Nicole Kidman Tom Cruise divorce meme: Actress debunks rumour behind viral photos of her taken in 2000s
Australian actress Nicole Kidman has debunked the widely held theory that one of her most famous memes features the moment she finalised her divorce from Tom Cruise.
The revelation came during an interview with British GQ magazine published Monday, in which the Hollywood star was asked if she could remember the image of her standing in the sun in a pink top, with her eyes closed and arms out, wearing an expression of celebration and relief.
Watch the video above.
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“Yes,” she told the publication. “That was not me; that was from a film, that wasn’t real life. I know that image.”
British GQ then puts the theory to Kidman that she had just come out of her lawyer’s office after finalizing her divorce from Cruise. The pair married in 1990 and divorced 11 years later.
“That’s not true,” she said, reportedly laughing, before going on to reveal the story behind another famous meme of her.
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“I’ve also seen the one where I’m clapping like that,” she said, clapping using only her palms with her fingers stretching backwards.
“‘Cause I had a massive heavy borrowed ring on and it was really painful, and I was scared of wrecking the jewellery.
“Ha! There’s always something behind the actual images that go out there, right?” she added.
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Kidman also spoke at length about upcoming film Babygirl, as well as how experiences such as losing her father in 2014 have made her feel life more intensely.
“Mortality. Connection. Life coming and hitting you. And loss of parents and raising children and marriage and all of the things that go into making you a fully sentient human,” she said.
“I’m in all of those places. So life is, whew. It’s definitely a journey.”
Kidman also lost her mother Janelle Ann Kidman recently. Janelle died in September 2024. She was 84.
When asked why she continues to push herself at the age of 57, given her considerable success in the industry, Kidman responded: “Wanting to be a part of the world”.
“Examining this life and why we’re all here and what it’s all about,” she continued.
“I get to work with the most extraordinary people in the world, and share ideas and philosophies and be changed. God, why wouldn’t you wanna do it if you can?”
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