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A look back at nicole kidman & tom cruise’s 11-year marriage in photos.

by Delilah Gray

Delilah Gray

Trending News Editor

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The 1990s had a lot of great things: the beginning of Friends , unbelievably stylish ensembles, and the birth of iconic “It” couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. They were everywhere, and everyone wanted to know every detail about the shocking couple. Cruise was already one of Hollywood’s elites when they tied the knot in 1990, but everyone wanted to know, who was this gorgeous Australian actress who stole his heart ?

They met on the set of the hit film Days of Thunder and tied the knot a year later on Christmas Eve in 1990. Before Kidman became the superstar she is today , she told Marie Claire per Goalcast that she felt like a trophy at the beginning of their marriage. “I thought, I don’t deserve to be here. We would go to the Oscars, and I would think, I’m here to support [Tom]. I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and to be seen and not heard.”

Then came kids, more films, and a lot of red carpet-appearances. They would frequently say how much they loved one another in interviews, with Cruise calling Kidman his “soulmate.”

They were the faces of ’90s love, and their sudden divorce in 2001 shocked everyone, along with Kidman being the reported reason Cruise skipped the 2023 Oscars over 20 years later.

So let’s throw it back to the 1990s and take a look at Kidman and Cruise’s life in photos.

A version of this article was originally published on Dec 2021.

‘Days of Thunder’

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman met and fell in love on the set of  Days of Thunder back in 1989. 

Pre-Wedding Bliss

After a year together, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman tied the knot in a private ceremony on Christmas Eve in 1990 in Telluride, Colorado.

“It” Couple

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman quickly become Hollywood’s “It” couple.

Far And Away

Married couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise worked together on-screen again for the western film Far and Away.

Hollywood Royalty Meets British Royalty

Back in 1992, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise met Princess Diana of Wales . They became friends and they attended her funeral together in 1997.

Becoming Parents

In 1992, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise adopted a daughter named Isabella Jane and in 1995, they adopted a son named Connor . They were very private about their children’s lives and rarely put them in the spotlight.

Leaving Scientology

Nicole Kidman joined the Church of Scientology for Tom Cruise but decided to leave in 1997 . And at one point, she even got Cruise to leave for a brief period of time, according to The Daily Beast. 

Madly in Love

In a 2002 interview with Vanity Fair , the year after her divorce, Nicole Kidman admitted that she’d been so head over heels she overlooked some things. “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. And I was desperate to have a baby with him. I didn’t care if we were married.”

‘Eyes Wide Shut’

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise worked together one final time on Stanley Kubrick’s sexy thriller Eyes Wide Shut   in 1999.

Fun After Filming

In a 2020 interview with The New York Times Magazine , Nicole Kidman said that during Eyes Wide Shut , she and Tom Cruise made some amazing memories together. “[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 three 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.”

Shocking Split

Despite officials saying it was an amicable split, Nicole Kidman said she was blindsided when Tom Cruise filed for divorce from her in 2001.

Cruise Moved On Quickly

During Tom Cruise’s divorce to Nicole Kidman, he started a relationship with  Vanilla Sky  co-star Penelope Cruz in 2001. They dated for a few years before splitting up in 2004, then he jumped into marrying his third wife Katie Holmes.

Happy Ending For Kidman

After the sudden divorce, Nicole Kidman threw herself into her acting. She got an Oscar nomination for her iconic role in Moulin Rouge and ended up winning an Oscar for her leading role in the 2003 film The Hours. She re-married to country music star Keith Urban in 2006. They share two daughters born in 2008 and 2010.

2023 Oscars Situation

Despite Cruise’s film  Top Gun: Maverick  receiving multiple nominations, he reportedly skipped the whole ceremony because he didn’t want to have a run-in with Kidman.

Still a Family

Kidman’s relationship with her oldest children, who reportedly lived primarily with Cruise after their divorce, has been a subject of debate. In recent years Bella has proven she’s on good terms with her mom by interacting with her on social media and defending her in interviews.

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In love, out of love, always in the public eye

The life and times of tom and nicole.

(CNN) -- When it comes to Hollywood romance, the betting money says love doesn't last longer than the closing credits.

For 11 years, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman bucked those odds. From the time they met on the set of 1990's "Days of Thunder" -- he played a race-car driver, she played a neurosurgeon -- they were seldom out of the gossip columns. How could they be? Someone who sends his sweetie a $500,000 marble-floored trailer while she�s working on "Billy Bathgate" (1991) is bound to draw attention.

And so it continued. Through the years, their relationship was relentlessly chronicled by a media looking for signs of discord as much as romance.

When they appeared together in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), the story of a marriage shaken by talk of infidelity, reports from the set were breathlessly interpreted for signs of the stars' own marital circumstances.

Yet they attempted to create a semblance of a normal family life, adopting two children (Isabella, 8, and Connor, 6) and structuring their film work so as not to disrupt their children's schedules.

But, as it has for so many Hollywood couples, the career strain proved too great. The pair announced Monday that they are separating after 10 years of marriage.

"Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers, which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seems best for both of them at this time," their spokesperson, Pat Kingsley, said.

From one wife to another

At the time Cruise and Kidman met, he had just announced a separation from his then-wife, actress Mimi Rogers. The co-stars were inseparable on their "Days of Thunder" set and well afterwards. Their romance led to a December 1990 marriage.

Like most newlyweds, the two made gooey talk about the other. "We have so much in common that it's almost as if we are the same person," Kidman gushed to People magazine in 1992. "We know what it takes to make each other happy."

But even then, Cruise's career, always more successful than Kidman's, caused strain.

"Little did we know there was this thing out there -- the Mrs. Tom Cruise thing," Kidman said in an Entertainment Weekly interview in the mid-'90s.

"Every little step Nic takes is much bigger news because she's with me," Cruise agreed. "People judge her because of it. ... I guess that's the downside of being married to Tom Cruise."

Tabloid fodder

The two have done their own share of kicking up tabloid dust.

In 1999, Kidman appeared nude on the London and Broadway stages in "The Blue Room," a disquieting exploration of sex and relationships by playwright David Hare. She attracted far more press for her body than for her acting ability, though she earned critical plaudits for her performance.

Indeed, many of the pair's roles in recent years have had sexually questing overtones. There was Cruise's appearance as a misogynist motivational speaker in "Magnolia"; the couple in "Eyes Wide Shut"; and "Heartswap," a 2000 novel about partner-swapping the two optioned as a starring vehicle for Kidman.

The Kubrick filming was a particularly sobering experience to watch, "Eyes" co-star Todd Field said in an interview last year with People. The couple's scenes together "were really profound and uncomfortable," he said. "The notes they were hitting were notes you can't act; there was real stuff there."

The pair's relationship, Cruise has admitted, was "not always perfect."

Cruise and Kidman have also been dogged by rumors that their marriage was a sham. Cruise sued the British newspaper The Express in 1998 after it said as much; they have also sued the Star tabloid and the German magazine Bunte. (Cruise won the Express suit and donated his damages to charity.)

The two also have been lampooned simply because they were Tom and Nicole, as humor periodical The Onion demonstrated in an article titled "Cruise, Kidman Walk Through Lobby":

"A-list Hollywood celebrities Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, considered by many to be the most important humans on the planet, walked through the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Monday, drawing the attention of dozens of reporters and photographers and thrilling millions of television viewers, 'Access Hollywood' sources reported," the article began.

A future in film

The stars' breakup isn't expected to affect their screen careers or their business relationship.

Kidman is not part of Cruise-Wagner Productions, the production company Cruise created with producer Paula Wagner. In fact, the pair has only appeared in three films together, none a runaway box- office success, and collaborated "The Others." The film, which has yet to be released, stars Kidman, and Cruise was its executive producer.

Cruise remains one of the world's top box-office attractions, having appeared in the hit "Mission: Impossible" series as well as attracting critical praise for his roles in "Eyes Wide Shut" and 2000's "Magnolia."

Kidman, though not having the box-office clout of her now-estranged husband, has earned critical plaudits for recent film roles as well her stage work. Both are currently shooting new movies.

Despite their problems, the two never expected things to end like this. Cruise named his airplane "Sweet Nic," and as recently as two years ago estimated that he and his wife had never been apart for more than 12 days. Kidman was just as optimistic, telling interviewers she had visions of the two of them sharing a porch swing in their 70s.

But the separations always chafed.

