Nicole Kidman is currently promoting The Undoing, an HBO miniseries which I’m really looking forward to watching! She stars with Hugh Grant and it’s supposed to be a psychological thriller with lots of sex and money and drama. I love that kind of sh-t, and it’s interesting to see Hugh in that kind of project, but late-stage Hugh Grant is a revelation, right? To promote the miniseries, Nicole chatted over Zoom with the New York Times and let me tell you, this was an annoying read and it had very little to do with Nicole. I don’t think Nicole is a vapid person at all – she’s lived a big life, she’s learned a lot and she’s got a lot to say, but she prefers an air of mystery and I don’t blame her for that. But the person interviewing her for the Times wanted to sound soooo deep and Nicole just deflected and instead of saying “okay, I sound like a pompous ass,” the interviewer just kept going on and on. Blah. Anyway, some highlights, all of which are about Tom Cruise and Stanley Kubrick.
On “sexual boldness” as an actress: “I’ve had situations as an actress where, oh my gosh, it was not what I thought it would be. I was probably at the forefront of this: When I went to work with Stanley Kubrick, he was like, I’m going to want full frontal nudity, and I was like, Ahh, I don’t know. So we came up with a great agreement, which was contractual. He would show me the scenes with the nudity before they made it into the film. Then I could feel completely safe. I didn’t say no to any of it. I’d wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to be me standing there nude and everyone laughing at me. I was protected, so I got to explore a complicated marriage and the way in which Tom’s character is having those jealous images. I would never think of not wanting the storytelling to be told properly. Having them say, “Once you’re OK with it, great, that’s it” — what a fantastic place to be in as a woman. Please write that correctly, because otherwise, it will be misinterpreted…. The way in which the contractual agreement that I have with a director allows me to do nudity and sex scenes because I feel safe. Sexuality is over here in a box, and we don’t deal with it. I’m happy to deal with it, but there needs to be a place where you can go, I’m not going to be exploited.”
She & Tom Cruise were happy on ‘Eyes Wide Shut’: ”This is where the fallacy is: We loved working with [Kubrick]. We shot that for two years. We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes. We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set. We would say, “When is it going to end?” We went over there thinking it was going to be three months. It turned into a year, a year and a half. But you go, As long as I surrender to what this is, I’m going to have an incredible time. Stanley, he wasn’t torturous. He was arduous in that he would shoot a lot. But I’d sit on the floor of his office and talk, and we’d watch animal videos. He said animals were so much nicer than human beings. Though I do remember we were watching a wildlife thing where you saw the lion going after an antelope, and he could hardly watch it. Interesting, isn’t it?
Whether the themes of ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ affected the Kidman-Cruise marriage: “That fits the narrative that people came up with, but I definitely didn’t see it like that. We were happily married through that. We would go go-kart racing after those scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at 3 in the morning. I don’t know what else to say. Maybe I don’t have the ability to look back and dissect it. Or I’m not willing to.
She talked about a lot of different things but the Kubrick-Cruise quotes are the ones dominating the headlines. I’ve only seen Eyes Wide Shut once, and I’ve always meant to watch it again to see if it was as boring and weird as I remembered from when I first saw it. I think Nicole probably was very happy in those two years, working with Tom and Kubrick in London. They were in one place after years of travel, working with a legend and all of that. There were stories at the time that the two-year period of Eyes Wide Shut’s production was when their marriage broke down. I think Nicole is telling the truth here – she remembers that time with fondness, and their marriage was fine at that point. Personally, I’ve always believed that Moulin Rouge (which was shot maybe a year later) was where the Kidman-Cruise marriage broke down though. Another tough shoot, this time just for Nicole, and I’ve always 100% believed that Nicole and Ewan McGregor got too close. #VintageGossip
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
I thought it was David Miscaivage and Co$ that was responsible for the breakdown of the marriage. He somehow pulled Tom back in.
Yup. David got Tom out of the marriage right before the 10 year mark so he wouldn’t have to give half of his money up to Nicole in a divorce.
I think it was less about the money and more about Scientology, and Nicole losing interest in it all.
Most definitely – or if you have ever read anything about Scientology, that seems to be the case. If you have seen HBO’s “Going Clear” about Scientology, it is spelled out very clearly in that documentary. David Miscavige pushed for a wedge to occur between Tom and Nicole because he thought she was a threat to him (meaning David – in terms of Tom’s role in Scientology). Sick I know. He had Nicole wire tapped and followed. It’s gross. I’m sure there could be other issues, but that was a predominant one.
