Nicole Kidman says marriage to Tom Cruise offered 'protection' against sexual harassment

Nicole Kidman says marriage to Tom Cruise offered 'protection' against sexual harassment

Nicole Kidman will have a busy year-end as she stars in two award-hopefuls 'Boy Erased' and 'Destroyer.' Talking about her own power in Hollywood Kidman joined New York Magazine’s The Cut to share an essay where she says her marriage to Tom Cruise shielded her from the rampant sexual harassment that plagued Hollywood, due to his star-power. 

"I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me – it was protection," Kidman writes in the New York Magazine's latest issue on women and power. 

AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS NICOLE KIDMAN AND ACTOR HUSBAND TOM CRUISE OUT IN SYDNEY.
AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS NICOLE KIDMAN AND ACTOR HUSBAND TOM CRUISE OUT IN SYDNEY.

"I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned," 51-year-old Kidman continues. Kidman and Cruise began a whirlwind romance after meeting on the set of 1990's 'Days of Thunder.' The co-stars said "I do" that year and went on to adopt two children together. 

Their marriage came to an end more than a decade later in 2001.  "Being married to Tom Cruise at 22 is something I’m always reluctant to talk about, because I’m married now to the man who is my great love (Keith Urban), and it almost feels disrespectful," she writes.

Actor Nicole Kidman (L) and musician Keith Urban attend the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
Actor Nicole Kidman (L) and musician Keith Urban attend the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Kidman married the country singer in 2006 and they have two daughters together. But, the “'Big Little Lies' star says she was forced to "grow up" after splitting with Cruise during her early 30s.  

"Of course I’ve had #MeToo moments," she reveals. "Do I want to expose them in an article? No. Do they come out in my work? Absolutely."

In this handout photo provided by NBCUniversal, Nicole Kidman accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for 'Big Little Lies' speaks onstage during the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
In this handout photo provided by NBCUniversal, Nicole Kidman accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for 'Big Little Lies' speaks onstage during the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

"I’m open and raw. I want to have my well of experience and emotion tapped into, used – and I’m not just talking about sexual harassment. I’m talking about loss, death, the full array of life. But it has to be by the right people so it’s not abused again," Kidman continues further.

"Winning an Oscar for The Hours, in 2003, I didn’t even notice the power then. I don’t know if it’s my self-esteem, but I still struggle to stand in that place and say, I’ve earned this. That’s probably good, because it keeps me in a state of wonder and humility and going, Wow! You want me?" she concludes.

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 Nicole Kidman says marriage to Tom Cruise offered 'protection' against sexual harassment