Nicole Kidman opened up about her early marriage to Tom Cruise in a candid new interview, revealing that she was fully prepared to sacrifice her budding acting career for love when they married in 1990. In an interview with British Vogue published this week, the 59-year-old actress reflected on tying the knot at just 23 years old, just a year after meeting Cruise on the set of “Days of Thunder.”
When asked about the skepticism surrounding their marriage from industry insiders, Kidman didn’t hold back. “I remember people saying to me, ‘OK, well this is really going to affect your career.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married,'” she recalled. When those same people later questioned her decision, she was equally defiant: “Then, I was his ‘wife’ and they were like, ‘See, we told you.’ I’m like, ‘So what? I wasn’t meant to marry the man I love? Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care.'”
The actress emphasized that at the time, the decision felt completely natural. “Yeah, I got married so young,” she told Vogue. “Suddenly I was 23 years old and I had this huge movie star husband. But it just seemed completely natural. We just fell madly in love and it was that simple.”
Kidman and Cruise, now 64, married on Christmas Eve 1990 in Telluride, Colorado, and remained together for 11 years before separating in 2001. During their marriage, they adopted two children, Isabella and Connor, and appeared together in several films, most notably Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” in 1999. The couple cited irreconcilable differences when they split.
Contrary to the warnings she received, Kidman’s career did not suffer. She went on to win an Academy Award, multiple Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, and a BAFTA. Her most acclaimed work came after the divorce, including her Oscar-winning performance in “The Hours.” She has continued to enjoy success with recent projects including the Paramount+ series “Lioness” and the upcoming films “Practical Magic 2” and television shows “Scarpetta” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.”
In the same interview, Kidman reflected on how her experience with Cruise shaped her understanding of fame and public scrutiny. She acknowledged feeling more comfortable with media attention now than in her younger years. “Strangely enough, I feel comfortable. Is that weird? That’s so weird,” she said. “But you have to remember literally, because of who I married at such a young age, I was thrust into it since I was 22.”
The actress also drew comparisons between her two high-profile divorces. After Cruise, Kidman married country musician Keith Urban in 2006. They were together for nearly two decades before separating in 2025 and finalizing their divorce in January 2026. They share two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. When asked if her previous divorce experience made the second one easier to navigate, Kidman responded candidly: “It’s all new. Every time!” She added that she was adjusting to her new chapter and learning to adapt.
“You make all these plans and you have all these ideas of what it’s all going to be like and then it’s … not. You have to adjust. You adapt,” she said. The actress emphasized that while the changes were unexpected, she is focused on moving forward.
Recent months have seen Kidman stepping out publicly more frequently. She made a striking appearance at the New York premiere of “Lioness” season three on July 29, turning heads in a sheer silver mesh top with intricate lace detailing. Days earlier, she had been photographed in Italy with private equity investor Michael Reinstein, sparking romance rumors as the two were seen relaxing poolside at a hotel in Portofino.
Despite the speculation about her personal life, Kidman confirmed in her Vogue interview that she is “embracing love” in this new chapter of her life. She told the magazine that she’s in a positive place, saying she’s “always going to be moving toward what’s good.”
Earlier this summer, Kidman celebrated a major milestone with her daughter Sunday Rose, who turned 18 on July 7. Just one day before her birthday, Sunday Rose made her Dior runway debut at Paris Fashion Week. Kidman shared the moment on Instagram with baby photos of her daughter, captioning the post: “Happy 18th my angel, you couldn’t be more loved.” The post garnered warm wishes from friends including Sandra Bullock, Mariska Hargitay, and Reese Witherspoon.
Looking back on her marriage to Cruise with the perspective that only decades can bring, Kidman expressed no regrets about her youthful decision. Her journey from young bride to Oscar-winning actress stands as a testament to her resilience and determination, proving that the industry warnings she once dismissed were ultimately misguided.