This! Probably multiple reasons that the marriage began to struggle but in the few years before the dissolution many reports have said that Kidman and Cruise were closer and he was pulled away from the Church because she didn’t trust it. Going Clear and other docs suggested that the Church made significant efforts to bring him back in line.
Honestly, she dodged a bullet. Being married to someone in a cult must be difficult.
Didn’t the church become paranoid because Nicole’s dad is a psychologist? I think that played a major role, including the mini man love of Cruise and Miscaviage.
@KW – yes exactly correct. Scientology doesn’t trust psychology, psychiatry and western medicine in general, so b/c Kidman’s father was in that profession, that was an issue. And in the documentary Going Clear, Mike Rinder and Marty Rathburn, two of the highest ranking officials at the time in Scientology, who later defected, were instructed to wire tap and follow Nicole in order to get info. They wanted to create distance in the couple because Miscavige viewed it as a threat. So gross.
Per Mike Rinder and Marty Rathburn- the guys who were in charge of all the dirty dealings of scientology at the time- and later defected- Miscavage was apoplectic that Cruise was basically not in touch with him or the “church” when in London with his family doing Eyes Wide Shut.
So when they returned, Rinder, Rathburn, etc. were given directives my Miscavage to break up the marriage.
They got in Tom’s ear with the auditing, then when he was suspicious of her, Tom wanted her phone tapped, Rathburn thought it was crazy, and Miscavage said “make it happen”.
Then they went to work on their kids- indoctrinating them about someone who is a PTS- potential trouble source, which Nicole was b/c her dad was a shrink and shrinks are the enemy in scientology.
They probably were totally happy in London working together without the interference of scientology.
Rathbun got pulled back in a few years ago. Even while he was out he was never truly all the way out. He never disavowed the “tech” (scientology practices, such as auditing). He offered auditing to other semi-outs. What they refer to as a “squirrel.”
Yup!
Nicole has said that Tom completely blindsided her when he told her he wanted a divorce. She had no inkling it was coming. Indeed, she was pregnant and had a miscarriage while they were splitting up – which must have been particularly brutal.
There are numerous reports that Nicole didn’t like Scientology very much and that, while he was with her, Tom drifted further and further away from it. Additionally, her late father was a respected psychiatrist – and Scientologists see psychiatrists as the devil.
So, Miscavige made a huge effort to pull Tom back in and to sow seeds of doubt about Nicole and their marriage. He had her phones tapped and recorded phone calls exist. He also had her followed. Eventually he convinced Tom to split from her and treat her as an “SP”.
Once they were split up they officially got 50/50 custody; but when Tom had the kids, he’d take them to the Scientology Center where minions would brainwash them about their mother and how she was an SP who didn’t really love them. Suuuuuuuper f—ked up. Several of those involved at the time have since left the church and admitted to this / reported on it.
It’s crazy to think that Tom was genuinely happy with her but because of his susceptibility to a cult, he’s now been divorced thrice, has no relationship with his youngest daughter, is widely seen as nutso, and is allegedly involved in and the beneficiary of all sorts of dodgy cult labour practices.
I do think Nicole is way better off with Keith, although it’s sad that she has such a tough relationship with her oldest two kids.
Miscavige also used Cruise’s infatuation with Nicole to break him up with his then wife Mimi Rogers whose father was considered a “squirrel” by Scientology. He thought Nicole would just be a fling, but found out otherwise. Mimi was served with divorce papers by a couple of Miscavige’s handlers. Classy.
Her Dad was a psychologist and lecturer, not a psychiatrist. They’re quite different and one difference which is probably important in the eyes of Scientology is that psychologists can’t prescribe drugs.
During their marriage she really seemed unlikeable,very moody and came off as quite unapproachable. It was only after we got to see that she actually had quite a waem peraonality. Maybe she was told to have that air of mystery back then.
She’s really shy and it took her time to learn how to balance megawatt stardom (from a very young age) with privacy and her innate shyness with some grace.
I had forgotten how absolutely stunning she was! Every single outfit she wears here is perfection.
She was gorgeous before she started messing with her face.
I also like her better as a red head. The blonde doesn’t suit her as well IMO.
I also wish she didn’t always tame her curls into submission. I get it, however. Our culture prefers straighter hair & strongly pressures women into “tidying” it up. I know this because I have hair as curly as hers.
