It’s been over two decades since Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise’s divorce, and his silence since has raised speculation that all is not well between the exes.
Amidst rumours that Tom’s Church of Scientology tapped into Nicole’s phone to monitor her influence on one of its most faithful and famous members – which the Church denied - the pair appear to have led very separate lives since their 2001 split.
But last week, the Mission Impossible star shocked fans when he appeared to reach out an olive branch to his ex-wife during an interview.
Speaking to Sight and Sound magazine about his 1999 movie, Eyes Wide Shut, which he starred in with Nicole as his love interest, Tom, 62, recalled how he had convinced director Stanley Kubrick to cast her because, ‘she’s a great actress’.
Now a source tells us that his comment is just the start of a dramatic U-turn for Tom, who is now planning on reaching out to Nicole, 57, for a reunion with their children – Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30.
The insider says, ‘Tom has always had such a huge chip on his shoulder towards Nicole, she tried many times over the years to break through so that they could have a better co-parenting relationship, but he was always totally closed off.
‘But he’s started to soften and he’s so much more mellow these days. He’s shocked everyone in his world by saying he wants to get together with Nicole, most likely in London.
‘Of course he wants Connor and Bella to be there with him, they’ve wanted peace between their parents for a long time so this is music to their ears.’
The four-time Oscar nominee’s bombshell bid to meet with Nicole, who married country singer Keith Urban in 2006, comes just weeks after he appeared to confirm his new romance with actress Ana De Armas.
While those close to Tom initially insisted his relationship with Ana, 37, was ‘work focused’ after they were first spotted enjoying dinner in London together on Valentine’s Day, we reported at the time how Isabella and Connor had already met and ‘approved’ of their dad’s new girlfriend.
And earlier this month, after jetting Ana into London from Madrid on his private jet before taking her to a Michelin-starred restaurant with a lavish private dining area for her birthday, the couple inadvertently went public when they were spotted leaving Tom’s close pal David Beckham’s 50thbirthday party together.
Now our source says that ‘smitten’ Tom’s new romance has prompted him to put the past behind him and try to build a new friendship with Nicole.
‘Tom insists that time has been a great healer but a lot of people are convinced this is more motivated by his new romance with Ana,’ the insider says.
‘Whatever the reason, Tom is very gung-ho about this and plans on reaching out to Nicole very soon to get the ball rolling. Odds are she will be all for it, though no doubt it will be emotional to come face to face with him after all these years.’
Historically, Tom and Nicole, who met on set of the 1990 film Days of Thunder and fast-became Hollywood’s ultimate golden couple, appear to have done everything in their power to avoid each other since their split.
When their daughter Isabella married in 2015, neither Tom nor Nicole were present, with Nicole – who shares daughters Sunday,16, and Faith, 14, with Keith - not having been photographed with her children since 2007.
In 2023, Tom is also said to have ditched the Oscars to avoid an ‘awkward run-in’ with Nicole.
In a series of heart-breaking admissions, Nicole has admitted that she is mostly estranged from her children after they chose to live with Tom and be raised within the Church of Scientology.
‘They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it’s my job to love them,’ she said in 2018.
Former scientologist Leah Remini also claimed that following Tom’s wedding to his second wife, Katie Holmes, in 2006, Isabella remarked, ‘Our mom is a fucking SP (a Suppressive Person who is against Scientology).’
But the source says that Nicole still has huge respect for Tom as a father.
They tell us, ‘They respect each other as parents. The situation with Suri [Tom’s daughter with Katie Holmes, who he is rumoured to be completely estranged from] is obviously unfortunate but Nicole doesn’t pry or pass comment on that, it’s something she totally stays out of.
‘What she is impressed by is how devoted Tom is to their adopted kids, he’s been a model dad to them both and they absolutely adore him.’
On Nicole’s estrangement from her children, they add, ‘A lot was made of the fact that they kept a distance in the early years [after the divorce] due to the fact that Nicole is, or was, considered a Suppressive Person in Scientology terms [aka an enemy of the church].
‘It’s unfortunate they haven’t seen as much of their mother in recent years – certainly not as often as all parties would have liked, but that’s mainly been down to circumstance.’
Nicole has always spoken positively about Tom – who reportedly hasn’t stopped the children from seeing their mother - revealing how they had been ‘happily married’ and recalling how her jaw had ‘dropped’ upon their first meeting.
But in November, sources close to the Top Gun actor reported that he felt ‘irritated’ by her mentions of their marriage, adding, ‘He's said goodbye to that chapter of his life so long ago and doesn't understand why she can't do the same.’
Meanwhile, the source says Nicole always hoped that, after sharing over a decade of their lives together, she and Tom would one day make peace.
‘She never lost faith that they’d find a way back into each other’s lives eventually,’ the insider says.
‘She was very touched by Tom’s comments, it was a very nice olive branch he threw out, so it’s a logical next step for them to get on the phone and figure out a time to sit down in the same room.
‘Nicole is a big believer in closure and this will be a good thing for her as well as the kids, even if it will be pretty surreal.'