"There are hours of discussion in our household about what to do about it," Cruise told People last year. "As long as we're together, that's the most important thing."

Cruise takes on the 'Impossible' again May 26, 2000 Tom Cruise: Life, love and the pursuit of good film work July 16, 1999 Review: 'Eyes Wide Shut' -- All undressed with no place to go July 15, 1999

People magazine Entertainment Weekly magazine The Onion Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman: Astrological forecast Note: Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Nicole Kidman reflects on marriage to Tom Cruise

Kidman and Cruise were married in 1990 and divorced in 2001.

Once upon a time, Nicole Kidman was married to Tom Cruise -- and now she's reflecting on that time in her life, specifically how the media treated her.

When asked by Harper's Bazaar if she was annoyed with the media's obsession over the high profile relationship, the Australian actress replied, "I was young. I think I offered it up?"

MORE: Nicole Kidman opens up about her marriage to Tom Cruise

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"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 continued before a moment of silence. "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."

Referencing her current husband, country singer Keith Urban, the "Nine Perfect Strangers" star added, "My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, 'How's your heart?' And I apparently responded, 'Open.'"

MORE: Keith Urban reveals how he knew Nicole Kidman was 'the one'

Kidman and Cruise were married in 1990 and divorced in 2001. They share two children, a 28-year-old daughter, Isabella, and a 26-year-old son, Connor.

The "Big Little Lies" star and Urban wed in 2006 and also share two children, daughters Sunday Rose, 13, and Faith Margaret, 10.

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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 .

Why Did Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise Divorce? Inside the Reason for Their Split

The former pair’s split became one of Hollywood’s most famous celebrity breakups in history. 

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman ’ s divorce is etched into Hollywood history. The pair’s split in the early 2000s became one of the most famous celebrity breakups, and the Undoing actress has opened up about their past marriage several times over the years. More than 20 years later, fans still want to know why Tom and Nicole got a divorce after everyone believed they had the perfect love.  

Why Did Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise Divorce?  

During a 2013 interview with Vanity Fair , Nicole explained that the reason why she and Tom didn’t work out was because she was “so young” when they got married. The duo tied the knot in 1990.  

“You know, with no disrespect to what I had with Tom, I’ve met my great love now,” she explained at the time, referring to her current husband, Keith Urban . “And I really did not know if that was going to happen. I wanted it, but I didn’t want it for a while, because I didn’t want to jump from one relationship to another. I had a lot of time alone, which was really, really good, because I was a child, really, when I got married. And I needed to grow up.”  

While reflecting on her former relationship with the Top Gun star, the Aquaman actress recalled how reliant they both were on each other.  

“There is something about that sort of existence that, if you really focus on each other and you’re in that bubble, it’s very intoxicating, because it’s just the two of you,” Nicole noted. “And there is only one other person that’s going through it. So, it brings you very close, and it’s deeply romantic.”  

While Nicole has maintained the reason for their split was age, multiple outlets and other sources have claimed that it was due to Tom’s ties with the Church of Scientology. However, neither Nicole nor Tom has publicly confirmed this.  

Did Tom Cruise Break Up With Nicole Kidman?  

In 2001, the Mission Impossible franchise star filed for divorce from the Academy Award winner and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason. Throughout the years, many have speculated over who was the one to end the marriage.  

After finalizing the divorce from Tom, Nicole was photographed walking out of her attorney’s office looking enthusiastic and, what some claimed, relieved. However, it’s still unclear whether or not she was reacting to the divorce.  

Have Many Kids Do Nicole and Tom Have?  

During their marriage, Nicole and Tom adopted two children: Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony . Despite rumors claiming that Nicole doesn’t have any relationship with Isabella or Connor, Isabella cleared the air in 2016 during an interview with New Idea . At the time, she said, “Of course we talk, they’re my parents.”  

In 2018, Nicole spoke with Who magazine about Isabella and Connor’s ties to scientology. “I’m very private about all that,” Nicole pointed out. “I have to protect all those relationships. I know 150% that I would give up my life for my children because it’s what my purpose is. … They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and, as a mother, it’s my job to love them.”  

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Nicole Kidman says she was ‘struggling’ with ‘personal life’ when she won 2003 Oscar amid Tom Cruise divorce

Kidman and cruise divorced in 2001 after 11 years of marriage, article bookmarked.

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Nicole Kidman has reflected on how she was “struggling” with her “personal life” when she won her first Academy Awards in 2003.

The 56-year-old actor spoke candidly about her early career during a conversation with Dave Karger, which was published in his new book, 50 Oscar Nights . In 2003, Kidman won her first Oscar for her role in The Hours, with the big win coming shortly after she finalised her divorce from her husband of 11 years, Tom Cruise .

In the excerpt of 50 Oscar Nights , shared via People , Kidman addressed how the 2003 career milestone arrived at a difficult point in her life. “I was struggling with things in my personal life, yet my professional life was going so well,” she told Karger in the book. “That’s what happens, right?”

She recalled that while she initially wanted to skip the party after the awards ceremony, her peers tried to convince her to stay. Kidman also specified that she didn’t necessarily want to walk around the party with the award in her hands,

“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,’” she explained. “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.”

Despite her reservations about the after-party, Kidman noted that she still decided to go, with her Oscar award in her hands. However, according to the Big Little Lies star, she didn’t exactly enjoy herself at the event.

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

Kidman explained that when she returned to her hotel room that night, she decided to spend some time with her friends and family. Kidman also specified that while in her hotel room, she had a change in perspective about falling in love again.

“I went home and ended up ordering takeout and eating it on the floor of the Beverly Hills Hotel,” she said. “I sat on the floor of the hotel eating French fries and a burger with my family and went to bed. That’s when it hit me. I went, I need to find my love; I need a love in my life. Because this is supposed to be when you go, ‘This is ours.’”

Kidman added that while her 2003 night at the Oscars came to an early end, she didn’t want that to be the case if she ever won the award again. “I went to bed alone; I was in bed before midnight,” she said. “If I ever won again, I’m telling you, I’d be out for 24 hours.”

Kidman and Cruise officially divorced in 2001, after first tying the knot in 1990. The former couple also share two children who are now adults: Isabella, 30, and Connor, 28. In 2006, Kidman got married to singer Keith Urban, and they went on to welcome two daughters: Rose, 14, and Faith, 12.

Over the years, Kidman has reflected on having a relationship with Cruise while in the public eye. During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2021, she was asked if she was annoyed by how the press covered her first marriage so heavily. In response, she acknowledged that while with Cruise, she simply tried to be as honest with the media as she could.

“I was young. I think I offered it up?” she said, with a laugh. “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.”

The Others star noted that she has continued to remain open and honest throughout her everyday life, which she said was something that her second husband noticed.

“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,” she added. “My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, ‘How’s your heart?’ And I apparently responded, ‘Open.’”

In a 2018 essay for The Cut , Kidman also wrote about getting married to Cruise when she was only 22. She first expressed that she was “reluctant” to talk about the relationship because she was now married to Urban, who she called her “great love”. However, she still acknowledged that when she got married for the first time, it wasn’t for the sake of feeling powerful, it was for having “protection”.

“I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed,” she wrote. “I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. So when I came out of it at 32, 33, it’s almost like I had to grow up.”

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Nicole Kidman's sheer joy when divorce from Tom Cruise was finalised

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman was pictured throwing her arms in the air as she left her attorney's office after finalising her divorce from Tom Cruise back in 2001

• 11:07, 7 Aug 2020
• Updated 11:32, 7 Aug 2020

Nicole Kidman 's sheer joy after her divorce from Tom Cruise was finalised was caught on camera as she was pictured throwing her arms in the air moments after leaving her lawyer's office.

The Hollywood actress, 53, split from Tom back in 2001 after 12 years of marriage and they filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".

However, it took seven long months for the marriage to be dissolved and Nicole's celebration pictures struck a chord with many who had been through the process.

The actress was seen throwing her arms up in the air and casting her head back as she seemingly expressed her relief.

The couple fell for each other back in 1989 on the set of 1990 movie Days of Thunder, with Nicole playing Tom's onscreen love interest.

The actor was still married to his first wife, actress Mimi Rogers, but they finalised their divorce in February 1990 and Tom wed Nicole just months later.

They tied the knot on Christmas Eve 1990 in Telluride in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, and Nicole, who was just 23 at the time, later gushed of their whirlwind romance: "There was just a connection.

