Nicole Kidman is looking back at one of the biggest decisions of her young life—and admitting that, at the time, she was willing to risk her entire career for love.
In a new interview with British Vogue, the Oscar-winning actress reflected on her 1990 marriage to Tom Cruise and the warnings she received before becoming the wife of one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars.
Kidman was just 22 or 23 when she married Cruise. The two had met while filming Days of Thunder, and their relationship quickly became serious.
Looking back, Kidman said the marriage felt completely natural to her.
“We just fell madly in love,” she recalled.
But people around her apparently had concerns about what the marriage could mean for her professional future.
“I remember people saying to me, ‘OK, well this is really going to affect your career,’” Kidman recalled.
Her response?
“I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married.”
Kidman said that after the wedding, she became known largely as Cruise’s wife, something that appeared to confirm the warnings she had received.
“And then I was his ‘wife’ and they were like, ‘See, we told you,’” she said.
But even then, Kidman didn’t regret choosing the relationship.
“So what? I wasn’t meant to marry the man I love? Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care.”
A Marriage That Changed Her Life
Kidman and Cruise married on Christmas Eve in 1990. At the time, Cruise was already one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, while Kidman was still establishing herself internationally.
The couple went on to star together in several films, including Far and Away and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.
They also adopted two children, Isabella and Connor, during their marriage.
Their relationship ended in 2001 after roughly 11 years of marriage.
For Kidman, however, the end of the marriage eventually became an important turning point in her professional life.
Her Career Didn’t End
The irony of Kidman’s story is that the career she once feared sacrificing ultimately became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated.
Following her divorce from Cruise, Kidman took on increasingly prominent roles, including Moulin Rouge!, The Others, Cold Mountain and The Hours.
Her performance in The Hours earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003.
Kidman has also previously spoken about throwing herself into work after the divorce, describing acting as a way to temporarily escape the reality of what was happening in her personal life.
In other words, while she was once willing to give up her career for love, her career ultimately became an important part of rebuilding her life.
Why Nicole Kidman’s Comments Matter Now
Kidman’s comments are particularly striking because they come more than 25 years after her divorce from Cruise.
They also arrive during another major transition in her personal life.
Kidman and country singer Keith Urban separated in 2025 after nearly 20 years of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in January 2026. The couple share two daughters.
Speaking with British Vogue, Kidman acknowledged that navigating another divorce has been difficult and that the future is not what she once imagined.
But she said she is choosing to move forward rather than retreat.
That perspective makes her comments about Cruise particularly interesting. At 23, she was willing to risk her professional identity because she believed she had found the person she wanted to spend her life with.
Decades later, she’s looking back with a very different understanding of how quickly life can change.
The Bigger Hollywood Story
Kidman’s story also highlights something that was particularly common for women in Hollywood: being identified through the more famous man they married.
She had her own acting career, but marrying Cruise—one of the world’s most recognizable movie stars—inevitably changed how the public viewed her.
Kidman now has a career that stands firmly on its own.
And perhaps that’s the biggest twist in the story.
She once told people she didn’t care if marriage meant sacrificing her career.
She didn’t end up having to.
Instead, Kidman built one of Hollywood’s most enduring acting careers—and more than three decades after marrying Cruise, she’s still one of the industry’s most recognizable stars.
Her comments don’t mean Tom Cruise literally “ruined” her career. They reveal something more personal: Kidman knew the marriage could change the trajectory of her career, but when she was young and in love, she was willing to accept the consequences.
And that may be the most revealing part of her story.
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise: Quick Facts
- Met: While filming Days of Thunder
- Married: December 24, 1990
- Kidman’s age when they married: 23
- Divorced: 2001
- Children together: Isabella and Connor, whom they adopted
- Films together: Days of Thunder, Far and Away and Eyes Wide Shut
- Kidman’s Oscar: Best Actress for The Hours in 2003
- Current age: 59
Sources:
British Vogue interview coverage via Variety
People — Nicole Kidman reflects on Tom Cruise marriage
The Guardian — Nicole Kidman discusses Tom Cruise and Keith Urban divorces
Vanity Fair — 25 years since Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s divorce
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Apple MacBook Neo
Price: $589.99
The MacBook Neo offers an affordable entry into Apple’s ecosystem with a lightweight design, long battery life, and enough performance for note-taking, web browsing, streaming classes, writing papers, and everyday productivity. It’s an excellent choice for students looking for a budget-friendly Mac laptop.
Check Price on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate, My Unbounded Life may earn from qualifying purchases.
.jpg){kind=link}