People say they prefer it, but most women get much more compliments and positive feedback when their hair is relaxed. And bad haircuts abound. Many stylists don’t know how to deal with curly hair. Especially those who are used to dealing with a non-Black clientele. Obviously Black hairdressers are more skilled.
Is it just me or does she bring Tom Cruise up a lot these last few years? It’s weird to me. The way she talks about him is like if it were up to her she would still be married to him (which ew no). I wonder what she thinks about him not seeing Suri for the last 6/7 years. I’m sure she has her own complicated thoughts since she never got to see her two adopted kids much at all either.
@Caitlin, wasn’t it the interviewer that asked the questions regarding Tom Cruise? Im confused; did Nicole bring Tom up or was she answering the asked questions?
Anyways, I had no idea Nicole was this much taller and actually towered over Tom!!
What’s amazing to me is she actually never says anything terrible about Tom, despite everything he did to her. The most she had said post divorce was “well, I can wear heels now”. Lololol
@Watson, they have children together and she seems a decent person. She’s probably being considerate of her children by not speaking ill of their father. Also, it’s healthier to move along and not dwell on the awful, right?
I think she never really got any closure from their split and now that so many people have spoken out against Scientology she feels comfortable telling her story.
ITA – I always got the impression she never saw it coming, sure I think they had their issues but the way he treated her was appalling. He basically accused her of having an affair and implied that the baby she lost wasn’t his which was a cover for the fact that he left her cause the head thetan told him to.
EWS was soooo boring and meaningless. I hated it. I’m happy Nicole had a good experience with Kubrick but he sure wasn’t very kind of respectful to Shelley Duvall while filing The Shining. I’ve always felt he was super misogynistic.
I wish that Nicole would be honest about Cruise and what went down when they split. I don’t understand how she could leave Bella and Conor with him.
Back then and even now Tom Cruise had loads of power in their line of work. She left the kids because she didn’t have any leverage and because she knew no one knew about Scientology. Who knows what they had recorded for her auditing sessions? How many people had followed her, made her life a misery, or wire tapped her conversations? The kids were also brought up as Scientologists. Nicole Kidman was eventually branded a supressive person and the kids probably didn’t want her around anymore, because they were told she was evil.
Katie holmes’ dad was a fucking mastermind. He knew what they’d do to his daughter so he’d set up burner phones, and got the paps to surround Katie in nyc to protect his daughter and grand daughter from scientologists. That’s why i believe Katie got to keep Suri.
What Holme’s dad did was genius, he played them at their own game and threw egg in their faces. I think he also had help from people who deal with cultists. From what i recall of the gossip at the time was that Katie had dirt on him, dirt that was used it as a bargaining chip to for Katie to keep Suri – it was speculated that it was to do with Suri’s paternity. And yeah the thing with the paps was def to keep the crazy sci’s at bay, they couldn’t do anything with them around pretty much 24/7 which went on for a few years.
You’re right, I shouldn’t judge her. She never would have gotten sole custody and he would have continued to poison their minds against her. If she kept fighting him it would just be years of hell for her and the kids with the end result still being Tom winning. She probably had no good options. Thank God Katie and Suri got away.
She didn’t leave them. She and Cruise got 50/50 custody.
However she was up against a vindictive ex with stacks more money and power than her as well as a powerful PR machine (Cruise’s PR woman at the time was considered the most powerful PR flack in Hollywood and one of the most powerful people in Hollywood overall) plus a very nasty cult at her ex’s disposal and controlling him.
Several formerly high ranking members of Scientology have left the “church” and said that they were involved in brainwashing those kids against their mother. They basically taught them that she was evil and didn’t really love them. The kids pulled away from her, and back then, people didn’t know what we know now about that cult. She would have sounded paranoid and crazy if she had tried to expose what was going on – if she even knew the extent of it.
She’s tried to stay in those kids’ lives as much as possible and they spend some time together; but they are fully brainwashed cultists and she has been branded an SP by their cult. I think it’s heartbreaking and I feel for her.
How gross to constantly ask a married woman with children about her former marriage.
I think Nicole was blindsided by the divorce.
Nicole is a funny one. When she’s on network talk shows, she’s dead weight – stiff, awkward, dull. But then I heard an episode of Desert Island Discs where she was warm and smart and said interesting things about feminism and growing up the daughter of a psychologist. And she’s fine on Graham Norton where she’s sharing the attention with others. I think she thrives when she gets to talk about things she’s interested in, or can hang back a little. She’s not built for wacky late night shenanigans. I’d peg her has an introvert.
