Nicole Kidman is one of the most famous and acclaimed actresses of her generation. She has starred in dozens of major motion pictures and won an Academy Award, five Golden Globes, and two Emmys. Kidman got her start in acting in Australia as a teenager before moving to Hollywood in the late 1980s. She first gained widespread fame for her performance in the 1990 film Days of Thunder opposite Tom Cruise, to whom she was married from 1990 to 2001.
Kidman has balanced major commercial successes like Moulin Rouge! and The Others with art house films like To Die For and Birth. She is known for her willingness to take on challenging and complex roles. Outside of acting, Kidman is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador focused on women’s rights. She balances her career with raising her two daughters. While one of the most famous actresses in the world, Kidman has also experienced scrutiny about her personal life and her religious beliefs have shifted over the years.
Kidman’s Catholic Upbringing
Nicole Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1967, but grew up in Australia in a devout Roman Catholic family. Her father, Antony Kidman, was a biochemist and clinical psychologist, and her mother, Janelle Ann, was a nursing instructor. Kidman’s parents were committed to raising their children with a strong Catholic faith. As a child, Kidman attended mass and received her sacraments regularly at St. Anthony’s Parish in Wahroonga, a suburb of Sydney.
Kidman has said that the nuns at her Catholic school were very strict, but that her faith provided an important foundation in her early life. “I’m spiritual in my own way,” Kidman told InStyle magazine. “I was raised Catholic so those are my roots, but I’ve studied different religions, and the common thread is often the same.” Her Catholic upbringing instilled in her a sense of morality and spirituality that she continues to carry as an adult.
Marrying Tom Cruise and Scientology
Nicole Kidman was introduced to Scientology when she married Tom Cruise in 1990. Cruise, a devout Scientologist, encouraged Kidman to learn about the religion and get involved with the Church. Though she never officially joined, Kidman did study Scientology and participate in some church activities during her marriage. According to former Scientology members, Kidman’s lack of commitment to the religion created tensions in her relationship with Cruise, who wanted his wife fully devoted to Scientology.
While Kidman respected Cruise’s beliefs, she maintained her Catholic upbringing. Ultimately, Scientology played a key role in the couple’s divorce in 2001, as the church intentionally created distance between them. Though she tried to embrace Cruise’s faith, Kidman never fully committed to Scientology.
Kidman’s Time as a Scientologist
Nicole Kidman was raised Catholic but began practicing Scientology during her marriage to Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. The Church of Scientology contributed to their eventual divorce by driving a wedge between the couple. Kidman never officially left the Catholic church, but she did become deeply involved in Scientology once she married Cruise, who had been a devoted Scientologist for years.
Kidman worked hard to become a Scientologist during her marriage, studying the writings and principles of the religion and trying to fully embrace Cruise’s beliefs. However, she never reached the upper levels of spiritual enlightenment that Cruise had achieved. This supposed failure to fully convert made her a “suppressive person” in the eyes of the church, which likely contributed to the tensions in her marriage.
So while Kidman was never a lifelong Scientologist, she did practice the religion devotedly for over a decade of her life while married to Cruise. Their diverging attitudes toward Scientology seemed to play a major role in their eventual split. After their divorce in 2001, Kidman returned fully to Catholicism and raised her children in that faith.
Leaving Scientology
After divorcing Tom Cruise in 2001, Nicole Kidman left the Church of Scientology as well. The Church of Scientology had contributed to their divorce by driving a wedge between the couple. After Kidman and Cruise split, the Church saw Kidman’s influence as “negative” and they were glad Tom was no longer being pulled away from Scientology.
Kidman had been involved in Scientology during her marriage to Cruise, but she left the church when they divorced. She has not openly discussed the details of her departure, but it seems to be connected to no longer being married to Cruise, a devout Scientologist. Some former Scientologists have said the church made efforts to distance Kidman from Cruise leading up to their divorce.
Returning to Catholicism
After leaving Scientology, Kidman returned to her Catholic roots. She started attending Catholic mass again and became more vocal about her Catholic faith.
Kidman has said that Catholicism feels natural to her and provides a sense of comfort and solace that she missed during her time as a Scientologist. She appreciates the ritual and tradition of the Catholic mass.
After marrying country singer Keith Urban in 2006, the couple decided to raise their children in the Catholic faith. Kidman says that attending mass together as a family and instilling Catholic values in their children is very important to her. She seems content to have returned to the religion she was raised in as a child in Australia.
Kidman’s Views on Religion Now
Nicole Kidman still identifies as Catholic, the faith she was raised in as a child in Australia. However, after her experiences exploring Scientology during her marriage to Tom Cruise, Kidman has become open-minded about other beliefs.
She has stated that she believes in the power of prayer, regardless of religion, and that her faith has helped her through difficult times in her life. While Catholicism remains an important part of Kidman’s identity, she respects all forms of spirituality and believes everyone should find their own path. Her openness reflects a more inclusive and compassionate approach to religion.
Raising Children Catholic
Nicole Kidman has made the choice to raise her two daughters, Sunday and Faith, in the Catholic faith. Despite being one of the most famous actresses in the world, Kidman has tried to give her daughters a normal upbringing and keep them out of the spotlight.
Kidman has stated that passing on her Catholic values to her children is very important to her. She wants them to have a strong moral foundation and learn the teachings of the Church from a young age. The actress brings the girls to mass regularly and makes sure they are educated in the faith.
While Kidman is devoted to Catholicism, she also understands the importance of allowing her daughters to ultimately make their own choices regarding religion when they are older. For now, she focuses on exposing them to the faith in a positive way, through taking them to mass, prayer, and Catholic education. Kidman hopes these early experiences will provide a baseline of faith that they can build upon.
Balancing Faith and Career
Nicole Kidman has had to navigate her Catholic faith as an actress and celebrity. She has spoken about how she tries to balance her career with raising her children Catholic. In an interview, Kidman said “I have a very child-centered family. I don’t work much when they have breaks from school”. She tries to prioritize spending time with her family and raising her daughters in the Catholic faith over her career.
However, she also acknowledges the demands of Hollywood and her acting career. Kidman has said “I still have that yearning…it’s important as an actor to have creative outlets”. She seems to strike a balance between work and faith by being selective with acting projects so she can spend ample time focused on her family and faith. As a high-profile actress, Kidman has had to navigate practicing her faith in the public eye. Overall, she aims to instill Catholic values in her daughters while still pursuing her passion for acting.
Conclusion
Nicole Kidman has had an interesting faith journey throughout her life and career. She was raised Catholic in Australia and continued to practice that faith into early adulthood. When she married Tom Cruise in 1990, she was introduced to Scientology, the religion Cruise practiced devoutly.
Kidman then became an active Scientologist herself for over a decade while married to Cruise. She took Scientology courses and reached advanced levels in the church. However, after her divorce from Cruise in 2001, Kidman stepped away from Scientology and eventually returned to Catholicism.
In more recent years, Kidman has focused on raising her children Catholic and balancing her career with her renewed Christian faith. Though no longer a Scientologist, she does not speak negatively of the church. Kidman seems to have found peace in going back to her Catholic upbringing while also maintaining a fairly private religious life as an A-list actress and mother.
