Nicole Kidman is going viral once more as the actress opens up about the emotional toll of her divorce with Tom Cruise, reflecting on both of her high-profile marriages and admitting that her future now looks very different from what she once imagined. Kidman, now based in Tennessee, also recalled how she happily wanted to set her career back for the sake of her marriage with Cruise, something that ended in flames.
In a new interview with Vogue, Kidman, 59, revisited her relationship with Cruise, whom she married in 1990 after the pair met while working on Days of Thunder. She was just around 23 at the time, while Cruise was already one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Kidman said the decision to marry him felt completely natural because they had fallen deeply in love.
“Suddenly I was 22, 23 years old and I had this huge movie star husband,” she recalled. “But it just seemed completely natural. We just fell madly in love and it was that simple.” However, people around Kidman warned that marrying Cruise could have serious consequences for her own career. The actress admitted she was unconcerned at the time, refusing to prioritize professional ambitions over her relationship.
“I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married,” she remembered saying. According to Kidman, those concerns later appeared justified as public attention increasingly focused on her as Cruise’s wife. She recalled people eventually telling her, “See, we told you.”
Her response was unapologetic. “So what? I wasn’t meant to marry the man I love?” Kidman said. “Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care.” Looking back, Kidman admitted that she might have committed too early, “Yeah, I got married so young.”
Fans Are Pointing Out How She’s Still Successful
The couple remained married for more than a decade before divorcing in 2001. Kidman later endured a difficult period following the split but ultimately rebuilt her career and reached one of its biggest milestones when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Hours in 2003. Her comments have prompted debate over whether her marriage to Cruise actually damaged her career, with some pointing out that her most acclaimed work came after their divorce.
“I remember when she split from Tom, she had a string of hit movies,” one Reddit user commented. Another commenter was less sympathetic, writing, “She seems to be doing OK.” Some also noted that Kidman seems to have had more success with critical acclaim compared to Cruise. “Nicole one Oscar and four other nominations. Tom no Oscars from four nominations. We have a clear winner,” according to a commenter.
Others argued that Katie Holmes’ marriage with Cruise had a bigger impact on her career compared to Kidman’s marriage with Cruise. There were unconfirmed reports in the past that Cruise had influence over Holmes’ career choices. A 2012 report claimed Cruise opposed a potential Dawson’s Creek reunion for Holmes, while other reports alleged he had involvement in changes to her role in Thank You for Smoking. Ultimately, Holmes had to step away from Hollywood after having a child with Cruise.