I remember watching Eyes Wide Shut back in the day when they were married and finding the chemistry totally lacking between them.
@Mumbles ‘I remember watching Eyes Wide Shut back in the day when they were married and finding the chemistry totally lacking between them.’ Yep. Totally agree. Still think they were a contract marriage hence no chemistry.
She’s always great on Graham Norton – he does bring out the fun side of his guests. I love his show and interview style, you can tell the guests enjoy themselves as well.
I always believed EWS would have been a better movie had they focused more on Kidman’s complicated character. The whole journey Tom’s went with the cult or w.e. Was predictable and boring. What really interested me was discovering what was happening with this dissatisfied woman in her marriage…. I watched it so long ago though I can’t even remember the plot, so my POV of this may be wrong cause I only remember the movie from flashes of some scenes with Kidman. Especially her monologue in it, “tender and sad” she looked just beautiful, but Tom was a nothing-burger throughout.
His character is meant to to be. Kubrick was a master caster, finding actors who bore flaws he needed the characters to have (Keir Dullea, Jack Nicholson, Ryan O’Neal)–whole essays have been written on this aspect of Kubrick’s filmmaking alone. I have DETESTED Cruise since Risky Business (that *&^%$# cheese-eating grin comes with nothing-burgers like him), but man, I love EWS, the only Cruise movie I own.
I loved NK’s quote about Kubrick’s being a life that left so much behind, but then I’m a Kubrick fan so I eat this stuff up! Thanks for posting, or I would have likely missed it.
I always read it slightly differently. I believe during the filming of Moulin Rouge her marriage was already ending/over. Her acting, which I had never been super crazy about, was SO raw and vulnerable in MR. She had a lot of emotion bubbling under the surface and turned in an incredible performance. That said, we all now know Ewan is a bit of a dog, so maybe that did lead to some kind of dalliance. I saw it more as her leaning on him emotionally during a difficult time.
Im kind if sick of it . Still talking about Tom Cruise even after 3 decades she is just obsessed with him and reminding people she was once married to him kind of reminds me of Jennifer Aniston still talking about Brad Pitt. Some women just can’t let them go. She has an option to say she doesn’t want to talk about him , but she again doesn’t want to not talk about him. Him on the other hand never mentions her.
Cool. I find it interesting.
What are you sick of? For years, she never said a peep or said very little when asked about him. Nicole talks about Tom because interviewers ASK HER about him. Of course it’s going to come up in interviews; it was the biggest scandal/gossip at the time. The media is obsessed with Tom, not her. She’s not randomly bringing up her former marriage during interviews. Also — he never mentions her or Katie or his own children because he’s part of an actual CULT that believes in alien ghosts that live in volcanoes.
I agree with @Leftcoastal. I doubt any interviewer is ALLOWED to ask Tom about Nicole, Katie, or his kids – I am serious. He probably prohibits it. That’s why we never hear anything about it from Tom Cruise. What’s he gonna say? Admit he’s in some freakish cult (that YES does believe in aliens living in volcanoes, that shit is real to them lol) that cut him off from his wives and children? That it made Katie Holmes up and leaves his ass like some secret agent with burner phones so she could have her kid? Yeah, doubt it. I don’t think Nicole or Katie are shedding a tear here. I think Nicole was devastated at the time, but I don’t think she is now. And Katie doesn’t even speak of it. Probably isn’t allowed to due to some iron clad NDA.
This reminds me of when all those articles about Scientology came out here and a bunch of new commenters would mysteriously show up in these threads either damning the person speaking out or being suspiciously supportive of it.
My fave actress!!
I’m just glad she’s happy now.
Mine too!
Nah the issue was that David Miscavige wanted Tom out of that marriage because he felt Nicole was pulling Tom away from Scientology. The rumors about her and Ewan came from their camp. They also accuses her of having an affair with Iain Glen during their Broadway play. And those rumors were what contributed to Nicole miscarrying. I remember when all of that went down and it was dirty and cold.
I miss the Golden years of Hollywood stars having a touch of mystery about them, these two are a prime example. It was probably messy and full of scandalous secrets but the inaccessibility was part of the allure. I’m sure I’m showing my age here but so bored of the social media over sharing and hyper active PR everyone’s got going on now.
I completely agree. We know too much about so many actors personal lives these days that it becomes harder & harder to see them as the characters they play, we still see *them*. I’m not saying they should be completely shrouded in mystery but a little can go a long way. I miss the good ole pre-social media days, too (as far as celebrities go anyway).
