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Eyes Wide Shut at 15: Inside the Epic, Secretive Film Shoot that Pushed Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to Their Limits

By Amy Nicholson

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Kubrick’s obsession with secrecy so infected his cast and crew that no one has ever spoken about it in detail. The day-to-day life on set can only be inferred from facts and hints. The most major fact: Eyes Wide Shut was exhausting. Kubrick had asked Cruise and Kidman to commit to six months. When they landed in London in the fall of 1996, the couple fully expected to return to Hollywood by spring. Instead, they stayed on through the summer, fall, and another Christmas. Filming wrapped in January of 1998, but in May they were summoned back for more months of reshoots. Altogether they’d spend 15 months on Eyes Wide Shut, the Guinness World Record for the longest continual film shoot.

“Stanley had figured out a way to work in England for a fraction of what we pay here,” explained Sydney Pollack, who joined the cast as the corrosive tycoon Victor Ziegler after the extended shooting forced original actor Harvey Keitel to cry uncle and drop out. “While the rest of us poor bastards are able to get 16 weeks of filming for $70 million with a $20 million star, Stanley could get 45 weeks of shooting for $65 million.” Though every six months Cruise spent in London cost him another $20 million film he wasn’t making—plus he had the fledgling Cruise/Wagner production company to oversee—he swore to the press he had no qualms about his extended art house sabbatical.

“I remember talking to Stanley and I said, ‘Look, I don’t care how long it takes, but I have to know: are we going to finish in six months?’” said Cruise. “People were waiting and writers were waiting. I’d say, ‘Stanley, I don’t care—tell me it’s going to be two years.’”

Kubrick is legendary for his perfectionism—to reconstruct Greenwich Village in London, he sent a designer to New York to measure the exact width of the streets and the distance between newspaper vending machines. But his approach to character and performance was the opposite. Instead of knowing what he wanted on the set, he waited for the actors to seize upon it themselves. His process: repeated takes designed to break down the idea of performance altogether. The theory was that once his actors bottomed-out in exhaustion and forgot about the cameras, they could rebuild and discover something that neither he nor they expected. During The Shining, he’d put Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall through 50 takes to figure out what he wanted, causing Duvall to have a nervous breakdown. For Eyes Wide Shut, given his stars’ extreme pliancy and eagerness to please, Kubrick went further, once insisting that Cruise do 95 takes of walking through a door.

“In times when we couldn’t get it, it was just like, ‘Fuck!’” admitted Cruise. “I’d bring it upon myself because I demand a lot of myself.” But what he never asked—at least, not openly in the press—was if there was an “it” Kubrick wanted him to get. After all, a director who demands 95 takes could be exacting—or conversely, he could be ill-prepared and uncommunicative. Cruise’s overpreparation had served him well in the past. Not here. He got an ulcer, and tried to keep the news from Kubrick. At its core, the Cruise/Kubrick combination seems cruel: an over-achieving actor desperate to please a never-satisfied auteur. The power balance was firmly shifted to Kubrick, yet to his credit, Cruise has never complained.

Kubrick defenders—Cruise included—insist the legend was fully in command. “He was not indulgent,” Cruise insisted to the press. “You know you are not going to leave that shot until it’s right.” Yet it’s hard not to see indulgence when even small roles demanded prolonged commitment, like starlet Vinessa Shaw’s one-scene cameo as a prostitute, which was meant to take two weeks and ended up wasting two months. Adding to the peril, Kubrick also refused to screen dailies, a practice Cruise relied on. “Making a movie is like stabbing in the dark,” the actor explained. “If I get a sense of the overall picture, then I’m better for the film.” Cruise couldn’t watch and adjust his performance to find his character’s through line—a problem exacerbated by the amount of footage the director filmed. For most of the cast, who appeared only in one or two moments, they had only to match the timbre of their character’s big moment. But Cruise alone is in nearly every scene and had to spend the shoot playing a guessing game. Not knowing which of his mind-melting number of takes would wind up in the film, he still had to figure out how to shape a consistent character from scene to scene. Given Kubrick’s withholding direction and the exponential number of combinations that could be created from his raw footage, it’s understandable if the forever-prepared actor found himself adrift.

Adding to the actor’s peril was the part’s personal and emotional risk. Kubrick decided to find his story through psychoanalyzing his stars, prodding Cruise and Kidman to confess their fears about marriage and commitment to their director in conversations that the three vowed to keep secret. “Tom would hear things that he didn’t want to hear,” admitted Kidman. “It wasn’t like therapy, because you didn’t have anyone to say, ‘And how do you feel about that?’ It was honest, and brutally honest at times.” The line between reality and fiction was deliberately blurred. The couple slept in their characters’ bedroom, chose the colors of the curtains, strewed their clothes on the floor, and even left pocket change on the bedside table just as Cruise did at home.

By Karen Valby

By David Canfield

By Anthony Breznican

“As an actor, you set up: there’s reality, and there’s pretend,” explained Kidman. “And those lines get crossed, and it happens when you’re working with a director that allows that to happen. It’s a very exciting thing to happen; it’s a very dangerous thing to happen.” Added Cruise, “I wanted this to work, but you’re playing with dynamite when you act. Emotions kick up.” At least the two actors had an auditory cue to distinguish fact from fiction: on camera, Kidman changed her Australian accent to American. But there was also external tension pressing down on their performances as both actors—especially Cruise—were media savvy enough to recognize that audiences would project Bill and Alice’s unhappiness on their own marriage, which was already a source of tabloid fodder. Even during the course of filming, the couple had to successfully sue Star magazine for writing that they hired sex therapists to coach them.

Kubrick’s on-set wall of secrecy even divided Cruise and Kidman. To exaggerate the distrust between their fictional husband and wife, Kubrick would direct each actor separately and forbid them to share notes. In one painful example, for just one minute of final footage where Alice makes love to a handsome naval officer—an imaginary affair that haunts Bill over the course of the film—Kubrick demanded that Kidman shoot six days of naked sex scenes with a male model. Not only did he ask the pair to pose in over 50 erotic positions, he banned Cruise from the set and forbade Kidman to assuage her husband’s tension by telling him what happened during the shoot.

Co-star Vinessa Shaw would eventually admit Kubrick had exhausted the once-indefatigable actor, confessing that compared to Cruise’s “gung ho” first months of shooting, by the end, “He was still into it, but not as energetic.” Still, when gossip columnist Liz Smith wrote that the Eyes Wide Shut set was miserable, Cruise quickly fired back a letter insisting that his and Kidman’s relationship with Kubrick was “impeccable and extraordinary. […] Both Nic and I love him.” Added actor and director Todd Field, on set for six months to play the pivotal role of the piano player Nick Nightingale, “You’ve never seen two actors more completely subservient and prostrate themselves at the feet of a director.” However, Cruise’s devotion to Kubrick’s massive mystery masterpiece would prove damaging to his screen image.

Good vs. Right

It’s hard to love Cruise’s character, Dr. Bill Harford. He’s closed off and slippery, a cipher whose choices don’t make consistent sense. What personal history screenwriter Frederic Raphael had included in the original drafts—Harford’s strained relationship with his father, his guilt over his prurient interest in female anatomy—Kubrick had purged from the script, leaving Cruise to play a shallow voyager who only serves to lead the audience on an odyssey of sexual temptation. Also on the page but deleted from the final film is Bill’s explanatory voice-over that invited the audience to understand his feelings. Worse, Kubrick deliberately shunned including the Tom Cruise charisma fans expected in his performance, raising the question of why he cast Cruise at all. Why ask the biggest star in the world to carry your film and then hide his face under a mask for 20 minutes?

Though this is a story of sexual frustration—an emotion Cruise had played with conviction in Born on the Fourth of July —and jealousy, which is just the darker twin of Cruise’s signature competitive streak, his performance in Eyes Wide Shut feels flat. He’d done vulnerability better in Jerry Maguire and had captured neutered paralysis a decade and a half before in Risky Business. Yet in nearly all of Eyes Wide Shut ’s key emotional moments—his wife confessing to her first and second psychological “betrayals,” his patient’s daughter professing her love over her father’s corpse, nearly kissing a call girl’s corpse in the morgue, being unmasked at the orgy—Cruise’s face is stiff and visibly unfeeling, almost as if he never took the mask off at all.

Cruise’s blankness makes Eyes Wide Shut take on an element of kabuki theater, the art form where emotional perception—not projection—is key. The whole film feels like an exercise in theatricality, as though Dr. Bill is not a person but a prop. This isn’t a movie about a human possessed with distrust and jealousy—it’s a movie about distrust and jealousy that simply uses a human as its conduit. With Cruise hidden in a mask and robe, the intention is to hide his individuality in the service of a larger ritualistic machine. Even in his scene with the impossibly sweet prostitute played by Vinessa Shaw, their conversation about how much cash for which physical acts doesn’t spark with lust but limps along like the characters themselves are merely performers recognizing that this is the negotiation that is supposed to take place. “Do you suppose we should talk about money?” he asks—it’s as if their whole conversation is in air quotes.

To critique Tom Cruise’s performance in Eyes Wide Shut, it’s important to distinguish between good and right. Measured against any of his previous screen roles, his acting reads as terrible. It’s artificial, distant, and unrelatable. However, the terribleness of his performance translates into a tricky logic puzzle. On-screen, we’re given only one take of the 95 attempts that Cruise shot. If Kubrick was a perfectionist who demanded Cruise repeat himself 95 times on the set, and in the editing room rejected 94 of those takes, then the “terrible” take Kubrick chose must be the take that Kubrick wanted. What feels flat to the audience must have felt correct to the director, so even though it’s hard to appreciate Cruise’s performance, at least one person must have thought the chosen take was perfect: Stanley Kubrick. And for Cruise, a perfectionist himself who was determined to make his master happy, we’re forced to defend the “badness” of his performance by recognizing him as an excellent soldier following orders.

