Sophia Michaels
When Tom Cruise saw Nicole Kidman in the 1989 Australian film “Dead Calm,” he wanted to meet her. Shortly thereafter, they co-starred in 1990’s “Days of Thunder,” and one of the biggest celebrity relationships of that decade was off to a racing start. Cruise and Kidman reportedly hooked up while filming the movie, and after his divorce from Mimi Rogers was finalized, they tied the knot on Christmas Eve 1990. Dubbed “Hollywood’s Most Romantic Couple” by People, Cruise shared with Vanity Fair that Kidman was his soul mate, and she told the publication, “He’s amazingly romantic. He puts so much work into us.” In 1992, they adopted their daughter, Isabella, and would welcome son Connor via adoption three years later.
In true power couple fashion, Cruise and Kidman continued to work together throughout their relationship. In addition to “Days of Thunder,” they co-starred in the films “Far and Away” and “Eyes Wide Shut,” the latter of which was an intense 15-month movie shoot that Cruise credited with making their marriage stronger. But a year after “Eyes Wide Shut” dropped, their marriage was over. Cruise filed for divorce in December 2000, citing “irreconcilable differences,” per Entertainment Weekly. At the time, their rep denied Scientology was a reason for their split, but subsequent reports have alleged otherwise.
When asked why they divorced by Vanity Fair in 2002, Cruise only said, “She knows why, and I know why. She’s the mother of my children, and I wish her well.”
