Take Two: Tom Cruise Using Same Powerhouse Attorney Used for Nicole Kidman Divorce
The actor will have a familiar face by his side during the divorce proceedings.
July 1, 2012— -- Tom Cruise took the lead in filing his first two divorces.
This time the shoe is on the other foot, but he will have a familiar face at his side. Dennis Wasser, the Los Angeles based powerhouse divorce attorney who represented Cruise in his divorce with actress Nicole Kidman, willrepresent the actor against Katie Holmes in the celebrity divorce bombshell of the year.
A source familiar with the actor confirmed Wasser has taken the case, adding that a yet to be chosen New York attorney will also join the Cruise legal team.
When asked if Cruise would try to move the case from New York to California the source would only say that "the approach will focus on the best interests of the child."
Some legal analysts have said that Holmes' decision to file for divorce in New York may give her an advantage in her effort to gain sole custody versus joint custody and provide more privacy since New York seals divorce filings that are often available in Calfornia.
California divorce attorney Michael Kelly told the Associated Press that Holmes' East Coast filing "a tactical move" that signifies "there will be an attempt to gain an advantage."
New York's comparative-fault divorce laws could be advantageous for Holmes, he said. The couple lived in Los Angeles.
But this divorce battle has just begun.
With Wasser fighting for Cruise and Holmes is supported by Jonathan Wolfe and mega divorce attorney Allan Mayefsky, who represented Christie Brinkley in her divorce battle with Peter Cook.
Cruise's publicist said the actor was "deeply saddened" by Katie Holmes' divorce filing last week, and a source close to the "Rock of Ages" star told ABC News that Holmes' decision came as a "complete surprise."
33 The Magic Number For Cruise?
The previous times Cruise has gotten divorced, he was in control. Curiously all of Cruise's marriages ended when his ex-wives were 33 years old.
Cruise filed for divorce from his second wife, Nicole Kidman, in February 2001 sometime after she miscarried their baby according to Kidman (they had previously adopted two children). He dropped the bomb less than two months after they renewed their vows on their 10-year-anniversary, Christmas Eve 2000.
PHOTOS: Tom and Katie Before the Split
Kidman broke down on Oprah Winfrey's talk show in May 2001, calling the situation a "nightmare."
"I think that divorce is hard for anyone. It's a nightmare, it just is, and you can pretend you're fine," she said. "And days you're great [and] days you're not great."
In a written response to a divorce petition filed by Cruise on the grounds of irreconcilable differences, Kidman said she was stunned when he told her that he no longer wanted to be married, and allegedly begged him to stay and seek marriage counseling. He refused and left for good, according to her response.
When asked by Winfrey whether she thought she would always be married, Kidman timidly replied, "Yeah."
"I've had a blessed life," she said. "I've always thought [if] something bad is going to happen, something bad is going to happen.
But then something really bad happened. A number of really bad things happened. You go, 'I'm dealing with it. I'm stronger than I thought.'"
Kidman is now happily married to country singer Keith Urban. They have two children together.
Given how adoringly Cruise has spoken about Katie Holmes throughout their relationship -- he told the May issue of Playboy, "I'm just happy, and I have been since the moment I met her" -- he may take a while to get back to his eccentric, couch-jumping self. But his first ex-wife once voiced her confidence in Mr. Mission Impossible's ability to rebound.
"Tom is very strong -- he handles stress," Mimi Rogers told People magazine in 2001. "He's human. He has a temper. He blows up sometimes, whatever, but it's not like he can't deal with it."
He filed for divorce from actress Mimi Rogers in January 1990 after three years of marriage.
She seemed to get over it quickly. In October 1990, she told the Associated Press, "As far as I know, we're divorced, but I've been so busy on this new film that I haven't had time to check, so I'm not sure. I bet that sounds pretty silly, huh?"
Later on, she seemed to loathe the fact that she was ever married to the mega movie star.
''[I'm] waiting for the moment when I don't have to talk about that [blankety-blank] name anymore," she told People magazine in 1995.
ABC News' Eileen Murphy contributed to this report.