Yet critics under the sway of thinking that the great Kubrick could do no wrong and Cruise, the popcorn hero, could do little right, blamed the actor for the director’s choices and groaned that “Our forever boyish star just can’t deliver.” The irony, however, is that in 45 years of filmmaking, Kubrick had never asked his actors to deliver. His films had earned Oscar nominations for their acting only twice: Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove (1964) and Peter Ustinov in Spartacus (1960). In his much shorter career, Cruise himself had earned as many Oscar nods. That fact alone speaks to the limited value the director placed on acting—to Kubrick, his cast was merely a tool for his vision and individual performances subservient to his intimidating authorial style. Kubrick’s disinterest in actors is evident even in *Eyes Wide Shut’*s credits, which despite including two directors (Pollack and Field) and two great character actors (Alan Cumming and Rade Serbedzija) filled the rest of its cast with new faces and 10th-billed TV actors. As much as Cruise wanted Eyes Wide Shut to prove, yet again, that he could act, Kubrick clearly had scant interest in giving him the opportunity.

Cruise made himself vulnerable before Kubrick and his devotees, but instead of being rewarded for his emotional and financial sacrifice, audiences dismissed his performance as callow. He couldn’t even ask his by-then dead-and-buried director for support. Eyes Wide Shut ’s fallout wasn’t flattering: he was blamed for the film’s failure, and the tabloids took a savage interest in his marriage, which would last only two more years. Yet Cruise continues to defend his two years of hard work. “I didn’t like playing Dr. Bill. I didn’t like him. It was unpleasant,” admitted Cruise a year later in the only public criticism he’s ever given. “But I would have absolutely kicked myself if I hadn’t done this.”

Tom Cruise’s Vanity Fair Covers

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Far and Away

• A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.
• Joseph (Tom Cruise) and his landlord's daughter, Shannon (Nicole Kidman), travel from Ireland to America in hopes of claiming free land in Oklahoma. The pair get sidetracked in Boston, where Joseph takes up boxing to support himself. When he loses a pivotal fight, the two are left penniless. Now faced with poverty, the two must find new ways to scrape by. As their affection for each other grows, Joseph questions whether he is truly what Shannon needs in her life.
• A young man leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter after some trouble with her father and they dream of owning land at the big give-away in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local bare-hands boxer and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple's money and they must fight off starvation in the winter and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman's parents find out where she has gone and have come to the U.S. to find her and take her back. — Ed Sutton <[email protected]>
• Joseph Donnelly, a young Irish man facing property eviction after his father's death, decides to take revenge on Daniel Christie, his landlord. In an attempt to kill Christie, however, he is injured and sentenced to a duel with Christie's arrogant manager, Stephen Chase. Meanwhile, Shannon, Daniel's daughter, is growing dissatisfied with the traditional views of her parents' generation and longs to be modern. She makes her plans to leave for the U.S. and with her help, Joseph is able to escape. Upon arriving in Boston, they find jobs and begin saving money. Joseph becomes a local bare-hands boxer, while Shannon works in a chicken processing plant and then as a dancer at the social club. All goes well until Joseph loses a boxing match, after which their money is taken away. Joseph and Shannon are left to starve in the winter cold. Shannon's parents, still in Ireland, face a devastating loss and decide to come to America to be with her. Chase, who joined them, has begun a campaign to find her, but his efforts are unnecessary Joseph brings Shannon to them after an accident. Joseph then heads west to work on the railroad. After many months, Joseph is confronted by his father in a dream and is reminded of his desire to own his own land. Joseph decides to join the wagon trains and arrives in Oklahoma Territory just in time for the big land race, upon which his fate will lie. — Amy Jentoft <[email protected]>
• Joseph Donelly (Tom Cruise),a young Irishman facing property eviction after his father's death, decides to take revenge on his landlord, Daniel Christie (Robert Prosky). In his attempt to kill him however, he is discovered by Daniel's daughter, Shannon Christie (Nicole Kidman) and is injured by her when he tries to escape. While injured he continues his plans to kill his landlord, but his weapon malfunctions and blows up in his face. Held captive while they treat his wounds (planning to subsequently have him hanged for attempted murder), Joseph tries to escape the house and is caught by Stephen Chase (Thomas Gibson), Daniel's arrogant manager. Joseph spits on Stephen in anger and, disgraced, Stephen challenges Joseph to a duel of pistols at dawn. Meanwhile, Shannon, also Stephen's love interest, is growing dissatisfied with the traditional views of her parents' generation and longs to be modern, even going as far as to disgust her mother and their friends by playing American music on the piano. She makes plans to leave for America to claim land that's being given away for free, and with her help, Joseph is able to escape. Shannon pays for Joseph's passage and he pretends to be her servant. This way, a single young woman is able to travel without question, and Joseph, now aware of the reality of the free land, can reach America to claim land. Shannon meets and talks to a kindly man on the ship about the promise of land and her money issues. He informs her that to claim the free land, she must travel to Oklahoma and race for it along with others. Concerned with the expense of travel, she explains to him that she has no money, only expensive silver spoons. He tells her he will help her find a shop to whom she can sell her silver to. Upon arriving in Boston, the man who provided advice steals her spoons and is shot by men who seem to have previous trouble with him. The spoons are scattered in the street and stolen by passersby. Calling for help, Shannon is rescued by Joseph, who manages to save her bag and get her out of the streets. Taking charge of their situation, Joseph is led to the community of Irish living in the area and speaks to the man in charge. Through him, they find a room to live in and jobs in a chicken processing plant. Due to Shannon's wealthy background, which is hated by the lower class Irish they find themselves surrounded by, Joseph lies and tells everyone that she is in fact his sister, to save her from being exiled or hurt. Time passes and it becomes obvious that Joseph and Shannon have become attracted to each other, but both keep up a front of hostility. One night, after peeking at Shannon undress, Joseph finds himself sexually frustrated and rushes out and joins in a barehanded boxing match. Winning the match provides Joseph with newfound wealth and becomes somewhat of a local celebrity. Meanwhile back in Ireland The Christie house is burned down by unhappy taxpayers, and they and Stephen announce that they will go to America to find their daughter. Temporarily, Joseph seems to forget about his goals of obtaining land and spends his money on suits and hats, in a thinly veiled attempt to impress Shannon. Shannon however, continues her work at the plant and mocks Joseph's prized hats. At one point, the pair have a spat and it becomes obvious that Joseph is extremely upset that he's not managed to gain Shannon's approval or admiration. Shannon begins to question Joseph about his plans to get land and his lack of money the night before the largest fight of his career. He replies angrily that he easily earns money and will continue to do so. He spitefully tells her that he earns more money than she could ever dream to. She retorts that she could earn just as much and disappears into their room. Later, right before the big fight, Joseph searches for Shannon, but is unable to find her. He's directed to his fight, told by others that she is there. Rushing to the site, he discovers she has become a dancer at the social club, demeaning herself to earn more money. He attempts to ignore the men pushing him towards the ring and covers Shannon with his jacket, demanding that she stop dancing. Before he can finish with her, the men around plea with him to fight. The Irish men backing Joseph offer him a small fortune ($200) for this one last, great fight. Shannon, who previously scorned boxing, urges him to do it, since it would be enough money to fulfill his wish of traveling to get land. Joseph agrees and begins to fight a large Italian fighter. All goes well until Joseph witnesses one of his backers (a member of the city council) forcing Shannon into his lap and groping her. Completely forgetting the fight, Joseph pushes his way through the crowd to free her. As he is pushed back into the ring his foot crosses the line, signalling he is ready to begin fighting, the Italian then beats Joseph. Because Joseph lost the fight he is then thrown out of the club. When Joseph wakes up he runs out of the alley he woke up in and runs into Stephen Chase asking drunkards if they've seen Shannon. Joseph then runs to his room to find the backers searching the room for their money. When they find it they take it, and throw Joseph and Shannon out into the snow covered street and tells the owner of the "whorehouse" that if she let them stay one night, it will be shut down. During a very cold night with no food, they become desperate enough to enter a seemingly abandoned house of luxury. Joseph shows signs of sadness at the beautiful things, knowing Shannon has suffered and deserves a better life than she currently has. He encourages her to pretend the house is hers, and offers to serve her. She's moved by this, but begs him to join her instead, and pretend with her, that they are married and the house is theirs. During the tender moment they declare that they 'pretend' to love each other and kiss. At that moment the owners of the house returns and chases them from the property, shooting Shannon in the process. Joseph brings Shannon to Christie's for help after she is shot. Stephen continuously scolds him and ridicules the state Shannon is in. Deciding Shannon will be better cared for here, with her family and wealth, Joseph leaves Shannon with her family, despite his obvious feelings for her. He then heads west to work on the Trans-Continental Railroad, seemingly abandoning his dream of owning land. After many months, Joseph is confronted by his father in a dream, and is reminded of his desire to own land. Joseph decides to join the wagon trains and arrives in Oklahoma Territory just in time for the Land Run of 1893, which will enable him finally reach his goal. Through chance he discovers Shannon, now healthy and obviously well taken care of, has also arrived. Confronting her, he discovers she arrived on train, riding the very rails he built. She offers him luck, but is rather cold and Joseph leaves disheartened. Stephen, who witnesses the exchange, warns Joseph that he will kill him if he goes near Shannon. Arriving late to the event, Joseph is forced to choose between two horses the unruly stallion or the broken slow horse. He choices the broken horse that gets killed that night he then is forced to ride the unruly horse. Shannon attempts to give him advice, but is quickly ushered away. During the race, Joseph chases after Shannon and Stephen, knowing that Stephen has broken the law and already found a very rich spot of land to claim. During the race, Shannon falls off her horse and Joseph rushes to her aid. Angered by this, Stephen races back towards them, instead of his goal, the land, and attempts to shoot him. They have a brief fight but Joseph manages to knock the gun from him. Shannon encourages Joseph to continue the race. He races Stephen to the land but then Stephen comes along and they have another fight in which Joseph falls to the ground, hitting his head on a rock, mortally wounding him. Shannon rushes to his side and finally rejects Stephen when he questions her actions. Stephen leaves and Shannon is left to try and keep Joseph alive. As he dies, Joseph finally confesses that he loves her, and without her, the land that was so important to him means nothing. He dies, and Shannon mourns, crying over his body. She tells him that she always loved him, from the first moment she saw him. This suddenly revives him, similar to an earlier scene involving his father, and together they happily drive their flag through the ground and claim their prized land.

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Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman: The Way They Were

A true ’90s power couple. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman ‘s romance didn’t last, but their relationship remains a subject of fascination for movie fans around the world.

