Tom Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman appeared in the 1999 psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut which is infamous for its erotic nature.

Before establishing himself as one of the biggest commercial stars in the world, Tom Cruise enjoyed experimenting with the type of roles he tackled. One of the most underrated roles in Cruise’s filmography came in the 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick.

Tom Cruise appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (Credits: Warner Bros).

During an interview, Cruise talked about his role in the film, which had a wildly different perception among audiences because of its explicit nature and some NSFW scenes. Cruise addressed the misconception, underlining what Kubrick was originally attempting with the movie before tragically passing away before its release.

Tom Cruise recalled the wild public perception of Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut

Actor Tom Cruise is now known for his role in the Mission: Impossible franchise, with the eighth installment slated to release next year. However, in the 1990s, Cruise had only done one of the spy-action movies and was preparing for the release of its second installment.

Tom Cruise cleared the misconception about Eyes Wide Shut (Credits: Warner Bros).

In the meantime, Cruise worked with filmmaker Stanley Kubrick on the psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut, which had strong erotic themes. The film also features Cruise’s then-wife Nicole Kidman opposite Cruise. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cruise talked about the film’s perception among general audiences.

Well, I think they expected some big s*x movie. As opposed to—and Stanley was very specific about it—s**ual obsession and jealousy. It’s not about s*x. And there were rumors out there about how Stanley was going to make a p****graphic picture.

Cruise made the above statement, explaining that the audience failed to understand Kubrick’s original vision for the movie because of its erotic themes.

Furthermore, Cruise admitted that the film’s first trailer did its reputation no favors with viewers becoming convinced that the movie was s**ually explicit. As a result, the film received polarizing reviews from critics but still emerged as a moderate commercial success, grossing $162.1 million at the box office against a budget of $65 million.

Tom Cruise revealed how he would like to remember Stanley Kubrick

Tom Cruise had a student-professor relationship with Eyes Wide Shut director Stanley Kubrick (Credit: Warner Bros).

Shortly before the film’s release, Stanley Kubrick unfortunately passed away at 70. As a result, Eyes Wide Shut became his last film and was released posthumously. During the same interview, Cruise also talked about working with the legendary filmmaker who was known for his gruelling and demanding nature.

I just picture him laughing. He had a charming laugh. When things would get really tense … I just remember him laughing. Kind of a chuckle. Sometimes he’d laugh so hard tears would come to his eyes.

Cruise made the above comment regarding Kubrick’s passing, underlining the filmmaker’s memorable laugh as the most prominent feature he remembers after his passing.

Furthermore, Cruise also revealed that the image of Kubrick carrying his viewfinder, and his magnetic eyes, were forever ingrained in his brain. At the same time, Cruise described his relationship with the director as that of a student and professor, admitting he learned a lot from Kubrick.

Eyes Wide Shut can be rented on Amazon Prime Video.