Nicole Kidman: Marriage To Cruise Protected Me From Harassment

Actor Nicole Kidman, in an interview, revealed that her marriage to Tom Cruise protected her from being sexually harassed in the industry.

"I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me—it was protection"

In an interview with a New York magazine for its Women and Power series, Kidman shared details about how her marriage to Cruise shielded her from abuse in Hollywood.

The 51-year-old star said: "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. So when I came out of it at 32, 33, it’s almost like I had to grow up."

Kidman, who has rarely spoken anything about her relationship with Cruise, in a short op-ed for The Cut, opened up about her marriage at the age of 22. She, however, shared that although her marriage status did shield her from sexual harassment at the time, she did experience predatory behaviour at other points in her life.

"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."

"Of course I’ve had #MeToo moments—since I was little! But do I want to expose them in an article? No. Do they come out in my work? Absolutely. I’m open and raw," she said.

Kidman and Cruise met on the sets of Days of Thunder in 1989. They tied the knot on December 24 in 1990 and were married for over 10 years. Together, they've adopted two children. The two filed for divorce in 2001.

Also Read: What We All Need To Learn From The #MeToo Movement