The Oscar winner and the Mission: Impossible actor met in early 1990 while filming Tony Scott ‘s Days of Thunder , in which Cruise played race car driver Cole Trickle and Kidman appeared as his love interest, Dr. Claire Lewicki. Some critics thought the film was too similar to 1986’s Top Gun , which also starred Cruise under the direction of Scott, but the romance developing between its two young stars quickly eclipsed any negative press.

Less than one year after finalizing his divorce from Mimi Rogers , Cruise married Kidman in December 1990 during a private ceremony held on Christmas Eve. The low-key event was attended by their family members and held in Telluride, Colorado.

“I was so young when I got married,” Kidman told Red magazine in 2016, reflecting on her marriage to Cruise. The Moulin Rouge! actress was 23 at the time, while the Top Gun: Maverick producer was 28. “I look back now and I’m like, ‘What?'”

Shortly after their wedding, the couple worked together again on Ron Howard ‘s drama Far and Away , which hit theaters in 1992. That same year, the duo adopted daughter Isabella shortly after her birth. In 1995, they adopted son Connor, who later starred in the films Seven Pounds and Red Dawn .

Cruise and Kidman collaborated for a third time on Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut , which premiered in 1999. “We were happily married through that,” the Hours actress told The New York Times in 2020, reflecting on where she stood with Cruise while making the controversial movie. “We would go go-kart racing after [intense] scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at three in the morning.”

Less than two years after the movie’s release, however, the couple announced their separation. “Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seemed best for both of them at this time,” a rep for the duo said in a February 2001 statement.

The Jerry Maguire actor later moved on with Penélope Cruz before marrying Katie Holmes in 2006. Cruise and the Dawson’s Creek alum, who share daughter Suri (born in 2006), split in 2012.

Kidman, for her part, was briefly engaged to Lenny Kravitz in 2003. In June 2006, she wed country star Keith Urban , with whom she shares daughters Sunday Rose (born in 2008) and Faith (born in 2010).

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Despite the end of her relationship with Cruise, Kidman has said she’s not bothered by the perpetual interest in their romance.

“I was young. I think I offered it up?” the Big Little Lies alum told Harper’s Bazaar in September 2021 when asked whether the continued fascination bothers her. “Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way.”

Keep scrolling for a look back at Cruise and Kidman’s relationship:

Credit: Shutterstock

A true '90s power couple. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman 's romance didn't last, but their relationship remains a subject of fascination for movie fans around the world. The Oscar winner and the Mission: Impossible actor met in early 1990 while filming Tony Scott 's Days of Thunder , in which Cruise played race car driver Cole Trickle and Kidman appeared as his love interest, Dr. Claire Lewicki. Some critics thought the film was too similar to 1986's Top Gun , which also starred Cruise under the direction of Scott, but the romance developing between its two young stars quickly eclipsed any negative press. Less than one year after finalizing his divorce from Mimi Rogers , Cruise married Kidman in December 1990 during a private ceremony held on Christmas Eve. The low-key event was attended by their family members and held in Telluride, Colorado. [sendtonews type="float" key="YvwaNmNo9L-2836467-14453"] "I was so young when I got married," Kidman told Red magazine in 2016, reflecting on her marriage to Cruise. The Moulin Rouge! actress was 23 at the time, while the Top Gun: Maverick producer was 28. "I look back now and I'm like, 'What?'" Shortly after their wedding, the couple worked together again on Ron Howard 's drama Far and Away , which hit theaters in 1992. That same year, the duo adopted daughter Isabella shortly after her birth. In 1995, they adopted son Connor, who later starred in the films Seven Pounds and Red Dawn . Cruise and Kidman collaborated for a third time on Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut , which premiered in 1999. "We were happily married through that," the Hours actress told The New York Times in 2020, reflecting on where she stood with Cruise while making the controversial movie. "We would go go-kart racing after [intense] scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at three in the morning." Less than two years after the movie's release, however, the couple announced their separation. "Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seemed best for both of them at this time," a rep for the duo said in a February 2001 statement. The Jerry Maguire actor later moved on with Penélope Cruz before marrying Katie Holmes in 2006. Cruise and the Dawson's Creek alum, who share daughter Suri (born in 2006), split in 2012. Kidman, for her part, was briefly engaged to Lenny Kravitz in 2003. In June 2006, she wed country star Keith Urban , with whom she shares daughters Sunday Rose (born in 2008) and Faith (born in 2010). Despite the end of her relationship with Cruise, Kidman has said she's not bothered by the perpetual interest in their romance. “I was young. I think I offered it up?” the Big Little Lies alum told Harper's Bazaar in September 2021 when asked whether the continued fascination bothers her. “Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way.” Keep scrolling for a look back at Cruise and Kidman's relationship:

Credit: Stephen Vaughan/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

The twosome met while filming Days of Thunder , which also starred Robert Duvall , Randy Quaid and Cary Elwes . “I remember being so nervous and seeing Tom Cruise drive up in a Porsche," Kidman recalled during a 2016 interview on The Jess Cagle Show . "He got out of the car and walked through the door, and I was like, ‘Ah.’ My jaw dropped.”

Credit: Brendan Beirne/Shutterstock

December 1990

The Interview With the Vampire actor and the Australian actress tied the knot in a private ceremony attended by their family members less than one year after meeting. “He basically swept me off my feet," Kidman told Vanity Fair in 2002. "I fell madly, passionately in love. And as happens when you fall in love, my whole plan in terms of what I wanted for my life — I was like, ‘Forget it. This is it.’ I was consumed by it, willingly.”

Credit: Bei/Shutterstock

Kidman and Cruise attended their first Oscars together. Days of Thunder was nominated for Best Sound but lost to Dances With Wolves .

The Jack Reacher star and the Emmy winner adopted daughter Isabella shortly after her birth. "I was scared to death. Scared to death!" Cruise told Vanity Fair in 1994, joking about changing his daughter's diapers after her arrival. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing."

October 1994

Cruise opened up about fatherhood and his marriage to Kidman in a Vanity Fair cover story. "It was that special connection when you recognize your soul mate," he recalled of meeting the Stepford Wives actress. "She is a person who understands. It was as if a whole new life had started for me."

Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock

November 1994

The duo made a splash at the premiere of Cruise's film Interview With the Vampire , which also starred Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas . "He's quite eccentric," Kidman told Vanity Fair of her husband one month earlier. "He's just an odd one. He has his own little quirks and mannerisms. He's kind of wild — and I love that."

Credit: Dave Lewis/Shutterstock

The pair adopted their second child, son Connor, shortly after his birth.

November 1996

The couple began filming Eyes Wide Shut , which would be Kubrick's final film. "We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes," Kidman told The New York Times in 2020. "We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set."

Kidman accompanied Cruise to the Oscars, where he was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Jerry Maguire . He lost to Geoffrey Rush for Shine .

Credit: Michael Caulfield/AP/Shutterstock

The couple attended the premiere of Eyes Wide Shut , their final collaboration together as actors. Cruise later coproduced Kidman's film The Others , which hit theaters after their 2001 divorce.

The duo were stars of the Oscars red carpet, posing for photos ahead of the ceremony. Cruise was up for his third Academy Award, scoring a nod for Magnolia , but he lost to Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules .

Credit: Peter Brooker/Shutterstock

Kidman joined Cruise at the premiere of Mission: Impossible 2 .

February 2001

Cruise filed for divorce from Kidman, citing irreconcilable differences for the split. Former Scientologist Mike Rinder claimed in 2022 that the church played a role in the couple's breakup by creating a "distance" between them. The apostate also alleged that the Church of Scientology wiretapped Kidman's phone to monitor her influence on Cruise, who is one of the religion's most prominent members.

The church denied Rinder's claims in a September 2022 statement, saying: "The Church never ordered or participated in any illegal wiretapping. Mike Rinder is an inveterate liar who seeks to profit from his dishonesty. He supports himself by orchestrating the harassment of his former Church and its leader through false police reports, incendiary propaganda and fraudulent media stories.”

Credit: Theo Kingma/Shutterstock

November 2007

Kidman clarified that she did not have a miscarriage early in her marriage to Cruise, but rather had one early in their relationship. "It was wrongly reported," she told Marie Claire , explaining that she'd had an ectopic pregnancy when she was 23. "So it's huge news, and it didn't happen. I had a miscarriage at the end of my marriage, but I had an ectopic pregnancy at the beginning of my marriage. It was incredibly traumatic for me. Sometimes you share your grief."

Credit: Berliner Studio/BEI/Shutterstock

The Aquaman actress opened up about her miscarriage she experienced during her relationship with Cruise in an interview with Tatler . “I know the yearning. That yearning. It’s a huge, aching yearning," she told the outlet. "And the loss! The loss of a miscarriage is not talked about enough. That’s massive grief to certain women."

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Nicole Kidman ＆ Tom Cruise: What Movies Were They in Together?

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were once one of Hollywood’s most iconic couples. Their chemistry on and off the screen captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. Throughout their relationship, which lasted from 1990 to 2001, the two talented actors shared the screen in several memorable films. In this article, we will delve into the movies that brought this dynamic duo together .

1. A Love Story that Started on Set

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise first met on the set of the 1990 film “Days of Thunder.” Directed by Tony Scott, this action-packed romantic drama starred Cruise as a talented race car driver and Kidman as his love interest, a neurosurgeon. Their on-screen chemistry was undeniable, and soon, their love blossomed off-screen as well. The couple’s whirlwind romance took Hollywood by storm, and they became one of the industry’s hottest couples.

2. Far and Away (1992)

The second film that brought Kidman and Cruise together was “Far and Away.” This 1992 epic romantic adventure, directed by Ron Howard, is set in the late 1800s and follows the journey of two Irish immigrants seeking a better life in America. Kidman played Shannon Christie, a wealthy woman escaping her privileged upbringing, while Cruise portrayed Joseph Donnelly, a poor tenant farmer with dreams of land ownership. The film showcased their ability to portray passionate and deeply emotional characters, solidifying their status as a Hollywood power couple.

3. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Arguably one of the most controversial and talked-about films in their joint filmography, “Eyes Wide Shut” was directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick. Released in 1999, this erotic drama delved into the dark and mysterious world of a Manhattan-based doctor (Cruise) who becomes obsessed with a secret society after his wife (Kidman) confesses to having sexual fantasies. The film’s provocative themes and intense performances by the two actors sparked immense media attention and added to their on-screen legacy.

4. The Impact of their Real-life Relationship on Screen

Throughout their collaborations, audiences and critics couldn’t help but speculate about the influence of their real-life relationship on their performances. Many believed that the depth of their connection and the emotions they shared translated seamlessly onto the screen, making their on-screen romances feel authentic and captivating.

Celebrity Status and Media Attention

As two of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, Kidman and Cruise’s personal lives were often under intense scrutiny by the media. Their relationship and subsequent divorce made headlines worldwide, which, in turn, generated significant interest in their movies . While their off-screen drama attracted attention, it also brought more viewers to theaters to witness their chemistry on-screen.

Life After Divorce

After their highly publicized divorce in 2001, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise went on to have successful careers individually. Both actors continued to thrive in Hollywood and received critical acclaim for their diverse roles. Kidman won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “The Hours” (2002), while Cruise continued to lead blockbuster franchises like “Mission: Impossible.”

Revisiting the Collaborations

As time passed, fans and film enthusiasts revisited their collaborations with a fresh perspective. Some viewed their movies with newfound appreciation, while others pondered how their real-life relationship impacted the narratives of the films they worked on together.

Kidman and Cruise’s Chemistry

One of the defining features of their joint filmography was undoubtedly the undeniable chemistry between Kidman and Cruise. Whether portraying a passionate couple in love or navigating the complexities of troubled relationships, their ability to connect on screen was a testament to their acting prowess.

Speculations and Rumors

Over the years, various rumors and speculations emerged regarding the reasons behind their divorce and the dynamics of their relationship. These rumors often intersected with their work together, further fueling interest in their movies and the behind-the-scenes dynamics.

The movies that Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise starred in together remain timeless classics that showcase their talent and the remarkable chemistry they shared. From “Days of Thunder” to “Eyes Wide Shut,” each film adds a unique chapter to their on-screen legacy. Their collaborations serve as a reminder of the power of love and connection, both on and off the silver screen. As two of Hollywood’s most talented actors, their influence continues to shape the film industry, leaving an indelible mark on cinema history.

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How Tom Cruise Really Felt When He Joined Nicole Kidman In Eyes Wide Shut

It's one thing to be married to a fellow actor and shoot a movie together, but imagine working together for over a year on what was not only a legendary director's last film, but also a movie that explored the intricacies of keeping together a mundane marriage while withstanding outside temptation. This is what Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman went through while shooting Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut."

Released in 1999, "Eyes Wide Shut" centers around Dr. William "Bill" Harford (Cruise) and his wife Alice (Kidman), a Manhattan-based married couple who have gotten so used to the routines of domestic life that the only way sexuality plays a role anymore is through the temptations of strangers and mystery. Things start to unravel as William finds himself seeking a new kind of pleasure as he ventures outside the city to a mansion hosting a masked party at which an underground sexual ritual is taking place.

While "Eyes Wide Shut" is notable for its unique storytelling and blatant erotica, its probably best known as Stanley Kubrick's last film, as the director died before the movie was released. It's also known as one of the most "exhausting" shoots for any cast and crew (via  Vanity Fair ). According to Vanity Fair, when "Eyes Wide Shut" began shooting in the fall of 1996, Cruise and Kidman "fully expected to return to Hollywood by spring." However, filming didn't finish until 1998. Cruise and Kidman wound up spending 15 months working on "Eyes Wide Shut," which earned the Guinness World Record for "the longest continual film shoot."

So, how did Cruise feel when Kidman joined the cast of the historic film?

Brutal honesty

Originally aiming to cast Steve Martin in the lead role in 1980, 15 years later,  Stanley Kubrick eventually landed on casting Tom Cruise, at the suggestion of his producer Terry Semel. According to the Independent , Cruise flew to England to meet Kubrick in 1995, and after some basic conversation about "vintage cameras, planes, the New York Yankees," the filmmaker asked Cruise to star in "Eyes Wide Shut." After accepting, Cruise suggested his real life wife at the time play his on-screen wife as well. Kubrick apparently loved the idea, as it "introduced a new layer of psychosexual subtext" to the movie.

The couple went through a grueling shoot with Kubrick, whose unique filmmaking methods began affecting Cruise and Nicole Kidman's marriage. Kubrick decided he would psychoanalyze his married lead actors. Per Vanity Fair , Kubrick pushed Cruise and Kidman into admitting what they feared most about marriage during "conversations that the three vowed to keep secret." According to Kidman, these conversations left her then-husband subjected to "things that he didn't want to hear," and the discussions were "brutally honest at times." She also told Vanity Fair that while it was exciting that the lines of reality and fiction blurred, it was also dangerous. Cruise agreed: "I wanted this to work, but you're playing with dynamite when you act. Emotions kick up."

'Pluses and minuses' to filming a movie with your real-life spouse

In a 1999 press conference , Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were asked if they felt safe playing a married couple on screen, or if they would have felt better working alongside someone else. Cruise responded that he was "glad she played [the role in 'Eyes Wide Shut'] because of her talent." He elaborated, "As an actress, I was really excited, because she's such a great actress and artist and to share that experience together is something very special and I think that we had a lot to offer because we are married." Cruise also admitted that the entire experience "had its pluses and minuses."

While Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise would eventually divorce  in 2001 after 11 years of marriage — and only two years after the release of "Eyes Wide Shut" — they are reportedly open to a reunion as friends or co-workers as of early 2021 (via OK! Magazine ). Plus, in 2017, Kidman told Deadline that she would have continued working with Kubrick for years on end, as she really enjoyed the experience. 

"I could have stayed with Stanley [Kubrick] for five years. Never come back," she said. "I look back at that and go, 'Thank God I had this slightly zen approach to things.' Because I was married and I had my kids there. It wasn't like I was rushing to get finished, to get somewhere else. I was there, with Stanley, and I didn't care. Whatever." Kidman added, "He had a great wit and he was a philosopher, but he was never preachy. It was always coming from a place of curiosity and questioning and exploration."

Inside Tom Cruise's Relationship With Nicole Kidman

They were the Hollywood "it" couple of the 1990s. When A-list actor Tom Cruise decided to make a movie about a race car driver called "Days of Thunder," the recently divorced star quickly fell in love with his little-known love interest, Australian actress Nicole Kidman. The year was 1990, and both the film and her newfound relationship with Cruise turned Kidman into an instant Hollywood starlet who eventually forged a career in her own right. But, before that, she was Cruise's loving wife and mother of his two adopted children.

By the time 1990 came to a close, Cruise and Kidman were married. This was 28-year-old Cruise's second marriage, as he had previously been wed to actress Mimi Rogers. It was 23-year-old Kidman's first marriage (via Parade ). For a time, Kidman even tried to become a Scientologist like her husband, but grew weary of it and even got her husband to leave the Church of Scientology briefly, according to The Daily Beast . 

However, their marriage wouldn't last much more than a decade, and there's still no real answer to why it suddenly ended.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman seemed like the perfect couple

During the time they were wed, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman fascinated Hollywood and dominated magazine covers. They even made two more acclaimed movies together: 1992's "Far and Away" and 1999's "Eyes Wide Shut" (via Parade ). In 2002, after their marriage had ended, Kidman described the beginning of her romance with Cruise to Vanity Fair . 

"He basically swept me off my feet. I fell madly, passionately in love," Kidman said. "And as happens when you fall in love, my whole plan in terms of what I wanted for my life — I was like, 'Forget it. This is it.' I was consumed by it, willingly. And I was desperate to have a baby with him. I didn't care if we were married. That's what I wish I'd done."

Although Kidman did marry this man who swept her off her feet, instead of having his babies, the pair chose to adopt. They added Isabella to their family in 1993 and Connor in 1995. 

"I was willing to give up everything," Kidman told Vanity Fair. "I now see that as part of me. I'm willing to do that — I do it when I do a movie too. I'm willing to go, 'Yeah, bring it on, consume me, intoxicate me.' I want to feel alive — I want to reel, basically. I was reeling with Tom and I loved it and I would have walked to the end of the earth."

Nicole Kidman describes one of the happiest times in her marriage to Tom Cruise

When Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman made "Eyes Wide Shut" with legendary director Stanley Kubrick, the couple and their two children moved to England and were there for two years, living in a trailer and making spaghetti dinners with Kubrick as their frequent guest. It was rumored that the problems in the marriage began when they shot that dark film, but, in 2020, Kidman told The New York Times that was the furthest thing from the truth, at least in her eyes.

"That fits the narrative that people came up with, but I definitely didn't see it like that," Kidman said. "We were happily married through that. We would go go-kart racing after those scenes. We'd rent out a place and go racing at 3 in the morning. I don't know what else to say. Maybe I don't have the ability to look back and dissect it. Or I'm not willing to."

Nicole Kidman was stunned when Tom Cruise filed for divorce

In 2001, Tom Cruise shocked the world and his wife when he suddenly filed for divorce. Later that year, Cruise wished Nicole Kidman well in an interview with Vanity Fair  but would not reveal why they split up.

"She knows why, and I know why," he said. "She's the mother of my children, and I wish her well. And I think that you just move on. And I don't say that lightly. I don't say that with anything. Things happen in life, and you do everything you can, and in every possible way, and there's a point at which you just sometimes have to face the brutal reality."

Kidman described that time in her life as tumultuous. She couldn't believe her marriage was over, and she wasn't sure what would happen next, telling Vanity Fair that she was so distraught that she was crying in the fetal position when her parents had to come over and convince her to move on with her life. "At the time, it felt like the work was going to be taken away from me," she said. "I had more things that I wanted to give, do, participate in." 

Luckily, her career has only flourished since then, with Kidman now having an Oscar win and three noms under her belt — as well as a happy 15-year marriage to Keith Urban.

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Nicole Kidman Remembers the First Time She Met Tom Cruise

Watch the full episode of The Jess Cagle Interview: Nicole Kidman , streaming now on People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN). Go to PEOPLE.com/PEN , or download the app for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xumo, Chromecast, Xfinity, iOS and Android devices.

