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From the outset, it doesn’t take much to realize that Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman have several things in common. Both Hollywood stars are Australian (although Kidman was born in Hawaii). Both have also starred in several box office hits over the years. And both have gained critical acclaim time and time again.
But perhaps, no one would have guessed how well Kidman and Jackman knew each other up until the actress made a $150,000 bid for Jackman’s hat in a recent charity auction. As it turns out, the two A-listers have been in each other’s lives for years, even going back to the time that Kidman was still married to Tom Cruise.
Nicole Kidman Met Hugh Jackman’s Wife, Deborrra-lee Furness, Before The Actor
In fact, it is possible that the Oscar winner even knew Furness long before she ever met Jackman. When Kidman first moved to Los Angeles in the ’90s, she started a romance with actor and singer Tom Burlinson. It also just so happened that Burlinson shared a flat with Furness at that time.
“Nicole and I met through Tom Burlinson, who she was dating when she was about 17,” Furness recalled. She also got to know Kidman better since the actress stayed with them from time to time, as several actors did back then.
“Every budding actor/writer/director giving Hollywood a shot would pass through our house at some stage, either for a party or to sleep on the couch. It was dubbed the gum leaf party house,” Furness said. “She slept on the couch and partied.”
And while her romance with Burlinson would eventually end, Furness was also around to see the beginning of Kidman’s romance with Cruise. The two met after Kidman was cast in Days of Thunder.
“I do remember Tom Cruise ringing the house when she landed the role [in Days of Thunder],” Furness said. “Nic was always very cool and took it all in her stride.”
Meanwhile, a few years late, when Furness started dating Jackman, the actor also became good friends with Kidman quickly.
“I was struck by the warmth of Nic when I first met her,” Jackman recalled. “She was very good friend and a flatmate of Deb’s, so when I met her as the new boyfriend of Deb she instantly treated me like I was the extended family… that was really relieving and striking and that warmth and loyalty has been something that has defined her I think.”
As for Kidman, she immediately knew that Furness and Jackman were meant to be.
“I remember when Deb met Hugh, it was like oh yeah, this is the one!” the actress said. “And look at them now; that successful marriage, my gosh!”
Nicole Kidman Credits Hugh Jackman And Deborra-lee Furness For Getting Her Through Her Divorce
Over the years, Kidman remained close with Jackman and Furness, including in 2001 when she and Cruise split. Having been busy filming The Hours at that time, Cruise’s decision to file for divorce from Kidman left her blindsided.
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And while the film kept her busy, Kidman still had to deal with her heartbreak once filming wrapped. Fortunately, she had Jackman and Furness around.
“When I got divorced Hugh and Deb were so much a part of my healing,” Kidman recalled. “They were some of my best friends through that period.”
Today, Jackman and Furness have also become good friends with Kidman’s second husband, Keith Urban.
Nicole Kidman Later Convinced Hugh Jackman To Do Australia Together
Their friendship may go way back but surprisingly, Kidman and Jackman have only worked a couple of times together. One was the 2006 animated feature Happy Feet and the other is the critically acclaimed adventure drama Australia directed by fellow Aussie Baz Luhrmann.
Having worked with Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge! previously, Kidman signed on to do the film even without reading the script. At the same time, the actress also persuaded Jackman to play the leading man.
At one point, the two stars attended a party in L.A. and Kidman took the opportunity to tell Jackman about Luhrmann’s film. “I said, ‘Well, tell me what the script’s like because Baz wouldn’t really tell me much about it.’ And she said, ‘Oh, I haven’t read the script. You just sign on,’” Jackman recalled.
“And I said, ‘You haven’t read the script?’ She goes, ‘No, this is Baz Luhrmann. Just do it.’”
In the film, the co-stars ended up sharing some romantic scenes and being longtime friends helped them navigate them well.
“I feel like I could tell her anything. So even if it is awkward, I can say, ‘This feels really awkward,’” Jackman explained.
“It’s kind of awkward when you have 70 people watching you.” Meanwhile, Kidman said, “The whole thing is weird, and you just ignore it and move on.”
For now, it doesn’t look like Kidman and Jackman would be working together again soon. But considering how close they are, anything is possible.
