Paul Haggis on journalists not asking Tom Cruise about Scientology: 'Shame on you'

Paul Haggis wants Tom Cruise to get tougher questions when he promotes his films.

The Crash director, who was a member of the Church of Scientology before leaving in 2009, told the Daily Beast that Cruise's team doesn't let journalists ask the A-list actor about the hot-button religion during interviews, which Haggis does not appreciate.

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"His PR people are very smart," Haggis said. "But I don't know how journalists can continue to call themselves journalists if they aren't brave enough to ask a question. I mean, how big does the elephant in the room have to be before you ask about it?"

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Haggis acknowledged that reporters apparently had to agree to avoid the topic of Scientology when speaking to Cruise about Mission: Impossible -; Rogue Nation, or else they wouldn't have been granted the interview, which is why the recent documentary Going Clear never came up.

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"Well, fine, but there are things called journalistic integrity, and there are things more important than promoting a movie sometimes," continued Haggis, who directed the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero. "It was so glaringly obvious. There was this huge elephant there, and every journalist agreed not to address it. Why? You're just a PR person at that point. Shame on you."

Jon Stewart faced some criticism of this ilk after interviewing Cruise last month on the Daily Show. In a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Going Clear director Alex Gibney called the interview a "missed opportunity" and faulted the "machine of celebrity" for letting Cruise off the hook.