Tom Cruise may practice the highly controversial religion, Scientology nowadays, but before he became a mega superstar the Mission: Impossible actor was a devout Catholic, Breaking Celebrity News is reporting.

The 50-year-old action man was so devout in fact that he was even planning to become a priest and studied at a seminary!

However, according to a friend at the time, Cruise was asked to leave the strict religious school after stealing liquor from the monks who ran the institution!

“Tom was instantly hooked,” Father Ric Schneider, who persuaded a young Tom to apply to St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati, Ohio, told the NY Daily News.

“I think he wanted a good education. With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that's maybe one of the reasons why he came here.”

In 1976, Tom only just managed to squeeze his way into the seminary after scoring 110 on an IQ Test – the lowest result permitted in order to gain entry.

The Daily News reports that Cruise didn’t excel at all as a student during his time there, but did show immense promise as an actor, which in the end would make him one of the biggest stars in the world.

Cruise “came out of his shell” and was a leading member in drama club where he participated in competitions with other institutions, according to friend Shane Dempler.

The priest who ran the drama club even gave Cruise whole plays to memorize – that’s how impressed he was by his acting skills.