At least now the stars have their own say through social media. The “mystery” was all carefully crafted studio-driven BS that completely robbed people of their personalities and the agency in their careers and relationships. Now we’re seeing, through social media, how mundane and ordinary stars really are because, they are, well, people. LGBT celebs don’t have to hide in lavender marriages anymore, women don’t have to pretend to “adopt” the children they had out of wedlock, and if celebs do “contract relationships,” at least they get to set the terms, which is much more favorable than a movie studio setting the terms.
The “glamour” of the old days came at a terrible cost to the people who were the stars. They were completely at the mercy of pedophiles, rapists, and rats like Harvey Weinstein. There was never any wizard of OZ, just a man behind a screen. Social media oversharing is annoying, but we have the option to ignore it. There are still stars who leverage their own mystery on their own terms by avoiding over-sharing, and carefully curating their images. I’m glad that Beyonce seems to be in control of her own image, rather than some asshole music industry executive.
Please don’t misunderstand my comment agreeing with the OP, I’m in no way suggesting that celebrities shouldn’t have agency over their own lives or that LGBTQ celebs should be in the closet, or any other kind of forced masquerade. I was merely stating that in the age of social media we know so much about their personal lives that when it comes to watching them on screen it can be hard to separate them from the characters they play. That’s all I meant. I guess I should have been clearer.
she has always gushed over working with stanley kubrick and there is no way to discuss it without bringing up her ex. she talked about something very relevant and specific – her nudity agreement – and the interviewer took it to tom. i know he was a jerk to others but she loved kubrick and i think working with him made her the actress she is now. he helped her harness something she has held onto and perfected. i think she likes discussing that time in her career and her marriage is a byproduct of that convo.
for nicole lovers – you should check out dogville confessions on youtube. it is this documentary where the actors in dogville basically lash out and also praise lars von trier during filming and it is kind of amazing.
I remember that she did a play in London called the Blue Room or something and that was when Tom was absolutely convinced she was cheating on him with her costar. I think she was totally blindsided- he went from being totally in love to filing for divorce very quickly.
The one gossip thing that I Would really like to know is what went on Behind the scenes is their break up. I’m fascinated by both of them. Tom Cruise was IT during 20’s. And I think she is breathtaking.
Her husband over the summer was doing mini instagram concerts for healthcare workers and first-responders. But Nicole was his guitar tech and audience. They were so cute and so in love. One was at their home in his studio. Nicole was in a black turtleneck and black jeans. And she was dancing away to his music off to the side and screwing up when she was trying to hand him what he needed. It was no nice to see her so free, not ashamed to be dancing around to her husband playing.
Keith was on a radio show, with video, a year or two or so ago, and he is really a laid-back, very cool guy, a true musician, who lives and breathes it. He was in his comfort zone and had a musician’s charisma. I really liked him after that more. I really saw why Nicole was so in love with him after that interview.
Nicole with Keith in his home studio for a mini concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2m0PAtHoPQ&t=1075s
She definitely dodged a bullet and it was Scientology that ultimately broke them up. She’s said she was still in love with him when he filed for divorce. What I find more interesting is Katie’s crazy escape from crazy Tom 😳
I just watched eyes wide shut again, and I really enjoyed it – both of their performances were really raw and I don’t think I ever saw New York shot so beautifully.
I saw the other day it mentioned that Bella Cruise “liked” a couple of photos Kidman had posted of herself on Instagram. That was a first apparently.
Back when Nic & Tom were first married, Tom was a huge international star/heartthrob.
He ruled the box office for years, worked w/Newman, Stone, Hoffman, Jack, Ron Howard, Brad Pitt, Bandares and he not only did well, he was Award nominated several times.
His movies still make huge $$.
What I never will understand is WHY he still in involved with CoS.
He and Nic seemed very happy together in the early years.
He came from a dysfunctional childhood and is an enormously wealthy self-made man.
What can CoS possibly have on him, to keep him in the fold?
I’m serious in asking this. He divorced his wife, turned his kids against their Mother, took up with Katie Holmes and had CoS people with her every minute of their lives, his sisters are in CoS, refuses to be in contact with his youngest child (as far as anyone knows)…..Did he actually murder someone and CoS covered for him? Gay? Who cares of he is or not?
His fan base is his age, I would think…I’m 59 and I bet no one under 35 ever goes to his movies, do they?
