'I'm not sure anyone would say that to a man': Nicole Kidman slams 'sexist' reporter for asking if she was still in love with ex-husband Tom Cruise

2023-05-17 12:56

A journalist asked Nicole Kidman, 55, a possibly sexist question during a promotional event for 'Being the Ricardos', alleging that Kidman was still in love with Cruise

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who once described her brief marriage to Tom Cruise as a protective measure, has come under fire over her relationship with the 'Mission Impossible' actor. Kidman and Cruise's ten-year union was one of the most widely recognized marriages of the 1990s.

During a promotion for Kidman's 2021 film 'Being The Ricardos', a sexist narrative about her dissolved marriage to Cruise was included in an interview. Kidman made it clear from the start that she wasn't comparing playing Lucille Ball in 'Being the Ricardos' with her own marriage to ex-husband Cruise, as per Guardian.

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Nicole Kidman refuses to be 'pigeonholed'

A British tabloid asked Kidman, 55, a possibly sexist question during a promotional event for 'Being the Ricardos', alleging that Kidman was still in love with Cruise. The actress was describing how Lucy Ball and Desi Arnaz's relationship played out in the film. Kidman said, "This film says you can make an extraordinary relationship thrive and leave remnants of it that exist forever. You can't make people behave how you want them to, and sometimes you're going to fall in love with someone who isn't going to be the person you spend the rest of your life with."

The interviewer immediately brought up Cruise and inquired whether she was discussing her marriage to her ex-husband. The "sexist question" enraged the 'Big Little Lies' actor, who replied, "Oh, my God, no, no. Absolutely not. No. I mean, that’s, honestly, so long ago that it isn’t in this equation. So, no." Kidman continued, "I would ask not to be pigeonholed that way, either. It feels to me almost sexist because I’m not sure anyone would say that to a man. And at some point, you go, ‘Give me my life. In its own right."

Directed by Aaron Sorkin, 'Being the Ricardos' was based on the marriage of 'I Love Lucy' actors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The movie explores Ball and Arnaz's personal and professional lives as they deal with fame and external pressures while filming 'I Love Lucy'. After 20 years of marriage, the couple separated in 1960, as per People.

'I think I offered it up?'

Kidman, who is currently married to Keith Urban, hasn't talked much lately about her marriage with Cruise, 60. In an earlier interview with Harper's Bazaar, Kidman talked about her involvement in her first marriage and wondered whether or not she had been too open about her love life in the past.

When questioned about the criticism she and Cruise received, she responded, "I was young. I think I offered it up?" Kidman added, "Maybe I've gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I'm always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way." She admitted that she married Cruise at the age of 22 in 1990 out of a desperate need to be safeguarded from the predators in the industry.

Kidman, now happily married to New Zealand-born Australian-American singer Keith Urban, recently attended Taylor Swift's Philadelphia Eras Tour. On Sunday night, May 14, the power couple was spotted at the concert. Based on TikTok footage, Urban and Kidman appeared to be singing and dancing along to every song throughout the performance, as reported by ABC News.

"We had the BEST night!!!" Urban captioned the TikTok video, which included images of him and his wife singing along to Swift's 1989 single 'Style'. Urban and Kidman were not only able to attend the Eras Tour stop, but they also left with some unique mementos -- friendship bracelets made by the other Swifties in attendance.