In a conversation with Access Hollywood, he said it was irresponsible of her to say that the medication could cure her and that women should take vitamins and exercise to help them:
When someone says (the medication) helped them, it’s a coping mechanism, it doesn’t cure anything. There’s no science to it. There’s nothing that can cure them. I care about Brooke Shields because I think she’s an incredibly talented woman, (but) look where her career has gone.
She was surprised and disappointed by this because they had known each other since they shot his first movie. She responded to his comments in a statement to the New York Times:
Tom should focus on saving the world from aliens and let women suffering from postpartum depression decide what treatment is best for them. I’m going to take a wild guess that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression. If anything good comes from Mr. Cruise’s ridiculous complaint, let’s hope it brings much-needed attention to a serious illness.
In an interview with People, she provided more details: Throughout that time, I was impressed with his sincerity. And I didn’t feel like I had to defend myself at any point, nor did I feel like he was trying to convince me of anything other than the fact that he was deeply remorseful. And I accepted that.