Indeed, insiders reveal that at the urging of her good friend Russell Crowe, Nicole is attempting to re-establish a friendship and possible working relationship with Tom, that will subsequently prompt a reconciliation with her adopted children Isabella, 27, and Connor, 25.
“Nicole and Tom hurt each other terribly throughout the divorce and after. She’s not too proud to admit that the only way back to Bella and Connor’s hearts, now they’re adults, is through their father,” a source says of the trio, who are all devout Scientologists.
In the years after their split, it was widely reported that Nicole, 53, had been labelled a “suppressive person” and an enemy of the church, culminating in the actress being cut from Bella and Connor’s lives.
As such, our insider says that making nice with Tom, 58, is the key to being accepted back into their tight-knit fold, although meeting face to face after so many years has the potential to lead to an explosive showdown – especially if the topic of Scientology is broached.
“Nicole has asked for a meeting with Tom to discuss the likelihood of working together at some point, but she knows she has to be conscious of not steering into sensitive subjects from their past,” the source continues.
“Nicole’s all about the edgy roles and would love to direct something Eyes Wide Shut-esque, and she can’t imagine doing that without Tom’s involvement, if not acting on screen together, then perhaps as a script consultant.”
Tellingly, usually private Nicole opened up about Tom recently in an interview with The New York Times, speaking fondly about their experience working together on Stanley Kubrick’s intense erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut.
“We shot that for two years,” Nicole said of the 1999 film. “We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti … we were happily married through that.”
And it seems Nicole’s reminiscing about the good old days has warmed her ex-husband up to the idea of another collaboration.
“Tom is keen to meet up as soon as their schedules allow,” the insider says, adding that he’s currently in the UK filming, while she could be heading back to Northern Ireland for The Northman reshoots. “They’re comparing diaries and considering a London lunch date.”
Of course, the silver lining in any reunion with Tom would be a reunion with Bella and Connor as well. While Nicole maintains she is supportive of her adopted childrens’ choice to practise Scientology like their father, and that “it’s my job to love them” unconditionally, she has sadly missed out on so much over the years.
“It’s only a matter of time before Bella starts a family, and Nicole couldn’t bear being banned from her own grandchild,” the source explains.
“The last Nic heard, Connor was getting married too, which she was thrilled about, as she was worried about him getting caught up in the party scene.”
And while Nicole is happy with husband, Keith Urban, and their daughters Sunday and Faith, she’ll never give up on mending bridges with her older children.
“By all accounts, they’ve both grown up to be lovely young people and she’s sad to not be a part of that.”