Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were married from 1990 until 2001 – and while “irreconcilable differences” were cited as the reason for the divorce, the pair still have good things to say about each other
Hollywood legend Tom Cruise has showered his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, with praise – hailing her abilities as an actress. The 62-year-old action star was married to 57-year-old Australian actress Nicole from 1990 until 2001 and shares two children with the Oscar winner.
The couple met on the set of the Tony Scott directed sports drama Days of Thunder which was released in 1990 and they later appeared in the romantic drama Far and Away in 1992. The duo also stunned film fans when they appeared in the erotically charged drama Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.
The pair announced their separation in February 2001, with Tom citing “irreconcilable differences” when he filed for divorce two days later. While some Hollywood divorces have been filled with drama, the split between Tom and Nicole was regarded as amicable.
And it seems the pair still hold each other in high regard all these years later. In an interview with Sight and Sound magazine, the Mission: Impossible star reflected on working with iconic director Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut – and revealed he petitioned for Nicole to be cast in her role as Alice Harford due to her exceptional acting abilities.
He explained: “I flew out to [Kubrick’s] 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.
“Then it was basically he and I getting to know each other. And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role [of Alice]. Because obviously she’s a great actress.”
Eyes Wide Shut famously demanded more from its cast than they expected. Filming was initially tipped to last three or four months – but ended up taking 15 months due to Kubrick being a perfectionist.
Casting his mind back on the film, Tom said: “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.”
The film arguably helped put Nicole on the map as a serious actress as she was nominated for a string of Best Actress awards following the film’s release – including the prestigious Satellite Awards.
She went on to receive her first Best Actress nomination at the Oscars in 2002 for the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! – and later won the top gong at the 2003 ceremony for her role in The Hours. Nicole has also been nominated for the Best Actress award for Rabbit Hole in 2011 and Being the Ricardos in 2022.
She has been nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award once – for playing Sue Brierley in the 2016 Australian biographical drama Lion, which was directed by Garth Davis and with the cast led by British star Dev Patel.
Tom has been Oscar nominated four times over the course of his career – three times for Best Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor, but he has not scooped any of the coveted golden statuettes so far.
Next year, Nicole will be reprising one of her most beloved roles, returning as charming witch Gillian Owens in Practical Magic 2 – alongside Sandra Bullock who returns as on-screen sister Sally Owens. And this year, Tom is set to play Ethan Hunt yet again in the latest Mission: Impossible film, titled The Final Reckoning.
Source: Mirror
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