Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise refused to attend the Oscars ‘to avoid awkward run-in with ex-wife Nicole Kidman’ – despite the smash-hit movie ‘that saved Hollywood’ being nominated for Best Picture
- Tom, 60, attended the Oscars’ luncheon in February, where he was told my Steven Spielberg that he ‘saved Hollywood’s a**’
- The action star was a no-show at Sunday’s Oscars, despite his recent film Top Gun: Maverick being nominated for six awards, including best picture
- Nicole did not attend last month’s luncheon that Cruise was at, but looked stunning alongside hubby Keith Urban yesterday
Tom Cruise skipped the Oscars on Sunday to ‘avoid an awkward run-in’ with Nicole Kidman, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned.
Insiders said the Top Gun: Maverick star was not at the ceremony due to his ex-wife being there – following their bitter divorce over 20 years ago.
Cruise and Kidman split in 2001, reportedly due to her refusal to join him in the Church of Scientology.
Cruise’s movie was nominated for six awards, including the coveted Best Picture Award.
A source told DailyMail.com: ‘Tom was not there because she was there, and he did not want a run-in.’
Cruise and Spielberg gave each other a warm embrace at the 2023 Oscars’ luncheon, where the legendary producer was overheard stating that Cruise ‘saved Hollywood’s a**.’
Picture perfect: Kidman and Urban couldn’t keep their hands off each other at the Oscars, which were not attended by her estranged Scientologist ex.
However, sources close to Cruise claimed his absence was ‘not personal’ and was nothing more than scheduling difficulties.
Cruise, 60, and his ex-wife have not been present at the same Oscars events this year.
Cruise attended the February 13 Oscars luncheon, where Steven Spielberg was heard on video telling the action star that Maverick had ‘saved Hollywood’s a***’ by bringing audiences back to theaters to watch movies.
His ex-wife, with whom he shares two children – Connor, 28, and Isabella, 30 – was notably absent from that event.
It is no coincidence, however, that Kidman, 55 – who walked Oscars red carpet with her country singer husband Keith Urban, 55, before packing on serious PDA during the show – did not attend the luncheon that was attended by her Scientologist ex.
A source close to Cruise said he attended the luncheon because ‘his schedule allowed it at the time’. They added that he skipped the Oscars because he is in the UK filming Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 2 but he tuned in to watch the ceremony.
They said the star is ‘very pleased Maverick got such recognition and he is very proud of the film’; adding he ‘did not skip the show because he was not nominated’.
‘Tom worked very hard on the film and has supported in every way that he can, work permitting.’
In fact, Kidman has also not spoken to the two children that she adopted with Cruise – Isabella, 30, and Connor, 28 – in years.
Isabella and Connor are both devoted members of The Church of Scientology like their father.
Kidman was shunned by the church and labelled an SP, which stand for Suppressive Person. As a result, she was cut off from her family.
Kidman met Cruise in 1990 when the two were cast together in Days of Thunder, a film about motor-racing.
She was 23 at the time and, coming from Australia, was unknown in Hollywood. That all changed when the stars sparked a real-life romance during the filming.
After 12 years of marriage, Cruise walked out on his wife in 2001, leaving her in a state of ‘utter shock.’ He filed for divorce that same year, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
According to countless reports, the real reason for him abandoning her was due to her refusal to join the Church of Scientology.
In 2012, Kidman opened up about her painful split from Cruise in an interview with DuJour Magazine.
‘I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system,’ she said.
‘We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on one another. I was reeling with Tom,’ she told the outlet. ‘I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him…. I was totally smitten – I fell madly, passionately in love.’
Epic ending: This 2001 photo of Nicole showing her excitement while leaving her attorney’s office when her divorce from Tom was finalized is iconic
The former couple co-starred in three films together between 1990 and 1999 – Days of Thunder (pictured), Far and Away and Eyes Wide Shut.
Critic’s favourite: Their film Eyes Wide Shut did not get the recognition they were hoping for, despite it’s steamy love scenes.
Collaboration: Kidman and Cruise also co-starred in the period romance Far and Away in 1992
Happier times: Cruise and Kidman (pictured in 1992) divorced in 2001 after 12 years of marriage amid rumours his commitment his Scientology drove a wedge between them
Looking back, she told the outlet that she was ‘naïve’ to think that Cruise was her happily ever after. She also said that she was ‘happier’ that she’s ‘ever been.’
‘I’m living in a friend’s house in Nice. My two daughters are with me, Sunday Rose, who’s four, and Faith Margaret, who’s two,’ Kidman gushed.
Kidman and Cruise have not had any interaction in over a decade.
In a 2015 interview with Australia’s Who magazine, Kidman broke her silence about her relationship with both kids.
‘They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions,’ Kidman said, adding ‘They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them.’
That same year, Kidman also spoke out about her divorce from Cruise during a speech at the Women World Summit in NYC.
‘I was running from my life at that time. I wasn’t able to handle the reality of my life,’ she told the audience.
At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, Cruise was celebrated with a 10-minute montage that included highlights from his entire career, which spanned four decades.
The montage left out Kidman, who made three films with her ex-husband during their marriage.
She took the high road and said nothing about being snubbed from Cruise’s highlight reel.
Top Gun: Maverick centered around Capt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell thirty years after the original film. In the flick, he was forced to deal with ghosts from his past. ‘s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly
Cruise missed the 2023 Oscars on Sunday – with his film Top Gun: Maverick taking home the award for Best Sound
Incredible: Everything Everywhere All At Once nearly won everything and it earned top honor Best Picture with individual recognitions for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis
In 2006, Cruise married actress Katie Holmes. The two had a daughter together, Suri, who is now 16 years old and lives with her mom in NYC.
They divorced in 2012 and it is alleged that his ties to Scientology caused the breakdown of their marriage.
Suri does not have a relationship with her father and neither does Holmes, 44, who was awarded full custody in their divorce.
Per their agreement, Cruise reportedly had to pay Holmes $400,000 n alimony and $33,000 a month in child support until Suri turns 18.
Although Cruise was not in attendance at the 2023 Oscars, producer Jerry Bruckheimer was set to accept the award if Maverick won the award for Best Picture.
The movie starring Cruise was nominated for Best Picture along with Elvis, Avatar: The Way of Water, All Quiet on The Western Front and The Fabelmans. Everything, Everywhere All at Once won in the category.
Cruise was not nominated for his performance in the film. Austin Butler was nominated for his role in Elvis, as well as Bill Nighy for Living. Brendan Fraser won for his incredible performance in the film Whale.
Maverick was also nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects and Music (Original Song). The only award that the film garnered was for Sound.
Kidman was nominated for five Academy Awards in the Best Actress category and, in 2002, seized the coveted golden trophy for her amazing portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.
Oscar winners 2023: AT A GLANCE
Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Actor: Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Sarah Polley – Women Talking
Best Animated Feature Film: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Best International Feature Film: All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Documentary Feature: Navalny
Best Film Editing: Paul Rogers – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Music (Original Song): “Naatu Naatu” from RRR
Best Sound: Top Gun: Maverick
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: The Way of Water
Source: Read Full Article
