friend, eyeing up that impressive fortune and licking his lips at the thought of having the Beckhams sharing his religion as bedfellows. Well, one of them, anyway.
"We respect their religion. We respect everything they do and believe in," said Beckham, therefore condoning the refusal to believe in autism and psychoanalysis, "But they have never turned around to us and said, 'You have to be a part of this,' because that's not what they're about. It's never been about that." Mmm. Maybe when you're 'ripe' for plucking, David.
"There's been nothing shoved down our throats because friends don't do things like that."
Given half a chance, I think that's exactly what Tom might have in mind. One way or another.