More than two decades after their split, Tom Cruise has broken his silence on ex-wife Nicole Kidman.
The 62-year-old Misson Impossible star and Kidman, 57, were once one of Hollywood’s most iconic couples.
They tied the knot in 1990, when Cruise was 28 and Kidman just 23, after meeting on the set of Days of Thunder.
The couple would go on to adopt two children and star in three films together before their marriage ended in 2001.
Their filmography includes Far and Away (1992) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999), the latter directed by Kubrick in what would be his final project before his death from a heart attack at the age of 70.
Speaking to Sight and Sound ahead of receiving a prestigious BFI Fellowship, Cruise opened up about working on the erotic psychological drama, recalling how he first got involved: “I flew out to his house, and I landed in his backyard. I read the script the day before, and we spent the day talking about it. I knew all of his films.”
Introduced to Kubrick by Sydney Pollack, whom the Top Gun star had worked with on The Firm, the actor also consulted with Martin Scorsese about the late filmmaker before committing to the project.
“Then it was basically he and I getting to know each other,” Cruise continued, before sweetly adding: “And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role [of Alice]. Because, obviously, she’s a great actress.”
According to Cruise, Kubrick initially told him the shoot would take “three or four months,” but the famously perfectionist director extended filming to 15 months, with reshoots keeping both actors tied to the project for nearly two years.
“We had a home 10 minutes away, but we lived in that trailer,” Kidman recalled in an interview by the Los Angeles Times. “Tom and I shared it because Stanley would say, ‘You’re not each getting a trailer. We can’t afford it.’”
Despite the film’s intense subject matter - Cruise’s character Dr. Bill Harford spirals into a secret sexual underworld after his wife Alice confesses to having fantasies - the ex-couple maintained their bond during filming.
“When Tom and I first started with Stanley, it was at his home, and we didn’t even go over to the sets at Pinewood [Studios],” Kidman said. “Six, eight weeks passed, and we’re wondering, ‘Are we ever going to start?’”
Reflecting on the movie, Cruise shared: “I thought the film was very interesting, and I wanted to have that experience. When I go to make a movie, I do a lot of detailed investigation and a lot of time with the people before I commit so that I understand what they need and want, and they understand me and how we can work together and really create something very special.”
Back in 2020, the Babygirl actress, who is now married to Keith Urban, addressed speculation that the emotionally intense roles may have taken a toll on her marriage with Cruise.
“That fits the narrative that people came up with, but I definitely didn’t see it like that. We were happily married,” Kidman 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.”
While Cruise tends to keep his private life out of the spotlight, he didn’t shy away from praising Kidman and reflecting on their collaboration.
“Whatever it’s going to take [to make the movie], we’re going to do this,” he recalled telling Kubrick.
Today, Eyes Wide Shut is considered one of the most significant films of both actors’ careers and a bold finale to Kubrick’s storied legacy.