Tom Cruise has spoken about his ex-wife Nicole Kidman in a rare comment made in a new interview as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to release in cinemas this month on May 21.
The two were married for 11 years
Cruise and Kidman were married for 11 years, from 1990 to 2001, and have two adopted children together.
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Speaking to Sight and Sound magazine, the 62-year-old actor recalled his experience on the set of the 1999 thriller Eyes Wide Shut, where he starred opposite Kidman.
He detailed the experience
Speaking of his experience on the set of Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick, Cruise said, “It was a great experience. I was very excited to do it. I knew Stanley’s movies very well and I was introduced to him through Sydney Pollack.”
“So Stanley called Sydney ’cause he wanted me to make a movie. He sent me a fax.”
Cruise recalled how the project came about
“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. I spoke to Scorsese about him and Sydney Pollack… so I knew what he did and how he worked,” Cruise said.
He mentioned Kidman
The actor praised Kidman’s craft, adding that he was the one to suggest she be given the role.
Cruise said, “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.”
The two played a couple in the movie
Eyes Wide Shut follows Dr. Bill Hartford (played by Cruise) and his wife Alice (played by Kidman), who had sexual fantasies about a man she met and Bill becomes obsessed with the idea of having a similar experience, but things get out of hand.
Cruise expressed his interest in the movie
Early on, Cruise expressed his interest in playing the role, saying, “I knew it was going to be a long shoot. He was like, ‘No, no, no. We’ll finish in three or four months.’ And I said, ‘Stanley, look, I’m here for you. Whatever it’s going to take we’re going to do this…’ I thought the film was very interesting, and I wanted to have that experience.”
The actor spoke about his process
Cruise went on, “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 pair met on the set of Days of Thunder
Cruise and Kidman met in the same year they got married, having first encountered each other in 1990 on the set of Days of Thunder.
Although Cruise had been previously married to Mimi Rogers, the two finalized their divorce in February of 1990, with Kidman and Cruise getting married only 10 months later in December of 1990.
Kidman has previously spoken about it
The pair got married in a private ceremony in Colorado when Cruise was 28 and Kidman was 23 years old.
The actress previously reflected on this, telling Red magazine in 2016, “I was so young when I got married. I look back now and I’m like, ‘What?’”