Nicole Kidman Clarifies Tom Cruise Marriage’s Impact on ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

When Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were married from 1990 to 2001, they were one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples. After all, they were two acting powerhouses in their own right, forming a dynamic duo that captivated the public. It was no surprise that when the couple starred together in Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 drama “Eyes Wide Shut,” fans were thrilled.

Reflecting on her experience in the movie for its 25th anniversary, Kidman recently spoke candidly about Kubrick’s filmmaking process and how her own love life influenced the story. “I suppose he was mining [our marriage],” the “A Family Affair” star said of the director to the “Los Angeles Times.” “There were ideas he was interested in. He’d ask a lot of questions.”

Kidman clarified that her and Cruise’s relationship wasn’t the only inspiration for the film. “He had a strong sense of the story he was telling,” she explained. “I do remember him saying, ‘Triangles are hard. You have to tread carefully when it’s a triangle.’ Because one person could feel ganged up on. But he was aware of that and knew how to manage us.”

Despite the complex dynamics, Kidman noted she never felt “ganged up on” during the process. “But there’s something about being a woman in that equation, too,” the Oscar winner reflected. “And Stanley liked women. He had a different relationship with Tom. They worked more closely together on his character.”

In the movie, Kidman and Cruise portray a married couple, Dr. Bill Hartford and Alice, who delve into a world of sexual fantasies following a confession from Alice about her own desires. Kidman, who married country star Keith Urban five years after her split with Cruise in 2001, saw a part of herself in Alice, particularly her “boldness.” “I’m quite up-front and Alice becomes quite up-front, particularly when she was stoned … although that wasn’t me when I was stoned,” Kidman clarified. “I was just naturally like that. Up-front.”

Regarding the filming process, Kidman shared that it was a close-knit affair, involving working at Kubrick’s home for weeks and even sharing a trailer with Cruise. “We had a home 10 minutes away, but we lived in that trailer,” she remembered. “Tom and I shared it because Stanley would say, ‘You’re not each getting a trailer. We can’t afford it.’”

Kidman noted, “Tom had a smaller area because he was running stuff, and he’d play video games. That was when [‘Minesweeper’] was big. So there was a lot of that.”

From the looks of it, Kidman and Cruise were dedicated actors committed to bringing Kubrick’s vision to life. Will audiences always see “Eyes Wide Shut” as a glimpse into their relationship? Absolutely!

Source: Los Angeles Times