In a rare statement, Tom Cruise praises Nicole Kidman, Jack Nicholson, and Marlon Brando.

 

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman

In a rare statement, Tom Cruise praises Nicole Kidman, Jack Nicholson, and Marlon Brando.

Tom Cruise has spoken for the first time about his role as Nicole Kidman in the 1990 film Eyes Wide Shut, in which he played his then-wife, saying, "She's without a doubt a fantastic actress."

According to a report published by Deadline, which quoted Cruise's comments and praise for cinema greats like Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando, the actor made a rare public acknowledgment of Kidman's acting abilities in the May issue of Sight & Sound, a film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI), which will honor his upcoming film on Monday with a prestigious BFI Fellowship.

He joins the ranks of BFI Fellows, which include giants such as David Lean, Bette Davis, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Thelma Schoonmaker, Derek Jarman, Martin Scorsese, Satyajit Ray, Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, Spike Lee, and Christopher Nolan. The actor will also discuss his career in a special talk at the British Film Institute Cinema complex on London's South Bank. Cruise traffic is already busy ahead of the world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 14, of "Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning," likely the final installment in Paramount's "Mission: Impossible" franchise, which began three decades ago with Brian De Palma's 1996 film.

"It was a great experience," Cruise said. "I was really excited to do it. I knew Stanley's films well, and I met him through Sydney Pollack. Stanley called Sydney because he wanted me to make a film. He sent me a fax, and I flew to his house and 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, and I'd spoken with Scorsese about him and Sydney Pollack, so I knew what he did and how he worked. Then we started getting to know each other, and while we were doing that, I suggested to Nicole that she play the role."The role of Alice, because she's an amazing actress, no doubt."

Cruz continues: "I knew it was going to be a long shoot. He said, 'No, no, no, we'll finish in three or four months.' I said, 'Stanley, listen, I'm here for you, and whatever it takes, we'll do this.' I found the film very engaging, and I wanted to have that experience. When I start making a film, I do a thorough investigation and spend a lot of time with the cast before committing, to understand their needs and desires and to help them understand how we can work together to create something truly special." Cruz adds, "It was a unique experience. The cast wasn't large. We arrived in the summer and just started testing the script. The script was just an idea. We were constantly rewriting and reshooting scenes to determine the tone of the film."