Nicole Kidman Wore a Tiara To Our Interview
Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 11:01PM Nathaniel, it's Nicole!"
[!!!!!]
After the briefest of pauses in which we both waited for my bewilderment to pass -- Nicole Kidman is calling me (?) -- she let out a hearty familiar laugh, instantly delighting and relaxed. She was, as it happened, a full hour early to our scheduled interview, having just finished a day's filming on Grace of Monaco.
Academy voters will be filling out their nomination ballots online for the first time this year -- they started voting this week and will continue through Thursday, January 3rd. One prays that this shake-up to their old school paper & pen system might also shake up their aesthetic palette. If it does, you'll hear Nicole Kidman's name read out for her genius star turn in The Paperboy. In this polarizing sweaty film, Nicole plays a tawdry beautician with a thing for violent inmates. This is not, as you have undoubtedly ascertained whilst reading about the film, the type of role which is usually nominated. This is, as you will undoubtedly discover while watching the film, the type of performance that deserves to be.
Early in our phone conversation, I shared with her my awe at her latest transformation. "You've gone from Charlotte Bless to Grace of Monaco? Talk about an about-face!". She didn't skip a beat in her quippy response:
Kidman on the set of "Grace of Monaco"
I'm standing here in a tiara and a white beaded dress and Cartier jewels."
As well she should.
NATHANIEL R: You're an international sensation. Aren't you supposed to keep me waiting for hours?
NICOLE KIDMAN: [Laughter] I'll tell you. I'm in Brussels and we just finished shooting and they have these really great Christmas markets with all the stalls and the German beer and all that sort of stuff and I thought maybe I can do the interview early and go out to the Christmas market and get some shopping in.
NATHANIEL: But you're too famous to be early! You're supposed to keep us all waiting. What else would surprise us about you given your global fame?
NICOLE KIDMAN: Oh, I would hope many things -- many things! I'm very good at roughing it. People always think that actors need big trailers and this and that. I'm very used to having to hunker down with nothing and just survive.
So it wasn't as outlandish as it sounded then that Lee Daniels asked you to do your own makeup for The Paperboy?
That was a little confronting. It was like 'Oh gosh. How am i going to do this? ' Obviously I've done my own hair and makeup so that's no problem. But to get it accurate for the era? That's the thing I was frightened of. I kind of did it in the bathroom and sent him photos and he was like 'You're on it doll.' That's how he talks!
He actually said something a lot ruder but I'm not going to say it.
I talked to him during the Precious campaign. He was hilarious but kind of inappropriate. I was talking to Gabby Sidibe recently at a party and was telling her the story and I'm like 'was he drunk? was he flirting with me?' and she was like 'nope, that's just how he is!' [Laughter]
Yeah, that's how he is, exactly! You should hear him on the set. That was a good thing for me. So many times I've played very upper class and refined roles and just to do something like this was really just great for me. I don't usually get the chance to do stuff like this.
You've gone from Charlotte Bless to Grace of Monaco? Talk about an about-face!
Polar opposites. I was actually thinking that because I knew I was going to do this interview with you -- I'm standing here in a tiara and a white beaded dress and Cartier jewels. Compared to Charlotte!
But that's the great thing about being an actor when you're given the chance to play that broad spectrum. The thing that would drive me crazy would be having to play the same role over and over again.
You've definitely built a diverse character gallery. One thing I cherish about you -- and I know other cinephiles feel this too -- I think of you first and foremost as an Auteur's Muse. You totally adapt to them.
THANK YOU. I love that!
How would you describe that relationship? There are so many ways to think of it. A singing duet? A father figure to a daughter...
No, I describe it as a love affair.
Yeah?
For me it has that intensity and it has the devotion that's required and the obsession. I find the relationship between us -- even though it's platonic -- it's still kind of this intense love affair. That's what it is. That's probably the thing that keeps me coming back and back and back. When I was single that sort of became my relationship. Even though they weren't real relationships, they satisfied a need in me because they were so intense.
Now, they're just more... Olivier Dahan right now who I'm working with. You're just connected. You're always talking. You're looking into each other's eyes. You're showing each other parts of yourself that you'd never show usually. And you're asking the other person to treat that with care. The last thing I want is to be abused in that situation but at the same time I'm very willing to willing to give give give.
So ...that's different from a singing duet, right? [Laughter]
Ha! But your answer makes me think of the psychic sex scene in The Paperboy. It's really out there. Such a high wire moment for you as an actress. Weren't you terrified?
I don't know. I think I was in some weird place mentally when I was playing the role. I was so removed from myself and now if I step into my own skin and sort of judge it I feel embarrassed. What was required to play Charlotte was such a removal of all my inhibitions. That was important for me. And Lee is very very forthright and at times really crass and tough. He has that street side to him that's really tough and I wanted to match him and not let him down.
And at the same time that scene in the prison felt completely logical to me. It did not feel outlandish. It did not feel anything other than completely real and logical. But I was totally in character. I never stepped out of the character. John Cusack and I never related as John & Nicole, ever, through the whole filming. We wouldn't have been able to -- I would have felt too shy. A lot of that stuff was improvised. It wasn't in the script.
