Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas continue to be seen together, but sources say their relationship is casual and rooted in friendship rather than romance.
After months of paparazzi sightings and social-media chatter, fresh reporting suggests the pair remain in regular contact and enjoy one another's company. Yet, both are keeping the arrangement deliberately low-commitment as they prepare to collaborate professionally.
A source close to De Armas told PEOPLE that she is 'single, though, and has been for a while' and views Cruise as a 'dear friend and mentor'.
Public Appearances and the Narrative Shift
Cruise and De Armas were first linked publicly in early 2025 amid several high-profile outings, from evenings in London to a widely circulated photograph of them holding hands during a Vermont getaway in July. Those images fuelled immediate speculation that the pair were an item.
But in recent weeks, the narrative has quietly shifted. Some outlets report an amicable 'repositioning' of the relationship to something more casual, while others, citing close-to-the-stars sources, argue they may never have been in a conventional romantic relationship at all. Radar Online describes the pair as having agreed to keep things 'friends with benefits' as they prioritise their friendship and forthcoming projects.
Professional Bond: Praise, Mentorship and Projects
Beyond tabloid headlines, there is clear, on-the-record evidence of professional admiration between the two actors. At the New York premiere of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Cruise publicly praised De Armas as a 'very, very talented' performer and lauded her range and learning ability when speaking to reporters.
De Armas has reciprocated by describing her experiences working with Cruise as an 'adventure' and saying there is 'no one like him' in terms of work ethic and craft. Those remarks appear on film-premiere footage and in recorded interviews.
Both stars are also linked to overlapping film projects, notably the supernatural thriller Deeper and other action fare in which Cruise is either starring, producing, or mentoring. Industry observers say the professional overlap helps explain their regular contact and the mutual goodwill reflected in public statements.
Why the 'Casual' Label Matters
The choice to remain 'strictly casual', if accurate, speaks to the tensions that accompany celebrity partnerships. Cruise, at 63, carries decades of public scrutiny and a rigorous working schedule centred on blockbuster filmmaking.
De Armas, 37, has her own high-profile career and, according to sources, is focused on forthcoming roles and personal priorities. Keeping the relationship informal allows both to retain professional momentum while still benefiting from a close personal alliance.
Moreover, describing the bond as mentorship reframes the story away from the typical celebrity-romance template and towards one of professional collaboration. For both actors, the optics of friendship paired with mutual praise may be as valuable as any headline-grabbing romance.
Despite a wealth of photographs and several on-the-record compliments exchanged between the two, several elements remain unclear, whether the pair ever entered a formal romantic relationship, the precise terms of their current arrangement, and how both their representatives interpret recent reports.
Tom Cruise continues to speak of Ana de Armas in glowing terms publicly, and the latter has been equally flattering about working with him. For now, those professional affirmations and a shared slate of upcoming projects appear to define the relationship more than conventional romance.
