Nicole Kidman Says Stanley Kubrick Explored Her Marriage in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

As Nicole Kidman marks 25 years since Eyes Wide Shut, she’s taking a moment to reflect on the experience of making the film with her co-star and then-husband Tom Cruise.

The Academy Award winner recalled working with the legendary writer and director Stanley Kubrick, focusing on how they spent weeks rehearsing one particularly memorable scene. This scene involved a close, intimate conversation between their characters while smoking a joint in their bedroom.

“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],” she shared with the Los Angeles Times. “Six, eight weeks passed, and we’re wondering, ‘Are we ever going to start?’ And we just wouldn’t start. We were getting comfortable with each other, comfortable enough to throw out ideas. For that scene, we improvised the beginning of it through the rehearsals.”

Kidman and Cruise were married from 1990 to 2001. During this period, they filmed Kubrick’s final feature from 1996 to 1998, preceded by an extensive rehearsal schedule. Kidman believes that the director took inspiration from their real-life marriage while working on the scene.

“I suppose he was mining it,” said Kidman. “There were ideas he was interested in. He’d ask a lot of questions. But he had a strong sense of the story he was telling. 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.”

The Australian-American actress mentioned that she never felt targeted. “But there’s something about being a woman in that equation, too. And Stanley liked women. He had a different relationship with Tom. They worked more closely together on his character.”

Kidman previously reflected on the film in a 2017 interview with Deadline, expressing gratitude for her calm approach during the lengthy shoot. “Because I was married and I had my kids there. It wasn’t like I was rushing to get finished, to get somewhere else. I was there, with Stanley, and I didn’t care. Whatever,” she said.

Kubrick passed away from a heart attack at the age of 70 on March 7, 1999, just days after screening a final cut of Eyes Wide Shut for his family and the film’s stars.

Source: Los Angeles Times