"Something like 'God, I feel like I know you'."

In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2002, she added: "He basically swept me off my feet. I fell madly, passionately in love."

After the wedding, the pair went on to adopt two children together: Isabella, now 27, and Connor, now 25.

Looking back on the marriage, Nicole admitted she felt like Tom protected her when she was a young rising actress.

In an essay for New York Magazine, she wrote: "I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me – it was protection.

"I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed.

"I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. When I came out of it at 32, 33, it’s almost like I had to grow up."

After the marriage broke down, Nicole rarely spoke about what happened between her and Tom, despite plenty of rumours swirling about why the pair split.

Speaking to Red magazine, Nicole admitted the split was partly down to the fact that she was so young when they tied the knot.

She said: "I was so young when I got married. I look back now and I’m like, ‘What?'

"I had two kids by the time I was 27 and I’d been married for four years," but added "that’s what I wanted" at the time.

However, she wasn't afraid to poke fun at the relationship during a TV appearance with David Letterman after the divorce, with the actress joking: "I can wear heels now. Let’s move on!"

After the divorce, Nicole moved on and she went on to marry country singer Keith Urban in 2006 and they are parents to two daughters together, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.

Tom went on to date Penelope Cruz before striking up a romance with Katie Holmes.

Katie gave birth to the couple's first child together, a daughter named Suri, in April 2006 and the couple tied the knot later that year.

However, the marriage didn't last and the pair divorced in 2012.

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Nicole Kidman’s Most Candid Quotes About Her Relationship With Tom Cruise: Marriage, Divorce and More

Though it’s been over for decades, Nicole Kidman ’s marriage to Tom Cruise is still one of Hollywood’s most-talked about relationships .

While the Nine Perfect Strangers star has grown to keep her private life out of the spotlight, things were different when she wed Cruise in 1990. “I was young. I think I offered it up?” she told Harper’s Bazaar in September 2021 of publicly discussing her first marriage . “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.”

The Top Gun actor was previously married to Mimi Rogers from May 1987 to February 1990. Less than one year after his divorce, Cruise exchanged vows with Kidman in December 1990. They adopted two children — Isabella Jane (born 1992) and Connor Antony (born 1995) — before the Jerry Maguire star filed to end their marriage in February 2001.

“I was willing to give up everything,” the Big Little Lies alum told Vanity Fair in November 2002. “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. That meant giving up a lot of things that were very important to me.”

At the time, the Oscar winner reflected on the heightened pressure of maintaining a relationship in the public eye. “You’re being watched and scrutinized, and that slowly affects you,” she told the outlet. “But it’s also deeply romantic, because it feels like there’s only the two of you and you’re in it together, as if you’re in a cocoon, and you become very dependent on each other. … I felt I didn’t deserve to be there in my own right, and so throughout I wasn’t there as Nicole — I was there as Tom’s wife.”

Both Kidman and the Mission: Impossible star remarried after their split. The Undoing actress was briefly engaged to Lenny Kravitz before she wed Keith Urban in June 2006. Cruise, for his part, settled his divorce from Katie Holmes in July 2012 after six years of marriage.

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Over the years, the Paddington actress has gushed over Urban’s never-ending support , praising him for encouraging her every step of the way.

“I have the most extraordinary partner in life. I will always say that about him,” she told Entertainment Tonight of the country singer, with whom she shares daughters Sunday and Faith, in May 2019. “I’m one of the very fortunate women in the world to have had a wonderful father, and I have a wonderful husband, and I’m just very — I love to be able to say that because to talk about the good men that have influenced me and affected me.”

Scroll down to look back on some of Kidman’s most candid quotes about her marriage and split from Cruise:

Credit: BEI/Shutterstock

Nicole Kidman's Most Candid Quotes About Her Relationship With Tom Cruise: Marriage, Divorce and More

Though it’s been over for decades, Nicole Kidman ’s marriage to Tom Cruise is still one of Hollywood’s most-talked about relationships . While the Nine Perfect Strangers star has grown to keep her private life out of the spotlight, things were different when she wed Cruise in 1990. "I was young. I think I offered it up?" she told Harper’s Bazaar in September 2021 of publicly discussing her first marriage . "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." The Top Gun actor was previously married to Mimi Rogers from May 1987 to February 1990. Less than one year after his divorce, Cruise exchanged vows with Kidman in December 1990. They adopted two children — Isabella Jane (born 1992) and Connor Antony (born 1995) — before the Jerry Maguire star filed to end their marriage in February 2001. [sendtonews type="float" key="YvwaNmNo9L-2836467-14453"] “I was willing to give up everything,” the Big Little Lies alum told Vanity Fair in November 2002. “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. That meant giving up a lot of things that were very important to me.” At the time, the Oscar winner reflected on the heightened pressure of maintaining a relationship in the public eye. “You’re being watched and scrutinized, and that slowly affects you,” she told the outlet. “But it’s also deeply romantic, because it feels like there’s only the two of you and you’re in it together, as if you’re in a cocoon, and you become very dependent on each other. … I felt I didn’t deserve to be there in my own right, and so throughout I wasn’t there as Nicole — I was there as Tom’s wife.” Both Kidman and the Mission: Impossible star remarried after their split. The Undoing actress was briefly engaged to Lenny Kravitz before she wed Keith Urban in June 2006. Cruise, for his part, settled his divorce from Katie Holmes in July 2012 after six years of marriage. Over the years, the Paddington actress has gushed over Urban’s never-ending support , praising him for encouraging her every step of the way. “I have the most extraordinary partner in life. I will always say that about him,” she told Entertainment Tonight of the country singer, with whom she shares daughters Sunday and Faith, in May 2019. “I’m one of the very fortunate women in the world to have had a wonderful father, and I have a wonderful husband, and I’m just very — I love to be able to say that because to talk about the good men that have influenced me and affected me.” Scroll down to look back on some of Kidman’s most candid quotes about her marriage and split from Cruise: [podcast_block]

Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock

"I think that divorce is hard for anyone. It's a nightmare, it just is, and you can pretend you're fine," Kidman said in an emotional interview shortly after her marriage to Cruise was officially dissolved. "And days you're great [and] days you're not great."

Credit: Kip Rano/Shutterstock

November 2002

The Boy Erased star felt like her "life collapsed" after going through her public split, she told Vanity Fair. "He basically swept me off my feet. I fell madly, passionately in love," she recalled. "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."

Credit: Charles Sykes/Shutterstock

January 2009

Kidman opened up about following in Cruise's shadow throughout their marriage, telling Easy Living , "I felt I became a star only by association. We would go to the Oscars and I would think, 'I'm here to support him.' I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and be seen and not heard."

November 2012

Before they called it quits, the Cold Mountain star thought her life with Cruise was "perfect." She told DuJour magazine, "It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system. We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on one another."

At the time, she called herself "impulsive and naïve" for jumping into a marriage so young.

September 2016

During an interview with Red Book magazine, Kidman compared her early career to that of Taylor Swift , who frequently made headlines for her love life . "I was so young when I got married," the actress said. "I look back now and I'm like, 'What?' You look at Taylor Swift, I mean how old is she? She's 26. I had two kids by the time I was 27 and I'd been married for four years. But that’s what I wanted."

Credit: Shutterstock

October 2018

In a New York Magazine essay at the height of the #MeToo movement , the Emmy winner confessed that "it almost feels disrespectful" to Urban to publicly discuss her first marriage. "That said, I got married very young, but it definitely wasn't power for me — it was protection," she wrote. "I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. So when I came out of [the marriage] at 32, 33, it's almost like I had to grow up."

Credit: Reed Saxon/AP/Shutterstock

October 2020

Working alongside her then-husband on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut was sometimes draining, but Kidman remembered making the best of it. "We were happily married through that," she told The New York Times . "We would go go-kart racing after those scenes. We'd rent out a place and go racing at three 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."

Credit: Michael Caulfield/AP/Shutterstock

September 2021

When discussing how much attention her former relationship received in its heyday — and continued to receive post-split — Kidman told Harper's Bazaar that she had no regrets. "I was young. I think I offered it up?" she said. "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."