The day Nicole Kidman met Tom Cruise was one of the most memorable — and pivotal — moments in her career.

Speaking on The Jess Cagle Interview , Kidman told PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly ‘s editorial director that her first meeting with Cruise was during her audition for 1990’s Days of Thunder — the film which sparked her romance and later marriage to the action star — when she was still an up-and-coming actress and very new to Hollywood.

“I remember walking in, I remember being so nervous and seeing Tom Cruise drive up in a Porsche, I think it was,” she recalled. “He got out of the car and walked through and I was like, ‘Ah.’ My jaw dropped. Then I had to go in and audition in front of Tony Scott. Sweet Tony. [Producers] Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Robert Towne and Tom. I was like, ‘No way, I’m not going to get this.’ They called that afternoon and I had the job.”

The Lion actress revealed that she celebrated the good news with her mother.

“I was just like, ‘Oh my god, Mom!’ Yeah, that was huge. Huge,” says Kidman. “You know, obviously, changed my life extraordinarily. So grateful for the film, for everything that came with it. It was a big, important part of my life.”

While Kidman is now happily married to husband Keith Urban , with whom she has two daughters, Kidman also shares two children with ex-husband Cruise: Isabella and Connor Cruise.

“[It was] a beautiful marriage and all of those things that came out of it,” Kidman says of her 10-year marriage to Cruise. “Two beautiful children. The rest is history.”

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The Truth About Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise's Relationship

The '90s were a simpler time. Long before Tom Cruise would destroy his rep by jumping on Oprah's couch, and decades prior to Nicole Kidman becoming the campy queen of several Twitter memes , they were the ultimate Hollywood power couple. The pair existed at a time before celebrity couple portmanteaus — Cruiseman just doesn't have the same ring to it as TomKat  – and they arguably thrived at a time before  social media oversharing . Though they weren't immune to some saucy bedroom confessions in the pre-smartphone age.

Despite Cruise's apparent agelessness — when he's not channeling Norm MacDonald , that is — his romance with Kidman ended over 20 years ago. During their 11-year marriage, the couple was frequently targeted by the press and had to dodge some pretty outlandish claims about their private life. Similarly, it was thanks to Stanley Kubrick that their love life was laid bare, quite literally, for the whole world to see in the nightmarish erotic thriller "Eyes Wide Shut." 

Since their breakup, there have been questions as to whether the divorce was simply the dissolution of a Hollywood dream, or if more ominous factors were at play. Indeed, the relationship's end has been shrouded in mystery, and it seems Kidman may very well have been sworn to secrecy herself. Whether there are some big little lies at hand or the answers are right there in the open, let's undertake the mission impossible of delving into the truth about Kidman and Cruise's relationship.

It was love at first jaw-drop

In 1989, Nicole Kidman was an up-and-coming 22-year-old who just scored her big break with the thriller "Dead Calm." Meanwhile, Tom Cruise was a 27-year-old seasoned A-lister, hot off the success of Oliver Stone's anti-war film "Born on the Fourth of July."  Cruise saw Kidman in her breakthrough role and was intent on meeting her. Per Vanity Fair , the Aussie actor was in the midst of a press junket in Tokyo when she got a call from the superstar's team. She recalled, "I thought, Wow! This is America! Tom Cruise wants to meet me." She subsequently auditioned for a role alongside Cruise in "Days of Thunder."

Per the  Los Angeles Times , Kidman never thought she'd get married, largely due to the influence of her ardent feminist mother. But when she set eyes on Cruise during her audition, she was smitten. "I remember being so nervous and seeing Tom Cruise drive up in a Porsche ... He got out of the car and walked through and I was like, 'Ah.' My jaw dropped," she told People of that fateful first encounter. 

Per CNN , Cruise fell head over heels for his co-star. The feeling was mutual. "He basically swept me off my feet," Kidman told Vanity Fair. "I fell madly, passionately in love." But there was a problem: Cruise was still married to his first wife, fellow actor Mimi Rogers. The couple divorced the following year and thus began a Hollywood romance for the ages.

The pressure of marriage was too much, too young

At the tender age of 23, Nicole Kidman tied the knot with Tom Cruise, then 28. Per Entertainment Weekly , they celebrated their nuptials in a cozy ceremony under the Colorado sun. By today's standards, 23 certainly appears rather young to settle down. It is, after all, the age that Zellenials perfect their TikTok lip syncing skills . On reflection, Kidman believes that she was far too youthful to devote herself to one person. 

"I was so young when I got married," she told Red (via Today ). "I look back now and I'm like, 'What?'" She contrasted her 20-something self to the female celebs of today, who she suggested have more agency than women in the '90s. "You look at Taylor Swift ... She's 26. I had two kids by the time I was 27 and I'd been married four years." Speaking with GQ (via Daily Mail ), Kidman elaborated on being thrust into fame and marriage when she was barely out of her teens, revealing, "I became famous very young ... because I was the wife of somebody."

But settling down at a young age wasn't all bad. Speaking with the BBC (via People ) in 1998, Kidman acknowledged that she was lucky to have found such a profound and powerful love at such a young age. As she later told the Evening Standard , "I was a baby when I married Tom, but I don't regret any of it."

The twosome had a steamy relationship

Long before the advent of social media exhibitionism — where  Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian's PDA  can be borderline pornographic, as standard – Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were famed for their amorous marriage. Sure, their red carpet smooches look tame compared to today's thirst traps, but the couple's flagrant intimacy caused a stir back in the day. While celebrating the upcoming nuptials of their music exec pal Tommy Mottola in 2000, the lusty twosome couldn't keep their hands off one another. An onlooker dished to People , "They were dancing together and grinding up against each other ... It was very sexy."

Five years earlier, Cruise confessed that there was only one thing on his mind when he first set eyes on his Aussie bride-to-be. "My first reaction to meeting Nic was pure lust," he told Entertainment Weekly . "It was totally physical." Meanwhile, Kidman added that the pair's bedroom antics were very hot and totally off-limits to the public. Still, the it-couple were madly in love and wanted the entire world to know it. 

When Kidman opened up about marital sex to GQ in 2009 (via Tampa Bay Times ), she made the admission, "I've explored strange sexual fetish stuff." Was she into kink with Cruise? Tampa Bay Times seemed to think so. The outlet speculated that she spoke differently about her current marriage to Keith Urban, making it seem like she was alluding to the man with a need for speed with the statement. 

Nicole helped Tom embrace his lighter side

By all accounts, Nicole Kidman appeared to be Tom Cruise's manic pixie dream girl . In a 1992 interview with Rolling Stone , he revealed that he was pretty somber before he met his flame-haired love. However, Kidman was able to bring Cruise out of his shell and made him realize that there's more to life than work, work, work, as Rhianna would say. "For a long time, until I met Nicole, I always put my career ahead of everything ... It's like a whole new life opened up," he gushed. "She's the most important thing to me."

Speaking with Vanity Fair in 1996, Cruise expanded on the meaningful ways in which Kidman changed his life for the better. Reflecting on the first decade of his career, he admitted to living in fear of failure. "And then I met Nic, and it was like 'Oh, my God,'" he enthused. "You read about people whose whole life is just movies ... Your life feeds your work, not the opposite. It's not about me, me, me, me. It's about the other person."

Per Entertainment Weekly , the couple's favorite hobbies included skydiving and playing pool, which they did frequently when staying in London for an extended period. Subsequently, Kidman's previously skeptical friends began to warm to Cruise. While her pal Josh Duigan admitted to disliking him at first, he soon saw another side to Cruise once he realized how much fun the newlyweds had together.

They couldn't have biological children

When Nicole Kidman first met Tom Cruise, her initial desire was not to marry him, but to have his babies. In 2002, she conceded to  Vanity Fair , "I was desperate to have a baby with him ... That's what I wish I'd done." Sadly, the couple struggled to conceive. Opening up to Marie Claire about one of the darkest periods in her life, Kidman revealed that she had an ectopic pregnancy at the start of the couple's marriage, followed by a miscarriage years later. "It was incredibly traumatic for me," she lamented.

Following their bereavement, the couple was met with more devastating news –  it was unlikely they would ever be able to have biological children. Kidman poignantly reflected to  Tatler , "That yearning. It's a huge, aching yearning ... The loss of a miscarriage is not talked about enough. That's massive grief to certain women." Coming to terms with the painful reality, the couple decided to adopt two children, Isabella and Connor Cruise . 

In order to give their kids a healthy upbringing, the couple would alternate their work schedules. As Kidman revealed to the  Los Angeles Times in 1995, she worked in London while her husband stayed at home to take care of the kids, which led to sexist jibes from the British press. Speaking with Vanity Fair the following year, Tom emphasized the importance of shielding his children from the Hollywood limelight.

They had to fend off tabloid rumors

Much like fellow Scientologist John Travolta , Tom Cruise has long faced rumors that he is secretly gay. These claims date back to the '90s when his marriage to Nicole Kidman was under intense tabloid scrutiny. Per the  Los Angeles Times , there was gossip that the couple's PDA-packed romance was nothing more than a cover-up for Cruise's alleged sexuality and that the relationship was merely a marriage of convenience. 

Cruise was enraged by the tattle, telling Vanity Fair in 1996, "I feel very angry about it. I just try to remind Nicole ... 'You have me, you have the kids, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.'" Speaking with Entertainment Weekly , Kidman dismissed the rumors that her husband was gay. "Look, Tom and I are heterosexual, we're together, we're in love," she stressed. "It's weird even to have to answer that question."

But towards the end of their marriage, the gossip was compounded by claims that Cruise had an extramarital affair with another man. As reported by ABC News , it was alleged that the star engaged in a steamy dalliance with Chad Slater, a male pornographic actor. The performer claimed that Kidman caught him and Cruise having sex, which directly led to her filing for divorce. Cruise slammed Slater's assertions as outright lies, insisting that he had never even met the adult star. As a result, he won a lawsuit against Slater for $10 million in 2003.

