Forgotten Facts About Tom Cruise And Penelope Cruz's Relationship
Highlights
- Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz fell in love while filming Vanilla Sky, but their relationship didn't start until after Cruise's divorce from Nicole Kidman.
- Cruise and Cruz dated for almost three years but eventually broke up due to difficulties with his family and the influence of the Church of Scientology.
- Despite their split, Cruise and Cruz remained on good terms and have been seen together years later, while both have moved on in their personal and professional lives.
When we think back to the turn of the century, we remember celebrity couples, such as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Two decades ago, Tom Cruise was in the process of divorcing his second wife, Nicole Kidman. Many forget that he almost instantly found love again in the arms of Penélope Cruz. Their whirlwind romance was more than just a rebound, though. They remained together for quite some time and even planned for the future.
After the couple broke up, Tom Cruise entered a highly-publicized relationship with Katie Holmes, so the memories of the Cruise/Cruz union faded relatively fast. From the time they first met to their breakup, here are all the juicy facts about the would-be power couple Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz.
11 Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Met On The Set Of Vanilla Sky (2001)
Penélope Cruz and Tom Cruise first met on the set of Vanilla Sky (2001), Cameron Crowe's hit thriller, in 2000. Cruise portrayed a charming millionaire who fell in love with Cruz's character, Sofia. Cruz and Cruise hit it off immediately, but there was a something keeping them apart.
When the two stars met, Cruise was still married to Nicole Kidman. The marriage was at its end regardless of Cruise's attraction to Cruz, and nothing happened between them until Cruise was separated from Kidman.
10 When Did Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman Get Divorced?
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman tied the knot in 1990. In the decade they were married, they adopted two kids and starred together in two movies. They filed for divorce in February 2001, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized after seven long months. Afterwards, however, Cruise instantly started flaunting his new girlfriend to the world.
Nicole Kidman has also since moved on, and she is now married to country singer Keith Urban. The two tied the knot in 2006 and have been together ever since.
9 When Did The Cruise/Cruz Romance Begin?
Since the couple started making public appearances so quickly after the divorce, many speculated that Tom had already been seeing Penélope before the divorce was set. Cruz claimed, however, that the romance didn't start on the set of Vanilla Sky, but rather some time later. "I've never fallen in love with someone I'm working with. It's always been afterwards," Cruz said, according to Yahoo.
8 How Long Did Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Date?
The romance between Cruise and Cruz lasted for almost three years, from 2001 to January 2004. At the time they started dating, Tom Cruise had just turned 39 years old, while Penélope Cruz was 27. Though they had a decently sized age-gap, the difference in age did not seem to bother Cruise nor Cruz.
Fans of celebrities are used to seeing much larger age gaps than that between Cruise and Cruz, so it was not startling to the public.
7 Tom Cruise Surprised Cruz With Home-Cooked Meals And Baths
Tom Cruise loved to pamper Penélope. He boasted that she likes his home-cooked meals, so he cooked for her often. Sometimes, he'd welcome her home with a bath drawn and ready. While they undoubtedly enjoyed a lovely honeymoon phase, the two weren't meant to last.
6 Cruise Planned On Proposing To Cruz
Cruise was so smitten with Cruz that he was seriously considering proposing to her. If she were to accept his proposal, she would have become his third wife. Cruise had a history of jumping into new marriages pretty quickly. He proposed to Kidman only ten months after his divorce with Mimi Rogers was finalized.
5 Why Did Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Split?
According to Standard, Cruz struggled in their relationship because she couldn't fit in with his family or get his children to accept her. Additionally, she was growing frustrated with the fact that Tom Cruise was still regularly talking to Kidman and said that he would always love her.
That is at least what supposedly went on behind closed doors. The official version of the growing trouble in paradise was blamed on the fact that they were shooting movies in different parts of the world. Consequently, it was growing harder and harder for the two to spend any quality time together.
4 Was The Church Of Scientology Involved In The Cruise/Cruz Split?
While many celebrities decided to leave the Church of Scientology, Tom Cruise remains a passionate follower to this day. According to Hindustan Times, Cruz "Pulled the plug on the relationship because she felt that the Church of Scientology was the third wheel in their relationship. Penélope doesn't have anything against the Church, but it just wasn't her thing. She admired Tom's dedication to it, but it wasn't her cup of tea and wasn't something she wanted to give her life up for."
3 Ultimately, Cruz Decided To Leave Tom Cruise
Between having to listen to late-night calls to his ex-wife and deal with the role of religion in his life, Cruz soon decided that this relationship was not meant to be and left Cruise. Despite their differences, they held no grudges toward one another; Their breakup was friendly and conflict-free. "The relationship just ran its course, and they decided not to be girlfriend and boyfriend anymore," said a publicist at the time.
2 After The Break-Up, Tom Cruise Moved On To Katie Holmes
Cruise wasn't lonely for long after Cruz broke up with him in 2004. By the time 2005 rolled around, he was already seeing Katie Holmes. The two got married and welcomed their daughter Suri in 2006. The two have since divorced.
As for Penélope after the break-up, she busied herself by shooting movies, such as Sahara in 2005 and Volver in 2006.
1 Tom Cruise And Penélope Cruz Remained Friendly After The Break-Up
It's been more than a decade since the couple has broken up. Cruz is now married to Javier Bardem and has two children with him. There seems to remain no animosity between Cruise and Cruz. In 2015, they were spotted dining together in London, accompanied by Salma Hayek.
Tom Cruise is hard at work making more Mission: Impossible films, while Penélope Cruz was recently honored with a nomination for Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards. Tom Cruise was rumored to be dating his Mission: Impossible 7 co-star Hayley Atwell in 2021, but neither of them ever confirmed the relationship, and reports suggest that they have since broken up.
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