December 2021

After the debut of Aaron Sorkin 's Being the Ricardos , in which Kidman portrays the late Lucille Ball alongside Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz, the Australian said she found the couple's ups and downs to be "very relatable." She told The Guardian , "It's about a creative and romantic relationship that doesn't work out. But from it come some extraordinary things. And I love that. I love that it's not a happy ending. ...  You can't make people behave how you want them to, and sometimes you're going to fall in love with someone who isn't going to be the person you spend the rest of your life with."

When asked whether she was referring to Cruise, Kidman replied, "Oh, my God, no, no. Absolutely not . No. I mean, that's, honestly, so long ago that that isn't in this equation. So, no."

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Nicole Kidman reflects on marriage to Tom Cruise while making ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

Nicole kidman and tom cruise were married from 1990 to 2001.

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Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment.

Nicole Kidman is looking back on her marriage  to Tom Cruise .

At one point in time, Kidman, 53, and the “Top Gun” star, 58, were among Hollywood’s A-list couples  -- and now she's opening up about their relationship while they filmed “Eyes Wide Shut” in 1999. The pair play a married couple mired by infidelity in the film.

Kidman told the New York Times  -- in an interview published on Monday -- that she and Cruise were “ happily married ” when asked if she had harbored any “negative feelings” about their marriage during that time.

"We would go go-kart racing after those scenes,’’ recalled Kidman. “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 RECALLS MOVING TO U.S. AFTER FALLING IN LOVE WITH TOM CRUISE: 'I ALWAYS MAKE CHOICES FOR LOVE'

Nicole Kidman divorced Tom Cruise in 2001. During their 10-year marriage, the former pair adopted Isabella Jane (born 1992) and Connor Anthony (born 1995).  (AP, File )

Kidman and Cruise adopted two children, Isabella, now 27, and Connor, now 25, before their split in 2001. She would move on to marry country music star Keith Urban in 2006 and welcomed two daughters, Sunday, 12, and Faith, 9.

Meanwhile, Cruise would have another daughter, Suri, now 14, from his six-year marriage to Katie Holmes.

NICOLE KIDMAN OPENS UP ABOUT ADOPTED KIDS WITH EX TOM CRUISE

Kidman told the Times that she always aimed to keep the kids’ lives private. A source told People magazine in July 2018 that Cruise “loves all his children. And each of them has a right to their own story.”

Later that year, in November 2018, Kidman told Australia’s WHO magazine , “I’m very private about all that.”

“They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and, as a mother, it’s my job to love them,” she explained. “And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe — that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here."

Nicole Kidman looked back on her relationship with Tom Cruise in an interview with the New York Times published on Monday. (Getty)

NICOLE KIDMAN ON MARRYING TOM CRUISE AT 23

Added the "Big Little Lies" star: "I think that’s so important because if that is taken away from a child, to sever that in any child, in any relationship, in any family — I believe it’s wrong. So that’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love.”

“I have to protect all those relationships. I know 150% that I would give up my life for my children because it’s what my purpose is,” she said.

TOM CRUISE, NICOLE KIDMAN'S DAUGHTER BELLA POSTS RARE SELFIE

“Eyes Wide Shut” was one of the last films esteemed director Stanley Kubrick worked on before he died at age 70, shortly after its completion.

NICOLE KIDMAN REVEALS HER 'MASSIVE GRIEF' AFTER HAVING A MISCARRIAGE DURING HER MARRIAGE TO TOM CRUISE

"We loved working with him. We shot that for two years," Kidman said of her and Cruise’s time working on the film together in the NYT interview. "We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes. We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set."

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Tom Cruise files for divorce from Nicole Kidman

Plus, Shaggy dethrones Jennifer Lopez on the music charts, Don Johnson's accused of sexual harassment, and more

FINAL ANSWER It’s official: Tom Cruise filed for divorce from wife Nicole Kidman Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences. In the Los Angeles divorce papers, Cruise stated the date of separation as December 2000. On Monday, the couple released a statement claiming their careers strained their marriage.

In upcoming issues of Us Weekly, People, and British and American tabloids, ”unidentified friends” suggest that the real source of trouble wasn’t the power couple’s careers, but their religious affiliations (he’s a Scientologist, she grew up Roman Catholic) and nationalities (she supposedly wants to bring up their two adopted children in Australia, while he’s more comfortable in the U.S.) Regardless of which rumors are true, Cruise has just made it obvious that any hopes of reconciliation are far and away.

CHART ATTACK After six months on the Billboard charts, Shaggy has finally reached No. 1, bumping off Jennifer Lopez. ”Hotshot” sold nearly 246,000 copies, bringing him a couple of weeks away from triple platinum certification. ”J.Lo,” meanwhile, had to settle for No. 2, moving 179,000 units (30 percent less than her debut week). The ”Save the Last Dance” soundtrack stayed No. 3 for the third consecutive week, selling 172,000 albums, and The Beatles’ ”1” held on to No. 4, with 159,000 in sales. But the real mover on the charts is New York rapper Ja Rule , whose ”Rule 3:36” jumped to No. 5 (from No. 10) this week, selling 99,000 copies.

Rounding out the top 10 are: Dido ‘s ”No Angel” at No. 6; compilation album ”NOW That’s What I Call Music – Vol. 5” at No. 7; Atlanta MC Ludacris ‘ ”Back from the First Time” at No. 8; Dream ‘s ”It Was All a Dream” at No. 9; and LeAnn Rimes’ ”I Need You” debuts at No. 10, despite the country singer’s public apologies for the record (she claims the label made it without her input).

LEGAL BRIEF A San Francisco woman has accused actor Don Johnson (”Nash Bridges”) of sexually harassing her at a trendy sushi bar last month. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the woman — who has not been identified — claims Johnson grabbed her and made sexually explicit comments on January 20. It’s not the first time the TV star has been sued: In 1997, two female ”Nash Bridges” employees filed charges against Johnson for inappropriate behavior. That case was settled out of court, and Johnson alleged the women had tried to extort $1.5 million in exchange for forgetting the suit. This time, however, Johnson’s attorney Ronald Litz says Johnson was being ”charming” with a fan.

AWARDS ALERT The Writers Guild of America nominated 10 screenwriters Wednesday for their annual awards. Cameron Crowe ( ”Almost Famous” ) received his third nod for original screenplay. Joining him in that category are first time nominees Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy ( ”Best in Show” ); Lee Hall ( ”Billy Elliot” ); Susannah Grant ( ”Erin Brockovich” ); and Kenneth Lonergan ( ”You Can Count on Me” ). In the adapted screenplay category, nominations went to second time honoree Steve Kloves ( ”Wonder Boys” ) and Robert Nelson Jacobs ( ”Chocolat” ); Wang Hui-Ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo Jung ( ”Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” ); D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, and Scott Rosenberg ( ”High Fidelity” ); and Stephen Gaghan ( ”Traffic” ). The WGA awards will be presented March 4 simultaneously in Beverly Hills and New York.

CASTING Tommy Lee Jones will star in the big budget William Friedkin (”Rules of Engagement”) thriller ”The Hunted.” The Oscar winner will join Benicio Del Toro and Connie Nielsen , who have both signed on for the project, which starts production in March.

Tim Robbins will play a supporting role in director Jonathan Demme’s romantic thriller ”The Truth About Charlie,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton . The film starts shooting March 14 in Paris.

WGA nominated actor John Cusack is participating in two film projects before the possible strikes this summer. He will star in the independent biopic ”Hoffman,” about young Adolf Hitler’s relationship with his Jewish art teacher. Cusack will also executive produce the dark comedy ”Never Get Outta the Boat,” an ensemble film that will be shot on digital video.

Natasha Lyonne is also lining up her films this season. First up, she will reprise her role from ”American Pie” in ”American Pie” II, which starts shooting Feb. 11. All of the other ”Pie” players had already signed on. Lyonne will also join the cast of ”Kate & Leopold,” a time travel love story from director James Mangold (”Girl, Interrupted”). The Miramax film stars Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman .

CONGRATULATIONS Halle Berry has married her longtime boyfriend, singer Eric Benet . According to the AP, Berry’s manager confirmed Tuesday that the two got hitched ”sometime in January.” Berry, 32, met Benet at the premiere party for her Emmy winning HBO movie, ”Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.”

OBIT The ”Queen of the West,” actress singer Dale Evans , died Wednesday, Feb. 7 at age 88. Evans, most famous for starring in 27 Westerns with her husband, Roy Rogers , died of congestive heart failure at the couple’s Apple Valley, Calif. Home. After meeting Rogers on the set of 1944’s ”The Cowboy and the Senorita,” Evans went on to marry Rogers — who was newly widowed — in 1947. The cowboy couple were married 41 years before Rogers passed away in 1998. A native Texan, Evans even wrote their legendary theme song. ”Happy Trails,” Dale.

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Is This Why Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise Really Got Divorced?

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise first met on the set of their film Days of Thunder . Cruise had recently divorced his wife, Mimi Rogers, and he married Kidman only ten months after the divorce was finalized. While not a lot is known about their early relationship or proposal, the pair worked together on two more films: Far and Away and Eyes Wide Shut , and were pop-culture fixtures for years to come. 

"He basically swept me off my feet," Kidman told  Vanity Fair about their courtship. "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. 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."

This union was apparently not meant to last, however. Their 11-year-long marriage came crashing to a halt in 2001, to the surprise of many. But a look into what could have led to the end of the relationship is quite revealing.

Nicole Kidman has opened up about the end of her marriage a few times

Nicole Kidman stayed quiet for a long time after her divorce, but she eventually began opening up to media outlets about her marriage to Tom Cruise . Cruise filed for divorce out of nowhere, and Kidman later revealed that he refused to attend counseling or to consider not divorcing. Her court filings from the time also reveal that Kidman was pregnant as the pair celebrated their 10th anniversary, but lost the baby.

"During the balance of December and thereafter the parties were intimate and she became pregnant by petitioner but lost the baby through a miscarriage," court documents state, according to the  Daily Mail . Cruise ended up being awarded full custody of the pair's children, Connor and Isabella.

In 2009, Marie Claire published a report in which Kidman lashed out at Cruise about her marriage, with the actress noting that the emphasis in their marriage was always on him. "I felt I became a star only by association. We would go to the Oscars and I would think, 'I'm here to support him,'" Kidman told  Easy Living  magazine at the time. "I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and be seen and not heard."

Rumors also abounded that the Church of Scientology felt Kidman wanted Cruise to leave the organization, so they stepped in to end the marriage, according to the  Daily Beast . For his part, Cruise has always maintained (via Daily Mail ) that "Nicole knows why" they divorced.

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Nicole Kidman reveals she was ‘having a breakdown’ when she pulled out of hit movie

The Aussie star famously pulled out of 2002’s Panic Room after reportedly getting injured on-set, but now she’s revealed the full story.

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Nicole Kidman has revealed she was “having a breakdown” while shooting 2002’s Panic Room , with Jodie Foster stepping up to replace her.

“There’s this misconception that somehow female actresses are at each other, or they don’t like each other or whatever,” Foster, 61, told The Hollywood Reporter during a roundtable discussion with Kidman, Naomi Watts, Brie Larson, Jennifer Aniston, Anna Sawai and Sofía Vergara. “Like, Nicole, I took over a movie that you had to leave.”

Kidman responded: “Yes! And thank you. I was in a really bad way. I was like, ‘I’m having a breakdown.’ And Jodie took over, thank the Lord.”

The 2002 thriller followed Foster and a young Kristen Stewart, who played her daughter, as they are forced to hide inside the panic room of their New York apartment when intruders break in.

The Australian actress had started filming the movie but bowed out after she sustained a serious knee injury, which stemmed from her time filming 2001’s Moulin Rouge musical.

She didn’t elaborate in the Hollywood Reporter interview on the reason she felt she was having a “breakdown,” but it was around the same time her marriage to first husband Tom Cruise ended in 2001 after 11 years. She is now married to Aussie singer Keith Urban.

Earlier this year, she discussed the toll her divorce took on her even as her career hit new heights.

“I was struggling with things in my personal life, yet my professional life was going so well,” the 56-year-old told Dave Karger for his book 50 Oscar Nights, which came out in January. “That’s what happens, right?”

Kidman was explaining how she wasn’t able to enjoy her 2003 Oscar win for The Hours.

“So, I literally walked in [to the Vanity Fair party afterwards], carried it around, was completely overwhelmed, emotional, shaking and I didn’t enjoy it,” Kidman recalled. “I was almost apologetic, which is so stupid. I wish I could have enjoyed it more.”

Kidman and fellow Australian Watts also talked about their “40-year” friendship during the discussion, which the Big Little Lies actress noted “did not start in acting.”

“No, it started down at the pub,” Watts agreed.

Kidman elaborated on how certain roles can be difficult for her emotionally, mentioning she once threw a rock through a window at her house after a tough day on the set of Big Little Lies.

“I threw a rock because [the door] was locked, and I couldn’t get in,” she explained. “I’d never done that in my life. I obviously [had a lot] pent up. I broke the whole thing. It cost a fortune.

“And a lot of times, it’s six months of 12, 14-hour days, and there really isn’t the time to go, ‘I need to take care of myself.’”

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She said she also had to take on a lighter role after taking on the grief-filled series Expats.

“After Expats , I went and did a comedy because I went crazy with my own psychology. I was like, ‘This is unhealthy,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter . “And it’s something that I think we need to talk about as actors — protecting your body so that you can live for as long as you are given on this earth. Because it’s very tough on the psyche.”

This story originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission

They stunned the world in December with news they’d quietly separated years ago – and now they’ve raised eyebrows once again.

The Princess of Wales has barely been glimpsed since Christmas, but that could change within a matter of just a few weeks.

Hugh Jackman has opened up about one of the hardest battles he’s faced during his lengthy career in Hollywood.

Nicole Kidman Shares Rare Insight Into Her Divorce From Tom Cruise in New Interview

"I was young."

• The Nine Perfect Strangers star said she has become "a bit more trepidatious" about sharing parts of her life because she's "been hurt."
• Kidman perviously said she's "reluctant" to share about Cruise out of respect for her current husband Keith Urban, whom she's never shy to gush over.

As an award-winning actress, Nicole Kidman is used to being in the spotlight and sharing parts of her life with the world. But when it comes to her former marriage with actor Tom Cruise , the actress prefers to keep their history (and divorce) private .

When asked by Harper's Bazaa r if she felt discouraged by the media scrutiny around her divorce from Cruise, Kidman chalked it up to her age at the time. "I was young. I think I offered it up?" she said with a laugh.

Kidman and Cruise met in 1989 just before they starred in Days of Thunder together. The former couple married six months later in 1990, and were together for 11 years until Cruise filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" in February 2001.

Kidman said her approach to sharing certain parts of her life has shifted throughout her decades-long career in the spotlight. "Maybe I've gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible," she told Harper's Bazaar . "I just prefer to live in the world that way."

But just because she's private doesn't mean she's aloof. "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," she continued. "My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, 'How's your heart?' And I apparently responded, 'Open.'"

Kidman and Keith Urban met in January of 2005 at G'Day LA, an event honoring Australians in the entertainment business. They started dating a few months later and eventually married in June 2006. Kidman said Urban gave a speech at the event in which he reflected on his mother and her sister, who was sitting right next to the Big Little Lies actress, Kidman recalled in the Bazaar interview .

"Well, it doesn't get much better than that," Urban's aunt had said, according to Kidman. "Yeah, but he's not gonna be interested in me," Kidman replied. But in the end, he really was. The actress said "angels" helped set them up in the months to come. "I was really, really into him," she said of the country music star. "He took a little time."

Kidman previously wrote in an essay for The Cut that she was "reluctant" to discuss her former marriage to Cruise in the media because of her current relationship with Urban.

"It almost feels disrespectful [to Keith]," she wrote. "That said, I got married very young, but it definitely wasn't power for me—it was protection. … When I came out of [the marriage to Cruise] at 32, 33, it's almost like I had to grow up."

Today, though, Kidman is never shy about gushing over Urban. The two have been married for 15 years and have two kids together, Faith and Sunday .

"He's such a good man, as I've said before," Kidman told Today of her husband . "I'm married to a really good man. And the kids have a great father and that's a very beautiful thing to be able to say."

Currently an assistant editor at Prevention.com, Nicol is a Manhattan-based journalist who specializes in health, wellness, beauty, fashion, business, and lifestyle. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Houston Chronicle, Business Insider, INSIDER, Everyday Health, and more. When Nicol isn't writing, she loves trying new workout classes, testing out the latest face mask, and traveling. Follow her on Instagram for the latest on health, wellness, and lifestyle.

