Throughout their relationship, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman appeared collectively in three movies: Days of Thunder, which marked the start of their romantic involvement, Far and Away, and Stanley Kubrick‘s closing movie, Eyes Huge Shut. Even after greater than twenty years, Eyes Huge Shut‘s intriguing and provocative nature continues to gasoline frequent discussions, primarily resulting from its distinctive and charming storytelling and its daring portrayal of sexual content material. Now Frederic Raphael, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of the 1999 erotic drama, has taken purpose on the pair of Hollywood icons in his newest ebook Final Publish, unleashing a scathing assault on the actors.
Now 91, Raphael’s ebook revisits his tumultuous expertise working with the late Shining director on the enigmatic movie, which starred Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman in one in every of her finest performances. In his ebook which is structured like imaginary letters to individuals who impacted his profession, the screenwriter writes to Kubrick, accusing the High Gun: Maverick actor (together with the late director’s spouse Christiane Harlan and her brother Jan Harlan) of making an attempt to erase his contributions to the film’s closing model and even tampering along with his Wikipedia web page. Within the ebook, by way of the Every day Mail, he alleges:
I’ve by no means been referred to as a liar by anybody as I’ve been by the Harlan clan and by Tom Cruise, selfish management freak to whom I’ve by no means spoken.
After filming wrapped, the screenwriter accuses the actor of making an attempt to control him with a job supply. He additionally took a dig on the Mission: Inconceivable star’s affiliation with Scientology, suggesting that the actor’s want for management prolonged past the movie set. With no hesitation, Raphael alleges:
He [Cruise] did supply me a job although, quickly after you completed taking pictures; the higher to have me on a leash, little question. In his flip, he too appears to wish the management he finds in Scientology.
Raphael questions Kubrick’s intention of capitalizing on the real-life ardour and authenticity between the Hollywood energy couple, implying that their real-life marriage may not have translated as convincingly as anticipated on-screen. He continues:
Was there one thing only a contact naïve in your concept that casting a married couple as a married couple would allow you to place ‘the reality’ on the display? One factor you will be fairly positive of: no matter any conjugal duo could disclose in public about their relationship, they not often let any essential cat out of the bag. Did you actually suppose Cruise and Kidman have been certain in real ardour, relatively than embraced in a careerist merger?
Following the movie’s 1999 launch, Kidman and Cruise’s marriage ended, and some years later, the Australian actress tied the knot with Keith City in 2006.
Whereas a lot of Frederic Raphael’s criticism was directed in direction of Kubrick and Cruise, he additionally aimed a pointy comment on the Chilly Mountain actress, questioning her star energy and lack of profitable movies as much as that time. He imagines writing to Kubrick:
Kidman has been a star for a few years for many individuals: are you able to consider a single film of hers you needed to see once more?
Coincidentally, Kidman’s on-screen success soared within the years following Eyes Huge Shut, culminating in an Academy Award win for her outstanding portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours. Moreover, she graced the silver display in blockbuster hits like Moulin Rouge! And one in every of the best one-off horror motion pictures of all time, The Others, solidifying her standing as a serious Hollywood star.
Regardless of the accusations and animosity between Frederic and the 2 Hollywood A-listers, each Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman have remained busy of their careers. Cruise is presently celebrating the success of one more field workplace hit, Mission: Inconceivable Useless Reckoning Half I, which had a strong opening week. In the meantime, Nicole Kidman will be seen starring alongside Zoe Saldana in Taylor Sheridan’s newest collection, Particular Ops: Lioness, a present accessible for viewing with a Paramount+ subscription.
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