Cruise and Travolta both should publicly disavow this horrid CoS!
Btw, I’m fallen away Catholic, and Catholics know a lot about “fall in line, do as you are told, etc.” and that is mostly why I no longer live by the faith I was raised in.
Religion and Faith should not be a cause to shun your child, IMO.
But there is no person on planet Earth who would be able to keep me from my child.
Maybe Siri isn’t his bio child?
Katie’s Dad forced Cruise to stay away from her as part of the divorce?
IIRC, at the time of Nic/Tom divorce the rumor was that Nic was having an affair with Ewan McGregor her costar. Possible she was pregnant with his child and not Toms and the wiretapping was what exposed her cheating.
When a celeb of Tom Cruise level of money, fame, power shows up on daytime tv with Oprah and proceeds to jump on her couch, hopping around like a teenager who just discovered what sex is, acting like a total Looney….What was that? Seriously. His PR team should have paid off Oprah to not air it.
Have you ever seen the Youtube videos of him: one talking to the camera about Scientology and maniacal laughing and the other is a secretly recorded video of him receiving an award at a Scientology event? It is his complete narcissism that makes him love Scientology. He is a high as you can get. His ego and narcissism is fueled by Scientology. He is treated like a God at the place. He is essentially almost as powerful as Miscavige in that organization. It’s not that they have anything on him. He is intoxicated by this power he feels he has and he has drank the Kool-aid. He believes he’s better than Suppresive Persons and that he has all the answers. He’s crazy in some respects, a zealot. Haven’t you seen him in interviews where he talks about how HE can help people? His disdain for those that don’t see or accept his views was palpable when he was out loud and proud on interviews before his career was almost ruined and he went back in the shadows as far as Scientology.
“We are the authorities.” Listen to the crazy, the complete arrogance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0
It’s a well known fact that CoS has many stars on the books. They make them who they are, basically they sell their souls for the connections. That’s why they come and that’s why they don’t leave.
My friend who is totally into the Grace Kelly, ice-blonde-princess look in his partners saw her at some premiere about 20 years back and said she was absolutely flawless and stunning in person.
Read something about Sadie Frost being angry at Nicole Kidman for never phoning her and denying the on-set rumours about Jude Law + Nicole on Cold Mountain and thought that was really weird. Of course Frost and Law are rumoured to have been big-time swingers so who knows…anyway we know Ewen was way closer to Melanie Laurent (Beginners) than he was supposed to be, as he was still married to Eve/Eva (?) back then…
Kubrick was such an amazing director and I believe he believed / had insider knowledge on these secret societies, etc. Lots of strange symbolism hinting at his take on this underworld of the elites in the film. Great film, great director. Loved 2001.
Drew Pinsky said Tom Cruise seems to have huge abandonment issues and hence the Scientology. I think you can throw egomania into the mix.
Never was that impressed with Nicole’s acting but I think she’s growing on me in recent years. She’s way more chatty about her time with Cruise than Katie Holmes but of course she’s had more time and probably didn’t have to sign what was probably the strictest NDA + most onerous divorce agreement in history in order to gain full custody of child (Suri). Hopefully Holmes is able to say more and help out Leah Remini and co with exposing the cult in the future.
People under 40, especially don’t understand what it was like back then.
$cientology was very powerful, very mysterious, and highly litigious. It wasn’t something people openly joked about or widely criticised all the time, like now. One of the best things the internet did was burst the bubble. They’re still rolling in cash and ruining lives but they don’t have the same power and numbers have seriously dwindled.
And Nicole was thought of as little more than ‘Mrs Tom Cruise’. Her career in the US didn’t really explode until after they divorced, which I’m not sure she even minded because she’s talked about how much she loves being married. She shared custody of the kids and over the course of a few years, slowly but surely they were taken from her. It wasn’t her choice or anything she did.
I’ve warmed to her over the years. I think she’s genuinely shy, generally nice, and makes interesting choices. I used to feel sorry for her kids being brainwashed to cut her out of their lives but they’re fully grown adults now; it’s frankly cruel the way they treat her.
Holmes saw what happened to Kidman and learnt from it. That was smart but it’s also sad as I think it’s simply too late for a relationship between Kidman and her eldest children. She seems to keep the door open by never criticising anyone but I just don’t see it happening.
Cruise is trash really. When did he last see his youngest child? It’s been years. He chose his cult over her. I won’t pay to watch him as I don’t want my money going to $cientology coffers.