Tom Cruise Just Paid Nicole Kidman A Rare Compliment In His First Public Comments About Her In Over 20 Years

We would all be lucky to have amicable relationships with our exes, and it seems that after twenty years apart, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are on to something.

The power duo married in 1990 and separated in 2001, but not before starring in Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, based on the 1926 novella Dream Story.

The film was released in 1999, and while relationship rumors about the couple had already been circulating for years, starring together in a film that addressed infidelity, sexuality, and commitment only added fuel to the fire.

Since the couple broke up, they've been cagey about what led to their divorce. In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2002, Cruise said:

"She knows why, and I know why. She's the mother of my children, and I wish her well."

"I don't care if it piques people's interest. Honestly, people should mind their own d**n business and get a life of their own. My personal life isn't here to sell newspapers."

Fans had to settle for knowing what was public, including films the actors had starred in, when they divorced, and the fact that they had two children, Connor and Isabella Cruise.

In the twenty-plus years since their divorce, both Kidman and Cruise have moved on, remarried, and had children with new partners. Nicole Kidman has mentioned her ex-husband in passing in a few interviews, but she didn't say anything of note.

Tom Cruise, in the meantime, did not speak of his relationship with Nicole Kidman, or of her life.

That is, until his interview this week with the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine where they discussed his experiences filming Eyes Wide Shut.

“I flew out to his house and I landed in his backyard. I read the script the day before, and we spent the day talking about it. I knew all of his films. I spoke to [Martin] Scorsese about him and Sydney Pollack… so I knew what he did and how he worked."

"It was basically he and I getting to know each other. And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role [of Alice]. Because obviously she’s a great actress.”

The compliment was brief enough that if you were to blink, you might miss it, but fans were still impressed.

While this might not seem huge, it's important to acknowledge what we found attractive about someone in the first place, even if the relationship eventually ended.

Good for Cruise and Kidman, keeping it professional and civil all these years.