Twenty-five years after Moulin Rouge! changed her life, a newly single Nicole Kidman is rewriting the script and revisiting the leading man who seemed to push the buttons of both her famous exes, Tom Cruise and Keith Urban.
With the famous Baz Luhrmann musical celebrating its 25th anniversary on June 1, Nicole uploaded a nostalgic throwback to the film that relaunched her career post her split from Tom Cruise. And now, in 2026 as history repeats itself with Nicole navigating single life post-divorce from Keith Urban, industry insiders say Nicole is excited to reunite with one person in particular: her Moulin Rouge! co-star Ewan McGregor.
Nicole’s forbidden chemistry with Ewan McGregor
They played forbidden lovers in Moulin Rouge! and it appears their chemistry was just as strong off-screen, with a well-placed source revealing that Ewan’s connection with the Aussie actress “triggered anxiety” for both her ex-husbands.
“Of all the co-stars she’s ever had, it’s Ewan that seemed to have triggered anxiety for both of her husbands,” our industry insider says of Nicole and Ewan’s sizzling on-screen chemistry.
With Nicole now experiencing newfound freedom post her divorce, sources says she’s looking forward to hanging out with Ewan without the baggage.
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor’s friendship timeline
Back in 2001, wild rumours suggested that the on-screen passion between Nicole and Ewan wasn’t entirely acting, with media speculating their connection played a part in her divorce from Tom Cruise. This led to Ewan having to release a statement through his agent, saying that he didn’t know anything about Nicole and Tom’s marital problems.
Flash forward through her 19-year marriage to Keith Urban, and the country star was allegedly never fully at ease with the ghost of that Parisian romance either.
The two have crossed paths over the years, most notably in 2017 during Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series and when they were photographed hugging at the 2025 Oscars, before reuniting on stage at the 2026 Oscars.
“When she and Ewan did their Actors on Actors interview and talked about barely remembering their wild absinthe parties when [Moulin Rouge!] filming wrapped , the rumours were too much for Keith. He couldn’t stand people talking about her cosying up to a co-star, but he was also protective of Nicole and hated how much it hurt her to be reminded of such a dark time in her life,” our source adds.
Following her divorce from Keith, Nicole’s 2026 mantra has been entirely about “looking forward” and part of that has been being able to make public appearances with Ewan “without looking over her shoulder”.
“It’s one of the reasons why Nicole and Ewan were interviewed separately for the 20th anniversary, and why she was so excited to properly team up for the 25th this year,” the source continues.
With the 25th anniversary celebrations underway, Nicole and Ewan are keen to work together again.
“Nicole and Ewan always had chemistry and she’s excited to have him on her radar again without having to worry about any insecurities back home. They do want to work together again and are already looking for the right script,” the insider adds.
“Ewan’s wife Mary might be nervous about their electric chemistry, but she adores Nicole and got to know her last year at the Globes.
“Nicole has zero interest in homewrecking Ewan’s new marriage – but stirring up her exes while rebooting an explosive box-office pairing is hard to resist!”
