NICOLE ONE-UPS PENELOPE!
THE AUSSIE STAR HAS ELECTRIC CHEMISTRY WITH JAVIER BARDEM
An old love rivalry has reignited after Nicole Kidman was pictured getting cosy on set with Penelope Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem.
Nicole, 53, and Javier are portraying real-life couple Lucille Ball and her first husband Desi
Arnaz in upcoming biopic Being The Ricardos, and a source says that the stars have serious chemistry!
“Things are steaming up on the LA set,” the source confirms.
But the off-screen antics are possibly even more dramatic than the on-screen storyline!
Nicole and Penelope, 47, have been locked in a decades-long rivalry after Nic’s ex Tom Cruise dated the Spanish actress.
“People forget that Tom Cruise went on to date Penelope after dumping Nicole in a way that was so brutal and public that she feared she would never recover,” explains the source.
“Nicole doesn’t hold a grudge, but she certainly hasn’t forgotten the pain she felt when Tom stepped out with Penelope, and she doesn’t feel that she owes her anything.”
But new on-set pictures of Nic and Javier, 52, sharing “a tender moment in character” have sent tongues wagging throughout Hollywood – and it’s likely that Nicole’s husband, Keith Urban, won’t be happy, as sources say the father of two always “struggles” with Nicole’s risqué roles and intimate scenes.
Their friendship is one nobody saw coming, but Russell Crowe and singer Rita Ora have become close during her time in Sydney – and it could all be thanks to Thor director Taika Waititi.
Rita, 30, has been spotted enjoying bike rides through Sydney with Russell, 57, and his rumoured fiancée, actress Britney Theriot, also 30, while filming The Voice, with onlookers scratching their heads about how they would have met - but now it seems that her new relationship with Taika, 45, could explain everything.
New reports suggest the pop star and Taika have been “dating for over a month” while Taika has been in town filming Thor: Love and Thunder with Chris Hemsworth and Rusty himself ! Russell, who has confirmed he plays Zeus in the movie, is said to have rolled out the welcome mat for Rita when she touched down in Sydney – even including a meet and greet with his beloved NRL team the Rabbitohs.
“He did his usual ‘invite the famous person over for drinks on Sydney Harbour’ that he always does,” an insider tells New Idea. “It turned out Britney and Rita got on like a house on fire.”
Indeed, while Britney and Russell have been dating since 2019, it seems the age gap between them had left Britney feeling a little isolated, and Rita has been just the antidote.
“Until that point, Britney was feeling a little out of place living in Australia, but she’s found a great friend in Rita, which is all thanks to Russell’s great skill at networking,” continues our source, who says Rusty is secretly enjoying hanging out with a circle of friends “half his age”.