Is that something you normally do, staying in character?
No. I mean, for certain roles it will bleed into me. There are different ways. For Rabbit Hole it was so present in me at that time because I had had my child and the biggest fear for me was that whole scenario. That was like stepping into the fire of your greatest fear. Emotionally every day it was accessible and there. I didn't have to do any work to prepare because it was so raw and there.
Nicole received her 3rd Oscar nomination for "Rabbit Hole"
This [The Paperboy] I obviously worked on finding her and finding the psychology behind a woman who finds a man in prison to obsess on and give herself to. And then when he gets out, she doesn't want that. That was fascinating to me and I prepared in that regard. And also that era and that kind of damage -- the fragility that comes with damage -- and then the tough exterior, the barriers that are put up. All of that stuff I wanted to find and make real to me. And then I kind of just entered into her skin and that was it!
For The Hours... I just have a different thing for each. And a lot of times the tone is set by the director. So if you're working with Lars Von Trier it's very different, say, to Kubrick or Campion. Directly after Lee I worked with this Asian director Chan-wook Park who directed Oldboy. I don't know if you know him?
Yeah, I've seen his stuff.
That was very different because he didn't speak any English.
More psychic communication for you!
Yeah, well, we had a translator! Ha. It was interesting because he is very, very gentle and quiet and, you know, the complete opposite. But that's, I suppose, the thrilling part of what I do. My whole nature is curious.
I suppose I'm really reticent to step into any place of judgement on characters or their flaws. The human condition and humanity in these things is what fascinates me and what I try to access. I don't know why but since I was a child I've always had that.
I don't know why either but I'm so grateful, I just have to say.
That's lovely.
You probably get tired of gushing compliments, I'm sorry.
No! I don't get them that much. [Laughter]
I'll tell you, usually this is much easier for me. When I was preparing... well, if someone has a smaller filmography or there work is not so magical to me it's easier to focus on one thing. But of the past ten years I literally -- and I've written this -- I think you're the most important actress of the past decade.
[Stunned] Oh god!
You go into things knowing that certain actors will deliver but, still, Charlotte was a shock to me. I'm wondering about your introductory scene. When you know it's the scene where the audience meets you. Do you think about that, give it extra 'here I am' emphasis?
Charlotte enters The Paperboy with "exciting correspondence"
I leave that up to the director but I do all the prep. We shot the last scene where Cusack comes to the apartment and we have that whole sort of weird sex scene. That was the first day of shooting so by the time you get to the first scene -- because you never shoot in sequence -- everything is present and kind of just flowing out of you. That's if the performance is working!
A lot of times I do many different takes. I rarely do the same thing in each take which can drive continuity people batty. Then they go 'Can you replicate that?' and I'm like 'I don't even remember what I did.' I never watch the monitor and I try to operate from a kind of a place where I feel slightly out of control. There are times where it has to be more controlled like Moulin Rouge! where we were doing dance routines or pre-recorded songs.
Sure.
But there are certain times where you can really just abandon yourself and try so many different ways. There's no right or wrong and that's one of the greatest things when you work with people that understand that. There's no 'Okay, good girl, you did it right.' You know? Who knows where something interesting is going to come from that's really really real and coming from such a deep place. Then it's a magical moment. And then that can lead to something else. So, I rarely think in terms of scenes. I think more of the arc of the character and the reality of it.
What films of yours do you hold particularly dear? If someone had never seen your work -- they'd have to be an alien but go with it -- which three films would you want people to see of your work?
Wow. [Pause] Probably Moulin Rouge! and The Others and The Hours. And it's so weird because I did all of them back to back.
That was your ascendance, though!
Yeah. But then recently probably Rabbit Hole because that says so much about grief. That seems to be something that I've circled around -- I try to circle around subjects and for some reason loss and grief I circle around it in many different forms. I also loved working with Jonathan Glazer in Birth. Whether the film actually works as a whole, I don't know, but I think there are some really great moments in that film and I think he's got greatness in him.
That film. I assume you're aware it has a huge following among critics and cinephiles.
Does it? I didn't know, no!
It's turning. People are starting to call it a masterpiece.
Wow.
Nicole at the Opera in "Birth" One of the great closeups in cinema history.
This is embarrasing to say directly to you but because I'm such a superfan a lot of my readers happen to be Kidman fans and that movie always comes up among people's favorite work of yours.
Oh, that's good! Yeah, I think because there was the shock of that bathtub scene with the child it kind of just dominated the film. That was upsetting to me because I never saw it as that, you know? This is not about the human form, really. It's about the way people when they're in that place -- and it can be ten years on -- it's like an open wound of grief and therefore they're willing to let anything in and believe anything. Whether it's a psychic, whether it's sombody telling you they're able to guide you through, whether it's a child coming and saying 'I'm actually your dead husband.' All of those things. You're so impressionable because you're so vulnerable. That's what that film, for me, was about. It's heartbreaking, I think. And Harris Savides shot it so... it's so crazy beautiful the way he shot it. It's just weird how some things click with a mass audience and some things don't.
