Despite being the younger one in the relationship, Nicole Kidman was very eager to marry Tom Cruise. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, in 2021, the Australian actor offered some insight into her decision-making process at the time. The "Moulin Rouge!" star shared that, despite the intense press intrusion, "I'm always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way." Essentially, then, Kidman followed her heart. 

Their whirlwind romance also played a part in the actor's decision. During a Vanity Fair interview, she explained her feelings at the start of the relationship: "He basically swept me off my feet." Kidman continued, "I fell madly, passionately in love. And as happens when you fall in love, my whole plan in terms of what I wanted for my life — I was like, 'Forget it. This is it.' I was consumed by it, willingly." However, the Aussie native wanted children more than marriage. 

Although the relationship had its natural ups and downs, it also kept her partly shielded from the uglier side of Hollywood. In an article for The Cut, Kidman explained that although she wed Cruise because she truly loved him, she also felt the marriage inadvertently shielded her from rampant sexual harassment in the industry because of who her husband was. And while she doesn't regret any of it, hindsight has offered a broader perspective.