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“It’s almost disrespectful”: Nicole Kidman Has a Good Reason to Not Talk About Marrying Tom Cruise When She Was Just 22

F or over a decade, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were the dream Hollywood couple. The actors who had a fairytale romance on the sets of their film Days of Thunder , tied the knot in 1990 and seemed to have the perfect life until their shocking divorce in 2001. Kidman subsequently went on to marry musician Keith Urban in 2006.

Despite being very young, the Oscar winner has openly admitted that her marriage to the Mission: Impossible star happened out of love for each other. Having said that, Kidman in an interview few years ago, elaborated on the repercussions of continuing to talk about her failed relationship with Cruise.

Why Nicole Kidman Is Reluctant To Discuss About Her Marriage To Tom Cruise

For over 11 years, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were couple goals. The two superstars who began courting on the sets of Days of Thunder which was their first film together, sealed their romance by tying the knot a year later when Kidman was only 22 years old. The celebrities also extended their family by adopting two daughters.

Unfortunately, the fairytale was not meant to be and the couple officially called it quits in 2001 . The Hours star went on to marry country singer Keith Urban in 2006 and continues to be in a rock-solid relationship with him after 18 years together.

Kidman openly admitted in a Variety interview in 2018 that despite being very young when she met Cruise, her decision to marry him was completely based on the love she felt for him, which formed the core of any of her relationships. But the Moulin Rouge star also confessed earlier that she was reluctant to talk about her past with the Top Gun actor.

“I really wanted to say his dialogue”: Taylor Sheridan Squeezed Nicole Kidman Into His CIA Show After Actress Was Originally Set to Work Only as a Producer 

In an interview with The Cut in 2014, Kidman revealed that she felt uncomfortable addressing details about her marriage with Cruise mainly to protect her current relationship with Urban which she cherished. The Australian star elaborated and said,

Being married to Tom Cruise at 22 is something I’m always reluctant to talk about, because I’m married now to the man who is my great love [Keith Urban], and it almost feels disrespectful.

Having said that, the Oscar-winning celebrity also clarified that marrying Cruise wasn’t a power game for her. In reality, it gave her security and protection from s*xual predators in Hollywood when she was a vulnerable and young outsider in the industry.

Nicole Kidman Did Not Comprehend Her Own Worth

From humble beginnings in Australia to becoming one of the biggest superstars in Hollywood, Nicole Kidman’s journey has been an inspirational one. Her big break in the industry came in Days Of Thunder with Tom Cruise which provided the foothold for her to sign on prominent roles in films that went on to become bonafide blockbusters.

Apart from being a stunning beauty, Kidman’s acting chops proved that she had what it takes to be a complete artist in Hollywood. Her famous Oscar win for her brilliant performance in The Hours is a testament to this. But shockingly, contrary to belief, the celebrity confessed that self-confidence has never been her strong suit.

“She doesn’t look anything like a criminal psychiatrist”: Val Kilmer’s Batman Director Was Obsessed With Nicole Kidman Despite Claiming She Was Not Fit for the Role

In a candid interview with The Cut in 2014, Kidman revealed her struggles with accepting and acknowledging her talent despite having proven herself time and again. But this attitude, according to her, helped her stay modest and true to herself.

Winning an Oscar for The Hours, in 2003, I didn’t even notice the power then. I don’t know if it’s my self-esteem, but I still struggle to stand in that place and say, I’ve earned this. That’s probably good, because it keeps me in a state of wonder and humility and going, Wow! You want me?

After many years as a successful superstar in the industry, the Big Little Lies actor continues to push the envelope with regard to films and roles, and is a shining example that talent, determination, and hard work can work wonders.

Days Of Thunder is streaming on Paramount Plus.

12 Things You Might Not Know About Tom Cruise

By jake rossen | may 28, 2024.

Defining movie star is somewhat subjective. If it’s a combination of charisma, audience interest, and box office success, then one of the few performers that continue to meet the definition is Tom Cruise. The actor, who has been on screens for over 40 years, regularly makes movies that are considered appointment viewing in theaters even in the era of streaming. His Mission: Impossible series alone has brought in over $1.3 billion domestically.

Part of Cruise’s appeal is his enigmatic public persona. He rarely lets his guard down, preferring to let his work speak for him. Nonetheless, there’s still plenty to know about his life and career.

Tom Cruise started doing stunts early on.

He was a pretty good high school wrestler., cruise auditioned for risky business with a chipped tooth., he didn’t love cocktail ., cruise directed an episode of television., cruise took heat for two adaptations., cruise could have been in the shawshank redemption ., cruise was involved in one of the longest film shoots of all time., he has a cousin who is also an actor., cruise rescued multiple people from maritime disaster., he asked to be included in a photo with some famous directors., cruise gifts colleagues with hundreds of holiday cakes..

Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, Cruise seemed to be drawn to physical activity and danger from an early age. In 2022, the actor recalled that when he was around 4 years old, he thought it would be a good idea to jump off the roof of his childhood home while using a sheet as a parachute. "It’s that moment when you jump off the roof and you go, ‘This is not gonna work,’” he said. “’This is terrible. I’m gonna die.’ And I hit the ground so hard. Luckily, it was wet … And I saw stars in the daytime for the first time, and I remember looking up, going, ‘This is very interesting.’”

Cruise’s mother, Mary, separated from his father, Tom Senior, in 1976, when Cruise was 14. (The actor would later allege that Senior had been abusive toward him.) The family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and Cruise also spent some time in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he briefly considered becoming a Franciscan priest. Eventually, he rejoined his family and they settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where he joined the varsity high school wrestling team as a junior and senior. During the 1979-1980 year, the team went 14-4-1.

The wrestling may have indirectly played a role in his career choice. After a leg injury prevented him from continuing, he decided to investigate acting and signed up for a role in a school production of Guys and Dolls . “All of a sudden, I felt like I knew what I was doing,” he said in 1983. “And I got all this attention, and it just felt right. So I came to New York. I wanted to try [acting].”

In 1981, Cruise appeared in a small role in Endless Love and as a military cadet in Taps . Two years later, he appeared in the teen sex comedy Losin’ It and the football drama All the Right Moves . Cruise also scored a role as a street punk in The Outsiders . It was during filming of The Outsiders that Cruise auditioned for Risky Business , which cast him as a preppy kid who runs amok when his parents leave town. “I told them, ‘I can't afford to tamper with my Outsiders character because I have to work tonight,’” he said in 1983. “’I can't take a shower, even.’ I was all greasy, had a chipped tooth and a tattoo, and an Okie drawl. And they cast me for this clean-cut boy.”

Risky Business was considered Cruise's true breakout role. It also made Cruise synonymous with Ray-Ban sunglasses, which he later wore to great effect in 1986’s Top Gun .

The mid- to late-1980s was a period where Cruise was able to demonstrate his dramatic chops with prestige directors in films like 1985's Legend (Ridley Scott), 1986’s The Color of Money (Martin Scorsese), 1988’s Rain Man (Barry Levinson), and 1989’s Born on the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone). In the middle of this impressive run came Cocktail (1988), a relatively lightweight drama about a bartender who relocates to Jamaica. It was “not a crowning jewel,” he told Rolling Stone in 1992. The film earned a Golden Raspberry Award, or “Razzie,” for Worst Picture, the same year that Rain Man won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Given his collaborative nature and intense interest in filmmaking, it’s somewhat surprising Cruise has yet to helm a feature film. But he has gotten behind the camera. In 1993, Cruise directed an episode of the Showtime series Fallen Angels , an anthology set largely in 1940s and 1950s Los Angeles. In the episode, titled “The Frightening Frammis,” a con man (Peter Gallagher) has the misfortune to cross paths with a femme fatale named Babe (Isabella Rosellini). The series was produced by Sydney Pollack, who had just directed Cruise in the 1993 film The Firm .

When Cruise was cast as the vampire Lestat in 1994’s Interview With the Vampire , the book’s author, Anne Rice, was a vocal critic, saying she preferred someone like Daniel Day-Lewis for the role. After seeing Cruise in the part, Rice changed her mind, calling him “wonderful.” Cruise had a similar experience in 2012’s Jack Reacher , where fans of the Lee Child book series found him smaller in stature compared to Child’s towering protagonist. The film did well, however, meriting  a 2016 sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back .