Scientology allegedly harmed their marriage

It's been alleged that Scientology was as instrumental in setting up Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's marriage as it was in orchestrating their divorce. In his explosive Scientology exposé, "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" (via  New York Post ), Lawrence Wright alleged that Scientology leader David Miscavige had facilitated Cruise's break up with his first wife Mimi Rogers so the actor could wed Kidman, with whom he had fallen in love. Though Rogers was also a Scientologist, she was apparently expendable. Cruise was prioritized as the future of the controversial church, and so was his desires.

Getting Kidman on board with the Church's doctrine was no easy feat. Miscavige was perturbed by her Catholicism and deemed her to be trouble. Indeed, a source suggested to  People that Kidman wasn't keen on converting to Scientology. The church, who famously opposes psychiatric treatments , also allegedly didn't look kindly upon the profession of Kidman's father, a respected psychologist. Regardless of Kidman's reservations, Isabella and Connor were raised as Scientologists and they remained with the organization long after their mom's divorce from Cruise, per Vanity Fair . 

According to the HBO documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief "  (via The Daily Beast ) the Church allegedly used aggressive intimidation tactics to tear apart the Hollywood sweethearts. Both actors reportedly refused to be interviewed for the film, and neither responded to the claims.

Was Nicole Kidman royally jealous of Lady Di?

Being the celeb power couple of the '90s, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were friendly with another sweetheart of the era: Princess Diana. Per People , the couple were greeted by the royal at the 1992 premiere of "Far and Away" where Maverick and the People's Princess could be seen sharing a charming rapport as they chatted on the red carpet. If royal insiders are to be believed, Diana was crushing on Cruise.

According to Di's stylist, who shared her anecdotes in Judy Wade's book, "Diana: The Intimate Portrait" (via Micky ), she began flirting with Cruise at the premiere. Kidman was reportedly jealous of her husband's chemistry with the Princess of Wales and made her feelings clear to her. Wade wrote, "She [Nicole] kept shooting ... hostile looks as if to say, 'Hands off my man!" However, it appears that she needn't have worried since Cruise wasn't Di's type. Per Express , the royal apparently joked to her personal chef, Darren McGrady, that she would never date Cruise as he was too short for her.

When Diana Spencer was killed in a horrific car accident in France, Cruise told CNN that he was outraged by the media's avarice when it came to the prematurely departed princess. He added about her death, "We're just devastated." Cruise and Kidman joined A-list mourners at her funeral in 1997.

Stanley Kubrick pushed their marriage to the edge

Having met while making "Days of Thunder," Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman played on-screen lovers yet again in the 1992 romance "Far and Away" — notable for featuring some of the  worst affected Irish accents in cinematic history. Kidman regrets having worked with her husband on the film, believing that it led to her being pigeonholed as Mrs. Tom Cruise. "I probably should have done more by myself to be seen independently," she told Entertainment Weekly .

However, it was the power couple's third and final on-screen pairing that truly sent the media into a frenzy. Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" was renowned for its erotic reverie . A short, steamy promo featuring the couple passionately kissing while watching each other in a mirror understandably caused a stir  upon release. The film's shoot, which was supposed to last 3 months but ended up taking 2 years , provided an uncomfortable lens into the couple's marriage. 

Speaking about the lines between reality and fiction becoming blurred for the movie, Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter , "[Kubrick] used the movie as provocation, pretending it was our sex life — which we weren't oblivious to, but obviously it wasn't us." Per Vanity Fair , the couple even won a libel suit against Star magazine for writing that they'd hired a sex therapist for their intimate scenes. Tensions were further heightened when Kubrick encouraged the pair to use their marital woes for the film, something which Kidman described as thrilling but dangerous.

Nicole was protected by Tom's power

The wisdom of Nicole Kidman's feminist mother had clearly rubbed off on the star. As noted by  The New York Times , with her production company the actor devotes herself to uplifting other women in the business. Although she now has the power and authority within the notoriously sexist industry to speak her truth, it wasn't always so easy. As an up-and-coming Hollywood starlet, Kidman often found herself voiceless. Being the wife of a hugely influential man, however, she was protected from the more nefarious aspects of the industry.

Speaking to  The Cut , she explained that the power Cruise wielded in Tinseltown protected her from predators. "I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed," she noted.

But the problematic nature of this unspoken Hollywood contract — that Kidman was only spared sexual harassment thanks to the man in her life — came at a price. Speaking with Glamour , she confessed that the marriage often left her reduced to the appendage of a powerful man as opposed to a human being in her own right. "I felt I became a star only by association ... I thought, I don't deserve to be here," she admitted. Accordingly, she began to reluctantly subscribe to the notion that she was merely a trophy wife. "I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and be seen and not heard," she added.

Did Tom Cruise cheat on Nicole Kidman?

The new millennium would spell the beginning of the end of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's marriage. In 2000, Cruise began filming "Vanilla Sky" with Penelope Cruz, and soon after he was seen getting cozy with his enigmatic co-star. However, some thought the timeline of the hook-up seemed sus. Per Entertainment Weekly , he didn't divorce Kidman until 2001, despite having spent the entirety of the "Vanilla Sky" shoot with Cruz. There were rumors that the duo had begun a tryst on set.

When Kidman heard of the alleged affair, she was reportedly devastated. "Nicole was just totally in shock," an insider told People (via ABC News ). "She said, 'He flat-out swore to me up and down that there was nothing going on ... 'All this time she's been wondering why the marriage ended, and this could be it." The new couple made it red carpet official just a week after Cruise and Kidman had announced their divorce. 

Still, Cruz has repeatedly maintained that the pair never had an affair. Speaking with The Telegraph  in 2008, the Spanish star insisted that she waited until her former boyfriend was divorced before catching feelings. "I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with," she stated. "It's always been afterwards." Meanwhile, Cruise vehemently denied an affair when speaking to CNN , but admitted that he was incredibly attracted to Cruz during filming.

Nicole Kidman's life fell apart when they broke up

When the couple split in 2001,  Entertainment Weekly  reported on the various rumors circulating as to why Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman broke up . Some speculated that it was Kidman's refusal to convert to Scientology that tore them apart, while others suggested that the Aussie star wanted to raise the couple's kids in her homeland.

The divorce took its toll on Kidman. "My life collapsed," Kidman told  Vanity Fair . "People ran from me because suddenly it was 'Oh, my God! It's over for her now!'" Meanwhile, Cruise hinted at an acrimonious end in his own Vanity Fair interview. "Things happen in life, and you do everything you can, and in every possible way, and there's a point at which you just sometimes have to face the brutal reality," he conceded. Ouch.

Reflecting on the divorce to  Glamour , Kidman admitted that the split was particularly painful because it triggered memories of her childhood trauma. When Kidman was growing up, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother's unraveling due to the disease led to the whole family's unraveling. As Kidman put it, "If you take care of the woman in the family, the whole family prospers. But when the mother falters, the family falls apart." Thereafter, she opted to stay single for six years to rediscover herself. Speaking with Marie Claire , she admitted to being so devastated that she thought she would never find love again.

They still loved each other

As painful as the divorce was, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise had nothing but praise for each other in the immediate aftermath. Speaking with CNN , Cruise dodged any negative press regarding the split, refusing to address Larry King's suggestion that Hollywood hadn't seen such a highly publicized separation since the days of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. Instead, Cruise lavished praise on his former wife. "I love Nicole. I've always loved her ... That doesn't go away. It will never go away," he explained.

Kidman appeared to feel the same way. In an interview with Ladies' Home Journal (via Today ), she said that while the divorce was a huge shock, she had nothing but love for her former husband. "To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge," she reflected. "But he was lovely to me and I loved him. I still love him."

However, it didn't take long for things to get shady. Kidman famously quipped to David Letterman (per Evening Standard ) that she was happy she could wear heels again after splitting from her petite husband. Then came the bitter custody battle over Isabella and Connor. Although the exes were awarded shared custody, the reality was much different. "They live with Tom, which was their choice," she confessed to Hello (via E! ) in 2010. "I'd love them to live with us, but what can you do?" The former power couple was officially done. 

The bitter aftermath

As the years went by, things slowly grew more acrimonious for Hollywood's beloved former it-couple. In 2022, Variety reported that Nicole Kidman was completely omitted from a montage of Tom Cruise's body of work at Cannes, despite the tribute featuring scenes from all three of the flicks the couple starred in. A year earlier, Harper's Bazaar noted that Kidman wouldn't discuss her divorce from Cruise during interviews.

Meanwhile, Kidman had a furious response when The Guardian brought up the topic during an interview promoting "Being the Ricardos." When the outlet suggested that Lucille Ball's troubled relationship with Desi Arnaz may be comparable to her own failed marriage, Kidman snapped. "Oh, my God, no ... And I would ask not to be pigeonholed that way, either," she retorted. "It feels to me almost sexist because I'm not sure anyone would say that to a man. And at some point, you go, 'Give me my life. In its own right.'"

According to insiders, Kidman has a right to feel bitter. The  Daily Mail reported allegations that Cruise was instrumental in driving a wedge between his ex-wife and the children they adopted. Ex-Scientologist Sam Domingo claimed that Scientology agents brainwashed Isabella and Connor against their mom. In 2015, Kidman was reportedly  snubbed from Isabella's wedding . However, they were rumored to have reconciled in 2020. Meanwhile, Connor has maintained that he has a great relationship with his mom .

Nicole Kidman Warns Fans Not To Love Blindly In Rare Comments About Marriage To Tom Cruise

She revealed how her past divorce and experiences in love impact her current marriage to Keith Urban.

• Nicole Kidman admits past divorce influences current marriage with Keith Urban, values openness and warmth in relationships.
• Despite personal struggles during career success, Kidman wishes to have enjoyed her Oscar win more, regrets not celebrating.
• Post-divorce realization prompted Kidman to seek love anew, leading to marriage with Keith Urban and two teenage daughters.

Nicole Kidman is relatively private about her personal life, but she hasn’t been afraid to share what she’s learned in her love life over the years, with new comments seeming to reference her marriage to Tom Cruise .

These Nicole Kidman Movies Have Grossed Over $100 Million At The Box Office

Kidman says her divorce impacts her current marriage.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, the actress admitted her past marriage caused her to be cautious in new relationships, including her present union with country singer Keith Urban.

"I was young. I think I offered it up? Maybe I've gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I'm always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way," Kidman told the publication.

