Former Hollywood power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman married in 1990 and split in 2001. During their years together, they starred in several productions, including 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut.
The actors shared the screen together for the first time in 1990 in the sports drama Days of Thunder, and worked together again on the epic Western Far and Away in 1992. For a few years, they kept separate projects before reuniting on the big screen in Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut. In a new interview with Sight and Sound for the May issue, via Deadline, Cruise shared a rare comment about Nicole Kidman and praised her acting skills, making a new revelation about Kidman’s role.
In the new issue, the actor looked back at some of his iconic roles, including Eyes Wide Shut. «It was a great experience,» Cruise recalled. «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.»
The actor explained that he «flew out to his house and I landed in his backyard,» and that they spent the day talking about the script. «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.» At the time, Cruise was in England because Kidman was filming 1996’s The Portrait of a Lady, and they visited him together.
About the film, Cruise also revealed that it was he who suggested casting Kidman in the role because «she’s a great actress.» The Mission: Impossible star explained, «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.«
For the roles of Bill and Alice Hartford, Kubrick had also considered Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. The director asked both Cruise and Kidman not to commit to other projects until the film was completed. «I knew it was going to be a long shoot,» Cruise continued. «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 Top Gun star further detailed his process after getting a role, explaining, «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.»
Eyes Wide Shut Was a Controversial Release
Kubrick had wanted to make the film since he initially started making movies, and it took a long time for the project to happen. The director passed away before the movie premiered in theaters. There was an ongoing debate over the film’s state of completion at the time of Kubrick’s death. At the same time, the critics believed the erotic mystery psychological drama was too long and weren’t impressed with the acting.
Eyes Wide Shut continues to be considered one of Kubrick’s greatest films. The movie also holds a Guinness World Records nod for the longest constant film shoot, as production took over 15 months, and had an unbroken shoot of 46 weeks. The film has a 76% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, with the audience in agreement with a 74% approval rating on the Popcornmeter. With a production budget of $65 million, the movie only grossed $162 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Eyes Wide Shut was Kubrick’s highest-grossing film.