The list of movies Cruise has been offered (or at least had discussions about doing) is long, and the list of movies he’s turned down is likely even longer. Among them: Footloose , Edward Scissorhands , and The Shawshank Redemption . Director and writer Frank Darabont, who adapted the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption for the screen in 1994, said that producer Rob Reiner offered to acquire the script so he could direct and his A Few Good Men star Cruise could step into the role of Andy Dufresne. Darabont was tempted, but ultimately decided to make the movie himself. He cast Tim Robbins as Dufresne.

Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman agreed to star in director Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut , which examines the complicated marriage of a young couple tempted by forces outside their union. Kubrick ( 2001: A Space Odyssey ), a notorious perfectionist, shot the film for an astounding 15 months, far beyond the typical four- to six-month shoot of many films. Guinness World Records recognizes it as the longest continuous production in cinema history. (Interrupted shoots are a different story: Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age drama Boyhood shot for 39 days over a window spanning from 2002 to 2013.)

Eyes Wide Shut was met with a tepid reception, though it proved bountiful for Cruise. While on set, he met with director Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him as a motivational speaker in 1999’s Magnolia . That part earned Cruise an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He had previously been nominated for Born on the Fourth of July and for Jerry Maguire (1996), though he has yet to win.

Cruise wasn’t the only member of his family to get into acting. His fraternal cousin, William Mapother, is also in the business and has shared several of Cruise’s film sets. Mapother was a production assistant before getting parts in Magnolia (1999) and in 2002’s Minority Report , playing a desk clerk who is threatened by Cruise’s distressed protagonist. Mapother might be best known as Ethan Rom, a character of dubious intentions on ABC’s drama Lost .

In 1996, Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman were aboard a yacht near Capri, Italy, when they came upon a family floating in a lifeboat whose own yacht had caught on fire. They climbed aboard Cruise’s vessel until the Coast Guard arrived.

A decade prior, it was Cruise himself who needed a hand. While filming Top Gun , he was dragged underwater by parachute lines. According to United Press International, Navy swim school instructors rushed to pull him out.

Shooting The Last Samurai with Cruise in 2003, director Ed Zwick was surprised to see several A-list directors dropping by the set to see Cruise. When the actor learned that David Fincher ( Fight Club ), Cameron Crowe (who directed Cruise in Jerry Maguire ), and others posed for a group photo with Zwick while he was busy, he asked that he be retroactively placed in the image.

To work with Tom Cruise is to risk being sent a cake every holiday for the rest of your life. (Or his.) Each year, the actor orders white chocolate coconut Bundt cakes from Doan’s Bakery in Los Angeles and has them sent to a list of recipients, including former co-stars. According to former talk show host James Corden, Cruise himself has never tried the cake. (Other stories, however, have him tasting it as part of a “cake-off” while Cruise’s then-wife Katie Holmes and Diane Keaton were making a film together in 2008. The cake was reportedly Keaton’s favorite.)

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• 1938 - Jezebel
• 1941 - Little Foxes, Great Lie
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• 1946 - Razors Edge, Duel
• 1947 - Crossfire
• 1948 - Johnny Belinda
• 1952 - Singin' in the Rain
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• 1963 - Tom Jones, Lilies
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• 1968 - Rosemary's Baby
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• 2020 - Minari, Mank, Hillbilly

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Nicole Kidman Tribute: To Die For (1995)

by Christopher James

The year 1995 is a pivotal moment in the definition of Nicole Kidman. Both of her films released this year paint different paths her career could go. As Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever , Nicole Kidman pursues mainstream success, hoping to align her name with a big franchise full of stars. Though she eventually returns to the superhero genre (hello, Aquaman ), we get the first real glimpse at the prestige actress we know and love today with her seismic turn in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For . At that point, Kidman was best known as Mrs. Tom Cruise, having already starred in Days of Thunder and Far & Away with her husband. In redefining her image as a real actress, Kidman first had to lean into the stereotypes that people saw in her.

Her Suzanne Stone Maretto is a ditzy social climber whose quest for fame greatly exceeds her talent at wielding it. Kidman mined every negative aspect of Suzanne for comedy and, in doing so, created a horribly relatable character we couldn’t get enough of...

I previously wrote about the film and Kidman’s performance for the film’s 25th anniversary in 2020  and Kidman's role was covered in Cláudio's Almost There column. In so many ways, To Die For has been talked about to death; after all, Kidman fans voted it their favorite of her performances in the Kidman World Cup . It’s easy to see why, as Nicole breathes life into Gus Van Sant’s vision. The movie rests on her pinched, smiling and devilish face, which Van Sant loves to press in during key moments. You can see Kidman giving into her director as a vessel, pushing the character further and further to places of gleeful absurdity that weirdly ground the movie, rather than topple it over.

Kidman stars as Suzanne Stone, an ambitious woman who dreams of fame. Told in the style of a true crime expose, we’re led to expect that Suzanne’s ambition will lead to bloodshed. Her eternal mark is Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon), a handsome beefhead who soon becomes Suzanne’s husband. With the perfect hot man on her arm, Suzanne turns her attention towards getting on television almost immediately, looping in a broadcasting news conference the same weekend as her honeymoon. 

As the star of the film, Kidman could easily steamroll over her fellow actors. After all, Suzanne exists in her own delusional reality. However, Kidman manages to be a giving scene partner, creating compelling drama by allowing each actor to respond and react to her pervasive narcissism. Matt Dillon is used effectively as Larry. He’s a sweet fool who’s so much of a wife-guy that he’ll knee jerk agree with Suzanne to project normalcy. The second most interesting performance is Illana Douglas’ Janice, Larry’s disapproving sister. Kidman’s intense commitment to her job at the news system gives Wayne Knight’s station manager, Ed, the opportunity to be the audience surrogate. Even the facial reactions of Suzanne’s parents (Kurtwood Smith and Holland Taylor) and in-laws (Dan Hedaya and Maria Tucci).

The trickiest needle to thread is watching Suzanne seduce a trio of teenagers, eventually coaxing them to murder their husband once she believes he’s holding her back from fame. We are ultimately able to laugh and squirm along to the proceedings because Nicole Kidman allows us to understand Suzanne, even if there’s no way we agree with her actions. In making a documentary about the “real life” of a trio of burnout teens - Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck and Alison Folland - Suzanne embarks on an affair with lovestruck Jimmy (Phoenix). It’s clear that she’s grooming him, knowing that he’s a moldable tool that can make her feel gorgeous and powerful, but that she can control at any point. Her nefarious actions are even more clear with Lydia (Folland), a girl clearly struggling to understand her sexuality. 

Kidman’s ability to handle the dark comedy expertly, something that she hadn’t gotten a chance to showcase prior. Legendary writer Buck Henry ( The Graduate , What’s Up Doc? ) gives Kidman a ton of character details that she’s able to construct into this understandable nightmare. We can laugh at her, while also understanding and following her actions towards a clear goal. Kidman’s fierce commitment to embodying Suzanne’s one track mind allows us to believe the character fully. This intense belief in her character is why Suzanne Stone is still one of the defining roles of Kidman’s career.

Ultimately, Nicole Kidman would have to wait another six years for her first Oscar nomination (for Moulin Rouge! ). Still, To Die For was a pivotal awards moment for the actress, including her first televised win. Kidman won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes (among a great lineup including Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Toni Collette, and Vanessa Redgrave). She also earned nominations from the Critics Choice and BAFTA groups. By the end of the 1995/1996 awards season, one thing was for sure - Nicole Kidman was more than just Mrs. Tom Cruise. This positive reception shone a light to the actress Kidman could become, pointing her towards other exciting auteur collaborators, such as Jane Campion for The Portrait of a Lady (1996) and Stanley Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

Previously in the Nicole Kidman TFE Tribute:  

• Introduction  +  Early Australian Films
• Billy Bathgate  (1991)  – her first Golden Globe nomination!
• Malice (1993) - when Kidman met Sorkin

With To Die For , we enter one of the most exciting phases of Nicole Kidman's career. Tomorrow, the hot streak continues with Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady .

Reader Comments (7)

And to think Meg Ryan almost played it,what a different energy the film would've had with her in the lead.

This film paved the way for Kidman auteurs actress so thanks Gus.

I don't think Phoenix and Dillon get enough credit for their performances,I think Phoenix is totally Oscar worthy.

If a new star with a FRACTION of her beauty, talent and promise gave a performance HALF as good as this, that actress would run (not walk) away with an Oscar in 2024, that’s just a fact.

This was the film that made me fall in love with Nicole Kidman as she absolutely killed it! The ending in that film.... PERFECT.