Of the impact her past has had on her current relationship, Nicole continued, "I'm wary at times, and I've been hurt, but at the same time I much prefer a warm approach rather than a prickly shutdown approach. My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, 'How's your heart?' And I apparently responded, 'Open.’”

Kidman Has Talked About Her Divorce Before

In January, Kidman appeared to reference the breakdown of her marriage to Cruise when discussing how she should’ve been her happiest during her 2003 Oscar win , which came a few years after their divorce.

Speaking to author Dave Karger for his book 50 Oscar Nights, which was released in January, Kidman says it felt odd not to be happy about her Oscar win. But she wasn’t happy in her personal life – the actress has said the two kids she shares with Cruise chose to live with him after their split.

“I was struggling with things in my personal life, yet my professional life was going so well. That’s what happens, right?” she said, acknowledging how ironic the situation was.

Though she ended up attending an Oscars afterparty, Nicole said she almost went directly home after the ceremony because she was in such a poor mood.

“I’m not a big party girl, so I was going to skip the Vanity Fair party, and everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to go. You’ve got to walk through the party carrying your Academy Award,’" Kidman went on. "I said, ‘That just feels like gloating, and it doesn’t feel humble.’ Like, what? You can’t walk through carrying the award! That feels really inappropriate. They’re like, ‘That’s what you do.’"

What Are Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman's Adopted Kids Doing Today?

She added, “So I literally walked in, carried it around, was completely overwhelmed, emotional, shaking, and I didn’t enjoy it. I was almost apologetic, which is so stupid. I wish I could have enjoyed it more.”

Regrettably, the evening took a downturn upon her return to the hotel room. Nicole recounts that dining alone with take-out after the Oscars prompted her realization of a desire to seek love anew.

Subsequently, Nicole went on to tie the knot with country singer Keith Urban in 2006, with whom she shares two teenage daughters. They remain married to this day. Nicole and Tom were married from 1990 to 2001.

Who are Nicole Kidman's four children shared with ex Tom Cruise and husband Keith Urban?

Nicole Kidman is the mother of four children. The actress shares two of her kids with ex-husband Tom Cruise , and two with her now husband Keith Urban .

Her now-adult children Bella and Connor were from her marriage to the actor, while she shares her two teen daughters Sunday and Faith with the country singer. The two teenagers made their red carpet debut at the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala where their mother was being honored.

“There’s an enormous amount of luck in my life, but there’s also the most important thing — love, big, big love,” Nicole said when she accepted the Life Achievement Award pointing to Keith and their children. “Right there is the love of my life and the loves of my life. My daughters have never been anywhere publicly with me on a red carpet, tonight was their first night, so they’re here, Sunday and Faith.”

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READ MORE: Nicole Kidman beams with lookalike teenage daughters as she's supported by family at awards

Unlike other celebrities, Nicole has always been private about her children. Sunday is 15 and Faith is 13, and this marks their first red carpet appearance. Her kids with Cruise have also not spent much time in the spotlight over the years. Nicole has been open about her experience with wanting to be a mother and motherhood over the years, even opening up about the current status of her relationship with Bella and Connor. Here is what we know about her children.

When did Nicole Kidman have her first child?

After losing a child, Nicole became a mom in 1993. The actress and her then-husband Tom adopted their daughter, Isabella, soon after her birth in Miami in December 1992. "From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies ," Nicole told Vanity Fair in 2007.

"And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic. And that's when we would adopt [our daughter] Bella." Bella grew up with her father in Beverly Hills and pursued a career in fashion. Bella who is now 31, got married in 2015 but her parents did not attend the wedding. Tom reportedly paid for the wedding, and a source told People that Nicole was "very happy for Bella."

How many kids did Nicole and Tom Cruise have together?

The family of three soon became a family of four. A few years after they adopted Bella, their son Connor joined their clan. They adopted their second child just after his birth in Florida in January 1995. Connor also grew up in Los Angeles, and followed his parent's footsteps, pursuing an acting career.

Connor is now 29 and reportedly lives in Florida in a Scientology community. "Connor has a pretty simple life in Clearwater," a source told PEOPLE in 2018. "He lives in his own home in a Scientology community. His life is deep-sea fishing. He has a lot of friends and seems very well-liked."

What has Nicole said about her kids with Tom?

The marriage between the two actors ended in 2001, but Nicole said she had no regrets because the relationship gave her her children. "I got married really fast and really young," she said in 2012.

"But I don't regret that because it got me Bella and Connor and I did have a fantastic marriage for a long period." In 2008, she told Elle magazine that despite the marriage ending, the kids were raised "amidst a lot of love."

Does Nicole have a relationship with her and Tom's kids?

There has been much speculation about Nicole's relationship with her two oldest children whom she shares with Tom. Nicole famously walked away from Scientology but the kids are reportedly still involved in Scientology after growing up with their dad.

"Motherhood is about the journey. There are going to be incredible peaks and valleys, whether you are an adopting mother or a birth mother. What a child needs is love," Nicole told The Sun in 2019 . "They have made choices to be Scientologists. It’s our job as a parent to always offer unconditional love."

New Idea asked Bella if she still speaks to her parents in 2016 and she said: "Of course we talk, they're my parents."

How many kids does Nicole have with Keith Urban?

Five years after her divorce from Tom, Nicole found love again with Keith. The pair married in June 2006, and welcomed their first child, a girl named Sunday Rose. Four years later, their second girl, Faith Margaret, arrived in 2010 via gestational surrogate in Nashville. "My daughters are Nashvillians! They have a southern drawl," the actress told PEOPLE about her kids in 2016. "They have some Aussie. They have an unusual mix. They're hybrids."

The pair kept the news of their second child under wraps until 2011. Nicole said they chose to keep the news a secret to protect everyone who was involved. "I wanted to be able to tell everybody because I was so excited about her," she told an E! News reporter at the SAG Awards in 2011. "[But] we just decided this was our thing together. It kind of just perpetuated itself… it protects [Faith] and it protects everyone in the situation."

Have Sunday and Faith also been out of the spotlight?

Both of Nicole and Keith's daughters have largely been away from Hollywood but have made some appearances in their mother's films. They have been extras over the years, while growing up on the sets of Nicole's projects, like Big Little Lies and The Undoing and voiced baby birds in the film Angry Birds 2.

"They're used to being extras, but they did five days in the freezing New York cold, never complained, and didn't get any special treatment," Nicole said about the girls . "And then one day they came home and said, 'We got a line!'"

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Nicole Kidman on making ‘Birth’ and why she chooses films that aren’t a ‘soothing bath’

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By now, the shot should be familiar: Nicole Kidman sitting in a theater, her face registering, among other things, hope and wonder.

Except the masterful sequence I’m contemplating isn’t the one from the ubiquitous AMC Theatres ad that has been worshiped and parodied the last three years, but in Jonathan Glazer’s 2004 film “Birth.” In addition to ecstasy, Kidman’s expression also conveys shock and anguish and, finally, acceptance of the impossible. All in two minutes.

Here’s how it plays: Attending the opera with her fiancé, Kidman’s character, Anna, arrives unsettled and you can understand why. A preternaturally calm 10-year-old boy has recently turned up at her Manhattan apartment — at her engagement party, no less — and announced that he’s her reincarnated husband, a man who collapsed 10 years ago while jogging in Central Park. Anna has been turning over the boy’s words in her mind for days. Seated now, with Wagner’s “Die Walküre” booming in the background, Anna decides to surrender to the unimaginable and embrace the fantastic idea.

And you watch the whole wordless journey play out on Kidman’s face in the long, unbroken shot .

“I knew instinctively, in real time, that it would be the center of the film,” Glazer tells me via email. “It was so eloquent. Like watching a trapeze artist on a high wire, poised gracefully in midair.”

Kidman, 56, has forged a long career full of work in which she has walked the tightrope. She’s still taking big swings, too, having just finished filming “Babygirl,” a sexually charged thriller written and directed by Halina Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) for A24.

On the eve of Saturday’s AFI Life Achievement Award gala celebrating Kidman’s career, it felt like the right time to revisit “Birth,” a movie that has been reassessed in the 20 years since its release, emblematic of the risks she loves to take with her work.

“I just have an enormous amount of trust,” Kidman says by phone from Austria, where she’s shooting a second season of the Hulu series “Nine Perfect Strangers.” “I will just go places and align with people and go, ‘Here I am. I’m yours. We’ll live and die together.’”

With “Birth,” she and Glazer created an odd movie that introduces Anna, a smart, sophisticated Upper East Sider, with a shot of her steadying herself on her husband’s tombstone and then spends the next 90 minutes suggesting that she’ll never escape his memory.

“This is a strange, unsettling movie,” I begin, not long after Kidman picks up the phone.

“I don’t find it strange but maybe that means I’m strange,” Kidman says, laughing. “But I never found it strange. I found it profound, the way it deals with grief and how people will fill holes to explain things, needing to explain things and then being incredibly open to all possibilities when you’re in a deeply vulnerable state.”

“And also,” she continues, “the idea that grief isn’t finite because it most definitely isn’t. Grief never ends. And you see it at that scene at the opera. She just releases into believing that it is him, this little boy is her husband. For her, it’s the easier path.”

For that celebrated shot, Glazer says he asked Danny Huston, who plays Anna’s fiancé, to whisper something banal to Kidman, “to give her a nudge or two to knock her off balance, out of her reverie.” Her recovery, he notes, was immaculate.

“It was only two takes,” Kidman says of the close-up. “That’s how bold Jonathan was. ‘Great. We got it.’ It wasn’t always that way with him.”

While her memory of shooting that crucial scene is precise, Kidman is a little blurry on the specifics of how she prepared to play a woman still racked with despair a decade after her husband died. During one of our conversations, she closes her eyes and rubs her temples, as if trying to summon ghosts from the past.

“I know vocally, everything just got much more meek and shy and light,” Kidman says. “I remember being surprised at the time at the voice that was coming out of me.”

Do you still have the script, I ask, where you could look at your notes?

“No, I throw everything out,” Kidman answers. “I shred them. Ooooh. It’d be like people reading my journal. I don’t want anyone ever reading those.”

So, every script?

“Shredded.”

