Movies - TV
Stanley Kubrick Had Tom Cruise Flying Blind While Filming Eyes Wide Shut
By REBECCA POTTERS
Tom Cruise holds the most screen time in “Eyes Wide Shut,” Stanley Kubrick’s erotic thriller that provocatively explores how temptation can test the strength of a marriage. Cruise was actually barred from seeing any of his performance as the movie was being shot, which forced him to act without using his typical methodology.
Cruise discussed his acting process with Vanity Fair, sharing, “Making a movie is like stabbing in the dark. If I get a sense of the overall picture, then I'm better for the film.” However, Kubrick denied the actor an overall picture while shooting “Eyes Wide Shut,” so Cruise couldn't adjust his performance and maintain control of his character — he had to be himself.
By abandoning his acting approach, Cruise leaned into the personal spontaneity of portraying his real-life marital troubles, doubts, and fears on camera. Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman, who co-stars as Cruise’s spouse in “Eyes Wide Shut,” divorced shortly after the film premiered. Interestingly, Cruise still advocates for Kubrick's tactics over 23 years later.