This reminded me of the sit down of Nicole and Casey when they cross promoted Lion and Manchester by the Sea. It's really funny how Nicole took Joaquin and Casey under her wings even though Nicole was also relatively young at that point. Still one of her greatest performances and I hope she and Joaquin will reunite at some point. Considering Charlize and Emma Watson use this performance as inspiration, I guess this is also one of her most influential.

She deserved to be nominated and win for this performance.

Your weblog isn’t just huge yet it is truly imaginative too, never saw a particularly reliable post. I’m grateful to you and expect more posts like these.

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What timing! I literally just saw this movie for the first time this weekend. My STARZ subscription ends in a couple days and I was looking to watch something on there and saw this was an option. How could I pass up a Kidman-starrer Van Sant film? Really happy I did. What a darkly funny movie with a pitch perfect performance from Nicole.

Link an External Response

Keith Urban's 'implosion' he feared would end Nicole Kidman marriage

The blue ain't your color singer said it's a "miracle" his marriage to nicole kidman survived the first year.

Keith Urban , 56, has been open about his sobriety following his drug and alcohol addictions, which only ended after he married Nicole Kidman .

The Blue Ain't Your Color singer admitted that his addictions caused an "implosion" on his marriage, but he credited the Moulin Rouge actress for supporting him and helping him get sober. 

Keith's rehab

Keith had already been in rehab twice before the couple got married in June 2006, but he relapsed again when they were newlyweds, leading to Nicole staging an intervention .

"I caused the implosion of my fresh marriage," he recalled to Rolling Stone in 2016. "It survived, but it’s a miracle it did. I was spiritually awoken with her. I use the expression, 'I was born into her,' and that’s how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I could shake off the shackles of addiction."

Keith explained he had become reliant on Nicole and struggled to spend time alone when she was working abroad in Kosovo. 

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"Meeting Nic and falling in love with Nic and starting a relationship with Nic became — I realize now in hindsight — my sobriety. That was how I was able to keep it together," he began, adding: "It was during [Nicole's] trip that that whole part of my world came back in and swamped me. And I remember just feeling so terrified. 

"We had just gotten married and this entity in my life is coming just to crush and kill everything that I’ve got. Everything that’s good. "

He checked into the Betty Ford Center in October 2006 and found out about winning Male Vocalist at the CMA Awards in November while he was in rehab.

Nicole's support

While Keith feared that his marriage would end over his alcohol and drug problem, Nicole was adamant that they could get through it together. But that's not to say it was an easy journey; she also admitted they were in a "painful place" and had to work through it.

Opening up about the first few months of their marriage, the Big Little Lies star told Vanity Fair in 2007: "I’m more than willing to walk it with him. The two of us are very committed to our relationship.

"But it was painful, deeply painful. We were in a very, very, very bad, painful place, and have managed to step through it, and I hope that gives some people some hope who may be in the same place. And that’s enough said. Anything else is overindulgent and unnecessary right now. And I think it jinxes it, in a way, and that’s why I don’t go on about my enormous feelings for this man."

Keith and Nicole's marriage

Keith and Nicole first crossed paths at the G'Day LA event in 2005, where Nicole admitted she was immediately attracted to him. "I was really, really into him. He took a little time. And he’s like, ‘That is so incorrect, Nicole,'" she joked to Harper's Bazaar.

The pair got married the following year at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel on the grounds of St Patrick's Estate in Sydney. They are now parents to children Faith and Sunday.

The couple's love for one another is one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood. Keith has taken every opportunity to shower his wife with praise, even describing her as "celestial" and "from another planet."

While many have asked about the secret to their long-lasting relationship, Nicole told Today's entertainment editor Richard Wilkins: "We don't want to be a pin-up couple. We just want to be a couple that has a great life together."

RELATED:  Bon Jovi confirms Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's wedding: 'She looked gorgeous'

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El colapso de Nicole Kidman durante su divorcio con Tom Cruise que le obligó a abandonar un papel: "Estaba realmente mal"

El divorcio de Tom Cruise y Nicole Kidman fue vox populi pero lo que no se sabía es que la actriz en esa época llegó a colapsar hasta el punto de tener que dejar un papel en una película.

Foto: Getty Images

• La decepción de Nicole Kidman con su marido por un comentario tras sus problemas con las drogas: "Le recordó una época oscura"

La relación de Tom Cruise y Nicole Kidman finalizó con un sonado divorcio en el año 2001. Tras once años juntos y haber adoptado dos hijos , Isabella y Conor, decidieron tomar caminos separados. Esa etapa fue especialmente difícil para ambos, ya que su matrimonio se había convertido en uno de los más mediáticos de Hollywood.

La actriz, que se encuentra de estreno con la nueva película que protagoniza con Zac Efron , ha concedido una entrevista junto a otras compañeras actrices en han conversado sobre cómo se muestra la relación entre ellas en la industria . Ha sido hablando sobre el tema cuando Kidman ha rememorado que tuvo que abandonar un papel mientras se estaba divorciando de Tom Cruise.

Junto a Kidman estaban Brie Larson, Ana Sawai, Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster y Sofia Vergara en la entrevista con The Hollywood Reporter . A raíz de una intervención de Jodie Foster, Nicole ha contado qué fue lo que ocurrió.

"Existe la idea errónea de que de alguna manera las actrices se pelean entre sí o no se caen bien o lo que sea. Este año, yendo a varios eventos, he sentido que todo estaba bien porque las mujeres realmente se apoyan y quieren que triunfen también las demás. Nicole, me hice cargo de una película que tuviste que dejar ", ha dicho Foster.

"¡Sí! Y gracias. Estaba realmente mal . Pensé: ' Estoy colapsando ' Y Jodie se hizo cargo, gracias a Dios", ha contado la actriz de Australia.

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• Lenny Kravitz confiesa que practica el celibato y que lleva 9 años sin tener pareja: "Es algo espiritual"

La película a la que se refieren es Panic Room y Nicole Kidman fue elegida para hacer de la madre de Meg Altman. El problema es que Jodie Foster la tuvo que sustituir por una lesión de rodilla, aunque esto comenzó a rodarse siete meses antes de su divorcio de Tom Cruise y la actriz ha admitido que por aquel entonces colapsó con todo y que eso le impidió hacerse cargo del papel que le habían asignado.

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Nicole Kidman Thanks Jodie Foster for Replacing Her in Panic Room When She Was 'in a Really Bad Way'

"I was like, 'I’m having a breakdown,'" Nicole Kidman said of her decision to drop out of 2002's 'Panic Room'

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Nicole Kidman is thanking Jodie Foster for stepping in when she once had to drop out of a role.

During The Hollywood Reporter 's roundtable conversation featuring Kidman, 56, Foster, 61, and actresses Brie Larson , Naomi Watts ,  Jennifer Aniston , Ana Sawai and  Sofía Vergara , Foster and Kidman recalled when Kidman stepped down from 2002's Panic Room, though they didn't mention the movie by name.

"There’s this misconception that somehow female actresses are at each other or they don’t like each other or whatever," Foster said, during a larger conversation regarding how women in Hollywood support each other.

"Even this year, going to the various events [for Nyad ], it always just feels so nice because the women really feel like they want each other to succeed."

"Like, Nicole, I took over a movie that you had to leave," she said, prompting Kidman to reflect on why she dropped out of Panic Room , directed by David Fincher .

"Yes! And thank you. I was in a really bad way," Kidman responded. "I was like, 'I’m having a breakdown.' And Jodie took over, thank the Lord."

 Columbia Pictures/Getty

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Panic Room starred Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother-daughter pair who take refuge inside a safe room within their home after armed intruders break in.

Entertainment Weekly reported back in 2001 that Kidman dropped out of the movie due to a knee injury she sustained while filming Moulin Rouge that prevented her from meeting physical requirements for the Panic Room role.

Stewart, who turned 11 during Panic Room 's production, recalled spending time with Kidman before Foster stepped in during a January 2022 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert .

Merrick Morton/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock 

"We worked together, actually, years ago, and she had to drop out of the movie, she injured herself ," Stewart said at the time. "But she was gonna be in Panic Room . We rehearsed for weeks, I think, in my memory, which it was a long time ago. I was very tiny."

While Kidman could not star in the film, she ultimately made an uncredited voice cameo in the movie as the voice of Foster's ex-husband's girlfriend, heard over a phone call.

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