Tom Cruise recently remarked on his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman's acting skills for the first time in over 20 years.

According to Deadline, the Top Gun: Maverick actor made a one-off comment about his former spouse during an interview with Sight and Sound for the film magazine's May issue. He told the outlet that he suggested to director Stanley Kubrick that Kidman star alongside him in 1999's Eyes Wide Shut.

"I suggested Nicole play the role. Because obviously she’s a great actress."

The last time Cruise spoke publicly about the Practical Magic star was during a chat with Vanity Fair in 2002, when asked the reason they called off their marriage in 2001 after 11 years together.

"She knows why, and I know why. She’s the mother of my children, and I wish her well. And I think that you just move on. And I don’t say that lightly. I don’t say that with anything. Things happen in life, and you do everything you can, and in every possible way, and there’s a point at which you just sometimes have to face the brutal reality."

In July 2024, Kidman, who shares children Isabella, 31, and Connor, 29, with the American Made standout, opened up about what it was like to work with Kubrick and her then-husband on the turn-of-the-century thriller.

"We loved working with him. We shot that for two years. We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes. We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives, and enjoying our lives on set. We were happily married through that. We would go go-kart racing after those scenes. We'd rent out a place and go racing at 3 in the morning. I don't know what else to say. Maybe I don't have the ability to look back and dissect it. Or I'm not willing to."

Cruise is rumored to be dating actor Ana De Armas, and Kidman has been married to country music star Keith Urban for 18 years.

For more, read Nicole Kidman Opens Up About Past With Ex Tom Cruise In 'Rare' Interview.

Michelle Fay