'Trying to not incur the wrath of Scientology': Internet isn't buying Nicole Kidman's new claim about her 2001 photo

Nicole Kidman just discarded a core pop culture memory for many of us as she stated her viral 2001 photo, which has been a meme template for years now, was not clicked outside the lawyer's office after her divorce from Tom Cruise. Setting the rumours straight about her famous photo, the Babygirl actress said it was a still from a movie, adding it has no connection to her real life.

What did Nicole Kidman say about her viral 2001 photo?

In a new interview with British GQ, Nicole Kidman talked about her 2001 photo that's been memed to death. The one where she's walking down the street with her arms raised, celebrating her newfound freedom after splitting from Tom Cruise. Yes, that. The actress said that the internet has got it wrong all these years. ¡°That was not me; that was from a film, that wasn¡¯t real life. I know that image!¡± she said without dropping the name of the movie.

In case you haven't already seen it, take a look at the viral picture below.

live every day like you're 2001 nicole kidman leaving her lawyer's office after divorcing tom cruise pic.twitter.com/L2knENS4d4

¡ª mik (@wholemik) November 8, 2018

Why internet isn't buying Nicole's new claim

Nicole's startling revelation has now sent the internet into shock, making many question the authenticity of reports we see floating on social media every day; however, a section of the internet isn't buying this newfound info. Why, you may ask? Reddit users are of the view that if it were a still from some movie, fact-checkers would've already debunked the rumours. Some also came up with the explanation that maybe the fear of Scientology was forcing her to conceal the truth. Notably, Cruise, who was married to the actress from 1991 to 2000, is a well-known advocate for Scientology beliefs.

What are netizens saying?

Comments on a post about Nicole's new revelation shared on the subreddit r/popculturechat highlighted how she has been coming up with new excuses every time she is asked about the photo.

"I thought her last excuse was that she was sneezing. This is the first time I¡¯ve read it for a movie. I need the internet to find what movie it¡¯s from immediately," one user wrote, while another Redditor asked her to name the movie to clear the air.

Credit: Reddit

A third user commented, "Don¡¯t spoil a good thing, Nicole. Too many women have shared this exact emotion when finally breaking free from a toxic/abusive/controlling relationship. I kinda feel lied to now, like this is an attempt to curate her image or even more horrifying, appease Tom Cruise. Let us have our little moments of joy."

Credit: Reddit

Another user highlighted how it could be an attempt to safeguard herself from Scientologists. "She wears wigs in every movie. That¡¯s her natural hair. She is probably downplaying it to get Scientologists off her a**," the user said. Echoing similar thoughts, another netizen added, "TBH I did wonder if she's trying to cover for herself and not incur the wrath of Scientology.

Credit: Reddit

Another mentioned, "She just doesn¡¯t want to acknowledge the meme. The end of her marriage seems to have been pretty painful and I can¡¯t imagine losing someone you love to a cult like scientology¡­ it¡¯s probably akin to those that had to cut ties with loved ones who got sucked into qanon/conspiracy theories. Just ridiculous and sad."

Credit: Reddit

About Nicole Kidman's marriage with Tom Cruise

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise met in early 1990 on the sets of Tony Scott¡®s Days of Thunder. After a year together, the Oscar-winning actor and the Mission Impossible star wed on Christmas Eve in 1990. One of Hollywood's most iconic couples, the two would go on to share two children: Isabella (Bella), who was born in 1992, and Connor, born in 1995.

In 2001, the pair split, with Tom filing for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, which reportedly came as a "major shock" to Nicole.

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