“‘Eyes Wide Shut’”?

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard you relish a word like you’re saying “shredded” right now, I tell her.

“Well, it feels like baggage,” Kidman says. “It’s all just going to go sit in an attic or down in a basement. I’m a traveling actor and can live out of a suitcase. That’s how I approach life because I’ve always had to shove everything in a suitcase and move on.”

Kidman was finishing making “Birth” when she won the Oscar in 2003 for playing Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry’s drama “The Hours.” That year, she also appeared in Lars von Trier’s bruising, incendiary “Dogville,” the sober Philip Roth adaptation “The Human Stain” and the acclaimed Civil War epic “Cold Mountain,” a hit nominated for seven Oscars. But even with all that, Glazer had been hesitant to cast her in “Birth,” fearing her celebrity would overwhelm a delicate, peculiar character study.

“I was nervous to cast her,” Glazer admits. “I needn’t have been. I underestimated her ability to become anonymous. To immerse herself fully. I’d seen her in ‘Dogville.’ I loved that she did that. And ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’ It’s that fearlessness which attracted me, seeking out filmmakers who would challenge her.”

Glazer did just that, noting that the making of “Birth” was fraught. The studio, he says, was “enraged by my daily script changes and improvisations,” often made because the scenes they had initially written were beyond the abilities of the young actor, Cameron Bright, playing the boy.

“So we’d shift the emphasis onto Nicole,” Glazer says. “Sometimes three or four pages of dialogue would turn up at her house at midnight to shoot the following day, completely different to the ones she’d prepared for. She’d arrive in the morning, never late, knowing the new lines perfectly and without complaint. She stood by me throughout. She knew I was searching for something and she protected me and believed in what we were doing. She’s an absolute professional and I am deeply proud of her performance.”

Kidman remembers Glazer’s “rigorous” reshaping of the script, a process she likens to Stanley Kubrick’s methodology making “Eyes Wide Shut,” a 400-day shoot that, boiled down, amounted to what she calls a “commitment to exploring the unknown.”

“Stanley would rewrite scenes that we’d spent six weeks shooting,” Kidman remembers. “And you just go, ‘OK. Great. How do you see it this time?’ With Jonathan, I’d get those pages late at night and it was glorious because the writing was so good. Great writing is easy to learn. That’s never a problem. When it’s not so good, then,” she laughs, “that’s another story.”

“Birth,” like “Eyes Wide Shut,” revels in its mysteries. Even after the young boy’s story has been mostly debunked as a hoax, a few lingering questions remain. And Kidman loves that ambiguity because, as she often likes to say, “None of us knows anything.”

Which makes me think about mortality and the film’s contemplation on the supernatural.

“How are you feeling about the afterlife these days?” I ask her.

“I’m open to ideas and I change and shift and grow,” Kidman says. “There are times when I feel solid in my strength of who and where I am. And there are other times when I go, ‘Ooof, everything’s been removed and everything feels very tenuous and I’m not quite sure what’s what.’ And that has to do with having lost people very suddenly. I think that leaves you unsteady. As much as we’re all presenting ideas, none of us has the definitive power to know what’s going on.”

Kidman lost her father a decade ago after he suffered a heart attack, and he comes up often in our conversations. Grief isn’t finite. We talk about how we’d like to believe we might see our loved ones in another realm.

“I can feel him,” Kidman says. “So I’m very open to that. We just don’t know.” She pauses and then laughs. “But I guess we’ll all find out someday, won’t we?”

‘The Zone of Interest’ took a decade of work. Its director will never be the same

Jonathan Glazer, the filmmaker behind ‘Sexy Beast,’ ‘Birth’ and ‘Under the Skin,’ goes deep into the research, filming and editing of his Holocaust masterpiece.

Jan. 11, 2024

“Birth” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2004. Reviews were mixed and when the movie opened the following month, audiences mostly stayed away. Today, it holds a firm place alongside the three other movies Glazer has made — “Sexy Beast,” “Under the Skin” and “The Zone of Interest,” which won the international feature Oscar earlier this year — with Kidman’s performance now considered one of the best in a career full of superlative work.

“Movies that deal with uncomfortable subject matter will rarely be rapturously received because you’re dealing with things that don’t make people feel safe,” Kidman says. “They’re not a soothing bath.”

“Yes,” I agree, “and you’ve made a lot of movies that —”

“— are not soothing baths,” Kidman replies, finishing the thought, laughing. “They’re not lullabies.”

How does Glazer himself feel about “Birth” two decades on?

“I haven’t seen it since we made it,” he says. “But I do know it’s a film some people deeply connect with and that’s a gratifying feeling.”

As part of her AFI gala, Kidman sat for a pre-taped interview discussing the entirety of her career. How did she feel after making that time-machine journey?

“I felt sadness and wonder,” Kidman says. “Definitely wonder. Like: How?”

She bursts into a goofy laugh. “How did this happen? So much of it is great memories. My mother said in her wedding speech — my second wedding — that Nicole’s always looked at the world through rose-colored glasses, particularly the past.” Kidman pauses, smiling. “I thought that was kind of nice.”

So where does the sadness part come in?

“The sadness is, ‘Aaaaw, I want to be able to do it all again.’”

More to Read

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Las hijas adolescentes de Nicole Kidman debutan en la alfombra roja junto a sus padres

Sunday Rose y Faith Margaret, hijas de Nicole Kidman y Keith Urban, posaron por primera vez con sus padres deslumbrando a todos por su parecido.

Este fin de semana Nicole Kidman vivió uno de los momentos más especiales de su carrera. La actriz fue homenajeada por su trayectoria en la gala AFI Life Achievement Award en el Teatro Dolby de Los Ángeles , y posó en la alfombra roja con gran parte de su familia.

Sus hijas Sunday Rose , de 15 años, y Faith Margaret , de 13, que comparte con el cantante Keith Urban , sorprendieron a todos los presentes con su estreno en un evento público. Las adolescentes deslumbraron por lo mayores que están así como por su parecido con sus progenitores.

Un momento que también compartió con ellas su prima por parte de madre, Sybella Hawley . También estaban presentes otros sobrinos y parientes, como su hermana Antonia . Parece que la australiana hizo de este premio un asunto familiar. De hecho en el discurso que dio tras recibir el premio, Kidman hizo referencia a ellos: “Ahí está el amor de mi vida y los amores de mi vida. Mis hijas nunca han estado públicamente conmigo en una alfombra roja, esta noche fue su primera noche y aquí están, Sunday y Faith“.

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La protagonista de Big Little Lies reconoció que detrás de su éxito está su familia, también su madre, quien estaba disfrutando del evento desde casa.

La intérprete, quien lleva cuatro décadas en activo acumula un Óscar, un Golden Globe, un BAFTA y varios premios Emmy. Por eso, este galardón a la trayectoria otorgado por el American Film Institute, tiene un significado muy especial para ella.

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Sin embargo, en la alfombra echamos de menos a Isabella y Connor , los dos hijos que adoptó la actriz junto a Tom Cruise durante su matrimonio. La pareja estuvo casada de 1990 a 2001. Lo cierto es que ellos llevan una vida discreta, alejada en buena medida de la atención pública, y su madre ha querido respetar ese amor por la discreción. Su relación tampoco es demasiado cercana, pues tras la separación de Kidman y Cruise, parece que están más unidos a su padre después de un mediático divorcio.

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Sunday y Faith, presumieron los genes que han heredado de su madre. Las dos acapararon todas las miradas con sendos vestidos con escotes palabra de honor. Sunday, estilo corazón con un estampado de flores y Faith en tono coral. Sus rasgos son una perfecta mezcla de sus padres.

Por su parte Kidman se vio regia con un vestido de Balenciaga a la medida , con tirantes finos, brillos dorados, escote en la espalda y una pequeña cola.

En la premiación, muchas caras conocidas y colegas de profesión como Meryl Streep , Naomi Watts , Zoë Saldaña o Reese Witherspoon no perdieron la oportunidad de felicitar a la actriz por este gran logro.

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Nicole Kidman's mixed emotions on AFI red carpet amid family drama

While the actress celebrates her career milestone at the AFI awards with Keith Urban and their daughters, the complex dynamics with her Scientology-linked children linger in the background

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H ollywood's glitterati turned out in full force this Saturday as Nicole Kidman accepted a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute at the Dolby Theatre . Accompanied by her adoring husband, Keith Urban , and their daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret , Kidman was the epitome of glamour and grace. However, the celebration was tinged with a hint of family drama , as Kidman's two oldest children, Connor and Isabella Cruise , were conspicuously absent from the festivities.

Connor, 29 , and Isabella, 31 , Kidman's adopted children from her storied marriage to Tom Cruise , have long been subjects of Hollywood's rumor mill due to their strong ties to their father and the Church of Scientology . Despite Kidman's heartfelt shoutout to her " loves of her life " during her acceptance speech, neither Connor nor Isabella were mentioned, nor did they appear to publicly acknowledge the event, save for Bella's subtle nod with a like on one of Nicole's celebratory Instagram posts.

The backstory of Kidman's fractured family dynamics is as dramatic as any screenplay she's starred in. After her split from Cruise in 2001, the children chose to stay with their father, embracing the Church of Scientology-a decision that has reportedly caused a rift, despite Nicole's repeated affirmations of unconditional love for her children.

Nicole Kidman's journey of motherhood and recognition

Kidman's struggles with fertility and her deep-seated yearning for motherhood have been well-documented, adding layers to her complex relationship with her children. Despite the apparent distance, Kidman has never ceased to express her affection and pride for all her children, adopted or biological.

Insiders speculate that the Church of Scientology's labeling of Kidman as a " suppressive person " after her departure from the church may be a factor in the strained relations. This designation, meant to denote someone who is a negative influence on church members, allegedly leads to enforced disconnections from loved ones who leave the fold.

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Meanwhile, Kidman's family life with Urban and their daughters paints a starkly different picture-one of unity and public appearances. Last night marked a significant family milestone as it was the first time Sunday and Faith joined their mother on the red carpe t, a moment Kidman cherished deeply.

While the evening was a celebration of Kidman's illustrious career , it also highlighted the complex tapestry of personal and familial affiliations that define and challenge the lives of Hollywood's elite .

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