For over a decade, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were the dream Hollywood couple. The actors who had a fairytale romance on the sets of their film Days of Thunder, tied the knot in 1990 and seemed to have the perfect life until their shocking divorce in 2001. During this period, the ex-couple also starred in Stanley Kubrick’s bold erotic drama, Eyes Wide Shut.
The director who pushed the boundaries of s*xual intimacy in various ways through his very specific conditions, was incidentally rumored to have been the cause for the rift between Kidman and Cruise which ultimately led to their separation. But the Oscar winner confirmed in clear terms that the film and Kubrick had nothing to do with her divorce.
Nicole Kidman Shut Down Speculations About Her Divorce With Tom Cruise
For over 11 years, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were couple goals. The two superstars who began courting on the sets of Days of Thunder which was their first film together, sealed their romance by tying the knot a year later. The celebrities also extended their family by adopting two daughters.
Unfortunately, the fairytale was not meant to be and the couple officially called it quits in 2001. While there were many speculations floating around about the reasons behind the divorce, one rumor that was making the rounds was related to the couple’s erotic film Eyes Wide Shut directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The story follows a doctor and his wife who push the boundaries of intimacy by getting involved in various s*xual adventures to rekindle the spark in their relationship. But this experience takes a very dark turn for the couple.
Kubrick who is known for his meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of filmmaking, reportedly required both Kidman and Cruise to indulge in a high level of method acting to develop this risqué relationship. According to Menz Mag, the filmmaker allegedly wanted to film six days worth of s*x scenes which included the actors trying out over 50 different s*xual poses.
In addition, it was reported that the Big Little Lies actor and the Top Gun star who were husband and wife at the time, were given the condition that they could not discuss any of these aspects at home once the shooting had wrapped up in order to maintain the intrigue that was required. To make sure this unorthodox method was adhered to, Kubrick allegedly told the couple to live apart during the filming (via Slash Film).
These stringent rules and regulations that Kubrick insisted on, were considered by many as one of the reasons for the two actors falling apart emotionally with each other. But The Hours star put an end to these rumors once and for all in 2012 when she sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where she discussed various aspects of the film. Addressing this issue directly, she said,
”People thought that making the film was the beginning of the end of my marriage, but I don’t really think it was. Tom and I were close then, and it was very much the three of us. On screen, the husband and wife are at odds, and Stanley wanted to use our marriage as a supposed reality.“
Kidman went on to praise Kubrick for his creative genius and his vision that brought forth stories of this nature. She also revealed that she was devastated on hearing of the filmmaker’s demise which happened ironically before the film’s official release.
Nicole Kidman Broke Her Ribs For This Role
While Nicole Kidman had to come out of her comfort zone for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, the actor has had other instances where she has pushed herself to the limit for a role. Moulin Rouge was a breakthrough film for Kidman mainly because the star took on not just the burden of acting, but also channeled her cabaret singing and dancing skills for the role of a courtesan.
While the Oscar winner received rave reviews for her performance, it was grueling physical work behind the scenes. For the role, Kidman went through hard rigor and practice that resulted in the star sustaining quite a few injuries while filming.
Further, with her need for perfection to get into a corset that would give her the perfect silhouette for the character, Kidman went on to aggravate her existing wounds. The actor recalled the tough challenges she faced in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show (Via Yahoo News).
“I hurt myself dancing in heels at three in the morning and I fell downstairs. I then re-broke my rib getting into a corset. I had this thing that I wanted to get my waist down to 18 inches, which Vivien Leigh had on Gone with the Wind and I was just like, “tighter, tighter!”’
Despite these painful encounters, the effort was completely worth it as Kidman proved her versatility as a full-fledged performer with Moulin Rouge.
Eyes Wide Shut can be rented on Apple TV.
