Nicole Kidman Took Scientology Classes When She Was Married to Tom Cruise

Nicole Kidman is one of the most iconic stars in Hollywood, ever since rising to fame in the early ’90s. During her early years, her star power was enhanced by movies like Dead Calm and Far and Away. But her relationship with fellow actor Tom Cruise earned her a lot of press as well. Cruise, who is known for his dedication to Scientology, encouraged Kidman to get involved with the church. And according to some sources, Kidman totally immersed herself in Scientology for several years. She even took special courses so that she could understand the religion better.
When did Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise get married?
(L-R): Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Los Angeles 1992 | Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
The romance between Cruise and Kidman started in 1989, when the two starred together in the movie Days of Thunder. Cruise was already becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities. And Kidman, who had recently moved to the United States from Australia, was on her way to stardom. According to The List, Kidman and Cruise were married in 1990, just months after starting their relationship.
They became one of the most high-profile pairs in the entertainment industry. Amid headlines, the pair even appeared together in several more films, including the controversial film Eyes Wide Shut. While Cruise had been married once before, it was Kidman’s first marriage. And they made moves to build a family, eventually adopting two children.
Nicole Kidman immersed herself in Scientology during her marriage to Tom Cruise
Kidman, a Catholic prior to marrying Cruise, worked hard to make the marriage work. To that end, she opted to study Scientology, the religion Cruise has publicly espoused for decades. As journalist Tony Ortega told The Daily Beast, Kidman worked her way up the Scientology ladder during the early years of their marriage. The actor reached a relatively high level within the church’s ranks.
“She did Scientology courses. She was really dedicated,” Ortega said. “I talked to her auditor, Bruce Hines, and she got all the way up to OT (Operating Thetan) II in two years. That means she was doing Scientology pretty much full-time for two straight years.”
Mike Rinder, a former Scientology officer who left the church to become a whistleblower, told The Daily Beast that although Kidman studied hard, she was never enamored with the religion during her marriage to Cruise. “I chatted with her, and became fairly friendly with Nicole just because I was Australian, and she was never gushingly enthusiastic about Scientology,” Rinder said.
Has Nicole Kidman said anything about Scientology since divorcing Tom Cruise?
After Kidman and Cruise announced their divorce in 2001, there were a lot of theories about what went wrong in the marriage. Many have speculated that Scientology played a role in the couple’s split and that certain Scientology officers encouraged Cruise to divorce his wife, even as Kidman sought to distance herself from the controversial religion.
Over the years, neither Cruise nor Kidman has bashed each other publicly. In fact, Kidman has consistently refused to comment on her marriage to Cruise, except to note that she values the time that they spent together and has nothing but love for their two children.
She has never publicly commented on her relationship with Scientology. While she hasn’t expressed any adherence to any particular religion, she revealed in 2018 that she considers herself to be a “spiritual” person who maintains a belief in God, as reported by Fox News. Safe to say that Kidman won’t be re-dedicating herself to the study of Scientology anytime soon.