Tom Cruise details his unique experience filming Stanley Kubrick’s final movie Eyes Wide Shut, nearly 26 years after it premiered. The celebrated director of 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining, among other movies, pᴀssed away in 1999 but continues to be regarded for his lasting effect on Hollywood. The psychological drama, Eyes Wide Shut, follows William Harford (Cruise), a New York City doctor who learns that his wife (Nicole Kidman) had thoughts of infidelity, leading him down a strange and Sєxual, night-long journey.

During an interview for the British Film Insтιтute magazine, Sight and Sound (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline), Cruise described making Eyes Wide Shut. As Cruise revealed, “it was a great experience,” and he and Kubrick became acquainted through co-star Sydney Pollack. Cruise went on to discuss reading the screenplay and, after becoming more familiar with Kubrick, he recalled recommending Kidman for the part of his character’s wife. Read some of Cruise’s comments below:

It was a great experience. I was very excited to do it. I knew Stanley’s movies very well and I was introduced to him through Sydney Pollack. So Stanley called Sydney ’cause he wanted me to make a movie. He sent me a fax.

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 Scorsese about him and Sydney Pollack… so I knew what he did and how he worked. Then 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.

Cruise further explained that when making Eyes Wide Shut, he was prepared for a longer production and noted how he does a “detailed investigation” and learns from people making a movie so that everyone can work harmoniously. Cruise also revealed that “it was a very unique experience,” and that “the script was just an idea,” adding how scenes would be adjusted as filming went on. Read more of his comments below:

I knew it was going to be a long shoot. He [Kubrick] was like, ‘No, no, no. We’ll finish in three or four months.’ And I said, ‘Stanley, look, I’m here for you. Whatever it’s going to take we’re going to do this…’ I thought the film was very interesting, and I wanted to have that experience. When I go to make a movie, I do a lot of detailed investigation and a lot of time with the people before I commit so that I understand what they need and want and they understand me and how we can work together and really create something very special.

It was a very unique experience – not a large crew. We arrived in the summer and basically we just started testing… the script was just an idea. We [were] constantly rewriting the scenes and shooting the scenes and then reshooting the scenes to really find the tone of the film.

What This Means For Eyes Wide Shut

The Final Kubrick Film Was A Memorable Experience

Eyes Wide Shut could be viewed as a genre change for Cruise, who had previously appeared in more dramatic and action-heavy blockbusters, including Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and Mission: Impossible. The film also marked a third collaboration between real-life spouses, Cruise and Kidman, whose eventual divorce made headlines in 2001. These recent comments by Cruise suggest that he enjoyed making Eyes Wide Shut alongside Kubrick, and remind some audiences of the unimaginably long 400-day shoot, which remains a Guinness World Record for Hollywood.

There was almost a decade between Eyes Wide Shut and Full Metal Jacket, but a long production schedule and changing screenplay, as Cruise had commented about, likely contributed. The psychological drama, based on an Arthur Schnitzler novella, premiered in July 1999, and Kubrick had sadly pᴀssed away shortly before. As a final movie, though, Eyes Wide Shut is a memorable experience and reflects the director and his distinctive approach to filmmaking.

Our Take On Eyes Wide Shut

Like Many Kubrick Films, It Has Maintained Longevity

Eyes Wide Shut is among the most commercially successful Kubrick movies, having grossed more than $162 million globally, and continues to maintain longevity since being released. Garnering praise, especially some years later, Eyes Wide Shut currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 76% and has found itself referenced in popular culture. Considering how cherished the film has become to some audiences, Cruise’s fond recollection of the experience makes Kubrick’s last movie even more notable.

Source: Sight and Sound (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline)