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But unlike his couch-jumping appearance on her talk show three years ago, the actor was serious and thoughtful during an hour-long interview broadcast last Friday.

Several entertainment-focused public relations experts said it was a smart approach.

'I think Tom learnt his lesson. The lesson was that sometimes your personal beliefs can get in the way of the projects,' said Mr Howard Bragman, founder of Los Angeles PR firm Fifteen Minutes.

Winfrey's interview with Cruise, 45, was taped at his Telluride, Colorado, home. Another show, billed as a celebration of his 25-year career in movies, was taped in her studio and is being aired today.

The back-to-back interviews appear to be part of an effort to put the bad patch of PR behind him. His unhinged exuberance on Winfrey's show in 2005 was the first in a torrent of embarrassing moments, which led to Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone booting him from the Paramount lot in August 2006 and ending a lucrative 14-year deal.

Asked whether he feels he comes under attack unnecessarily because of his belief in Scientology, Cruise said he understood the interest in 'a minority religion'.

But from now on, he said, 'when I'm dealing with my humanitarian issues, I'll talk about my humanitarian issues. When I'm promoting a film, I'm just going to promote the film. And that's just the way it's going to be'.

He is in talks to star in a fourth Mission: Impossible film, which would represent a reunion between him and Redstone.

At the time, the latter called him 'someone who effectuates creative suicide', but the two were spotted dining together in Beverly Hills in March.

The actor's last movie, Lions For Lambs, was the first release from MGM's United Artists banner since he and Wagner took it over in late 2006. Also starring Robert Redford, it was a box-office dud. But that has been the fate of most movies concerning the Middle East in recent years.

Cruise's next starring role is as a World War II German officer in Valkyrie. Its release was recently pushed back from Oct 3 until the President's Day weekend starting Feb 13 next year.

But first, he is gathering great buzz for a cameo in the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy, Tropic Thunder, where he plays a mostly bald, fat studio chief.

Winfrey and a subdued, jeans-wearing Cruise conducted the interview on an overstuffed couch in his family's living room.

'I'm on your sofa now,' she said. He laughed and said: 'And we're sitting.'

He said his couch-jumping was an authentic way of expressing his feelings for then girlfriend Katie Holmes - and a moment he's not sure he would take back.

Holmes, 29, now his wife, welcomed the host to the couple's home at the start of the show. She then left Cruise to conduct a tour, which included a peek at daughter Suri's playrooms, the kitchen, Cruise's collection of bound film scripts, and stunning views of snow-capped mountains.

Much of the rest of the interview involved the actor shooting down various rumours and reports.

He said ex-wife Nicole Kidman still has a relationship with the two children they adopted during their marriage and stressed that the two share custody.

He added that he loved Holmes' family, calling them 'amazing people'. Asked about sceptics who believe his marriage to her was a public relations stunt, he said: 'That's laughable to me. I don't know what to say.'

Winfrey asked about a book that she said 'implied' Suri was not Cruise's child. He said: 'I've had a lot of books written about me. When someone compares your daughter to Rosemary's baby - it's one thing to come after me, say stuff about me, but when it comes to my family, my children, that's when I go, 'This is off the chart.' '

AP

'That's laughable to me. I don't know what to say'
Tom Cruise on sceptics who believe their marriage is fake. He also says he gets mad when false things are said about their daughter, Suri