That's the same with The Paperboy. No matter what people feel about the film, in terms of performances it was so refreshing to be able to just go 'Let's just, like, really play and try to make something Southern Noir.' People jumped on the peeing scene and that defined the film and I was like, 'Gosh, that's such a pity.' It gets immediately defined by one moment that then gets written about. And people read it and think ' Well I'm not going to see that because I don't want to see someone peeing on someone else!'
It's true. When I've tried to explain the film to people, people are like "WHAT are you talking about?!" It's easier to experience rather than explain.
[Laughter] Yeah, yeah. I suppose i'm lucky enough that now my sensitivity in terms of needing mass approval is so diminished. I'm able to go 'Hey, this is what i want to do' and that's a great place, as an actor, to be in. I've tried to live by that motto 'Don't try to please the masses. Sometimes that will happen. Sometimes it won't.' Just be very very true to your own instincts and voice. And that's probably why I support filmmakers who have a really strong voice and that may make people uncomfortable at times.
NATHANIEL R: Pleasing people all the time is completely different than your work lasting and you don't have to worry about your work lasting. Legacy is a beautiful thing.
NICOLE KIDMAN: [Amazed] You are so lovely to talk to! I'm going to the Christmas market and you've made my night.
[As we wrapped up our conversation, Nicole unexpectedly brought her husband Keith Urban up and we ended up on a brief tangent about music before we hung up. We laughed about her much blogged about Katy Perry moment at the Grammys.
NICOLE KIDMAN: I didn't realize i was being filmed but I LOVE "Teenage Dream"
NATHANIEL R: The internet was so fond of that moment. It occurred to me right after seeing it that I had never wondered what kind of music you love.
NICOLE: Eclectic. I grew up on opera and jazz. My parents loved opera and jazz. I suppose I sort of had my rock moment when I was going to AC/DC concerts. I lined up for David Bowie for five hours when I was a teenager. And then of course, you know, Michael Hutchence from INXS that was the pop band I used to go listen to play in pubs which was amazing. Now, I know a lot of country I have to say.
I just watched that Katy Perry documentary on the plane. l like her! I love "Wide Awake". That single is amazing. Have you heard of Icona Pop? They are a new swedish duo who are very pop. They're really cool.
I will look that up.
I'm so eclectic and I use it in my work all the time.
Like playlists?
What I used a lot with Lee on The Paperboy was Al Green. Lee has never listened to anything past 1970! [Laughter]
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Reader Comments (84)
Oh my god. I just love all of this. Nicole is just fearless, and your excitement in this interview is just palatable.
This is such a thrill. Nicole, I hope you read this! We love you around here, and know you've made Nathaniel very happy. When i was a teenager earlier in the last decade I visited Australia and one of my first questions of my host family outside of Brisbane was, "So, does everyone basically worship Nicole Kidman here?"
They said, "oh, she's ace. You can understand her! Much better than that Jodie Foster. The other day we were watching The Silence of the Lambs and we almost had to switch on subtitles to understand Jodie Foster's hillbilly accent—where was she supposed to be from?"
And I said, "West Virginia. I'm also from West Virginia."
But anyway, I rewatched Margot at the Wedding recently and just can't get over the incredible tonal varieties in her work. She's an artist and a star. The best.
Thank you soooooo much, Nat
this is why you are special!! your interview with Nicole is so different from the others... thank you so very much...
That was wonderful! I'm so happy/jealous that you had the chance to talk to her and I just love that you let her know how much you (and so many of us) appreciate her work. She could have coasted on high prestige period pieces and romantic comedies after 2001, but she's continued to go for complex/challenging work that may not always endear her to the masses, but will surely go a long way in securing a legacy as a great actress.
Wonderful interview. You're gushing, but it's just so adorable. And you should have told her that for a Kidman fan (like me!), her SAG nom was the " highlight "of this awards season.
I'm so jealous and proud of you, at the same time!
So pleased as punch that you imparted her just how important "Birth" is.
LOVE. HER.
And love your comment on legacy. Perfect thing to say to her. Thanks for sharing this. And also, totally jealous and always will be.
Great interview, Congrats!
"For The Hours..."
This is just amazing.
You didn't even mention me to her once? Or give her my e-mail or my phone number or anything? It's so rude, Nathaniel.
Once I'm ready to see past your obvious aggression towards me (or maybe you just didn't print that part of the interview?), I will be ready to say: this is totally lovely, and combines so much of my favorite stuff about you with so much of my favorite things I project or believe about her. Just delightful.
I feel like Holly Hunter in Raising Arizona. I just love her so much!!! SOB. She could not be more wonderful. Loved hearing about her process. Man, is she brave or what?
It's funny, I started reading thefilmexperience years ago when I was very very young because I had fallen madly in love with Moulin Rouge and I was looking for someone else who seemed to adore this beautiful glorious brilliant creature Nicole Kidman as much as I did. And many Google searches later, I was led here and I've been reading ever since. It was wonderful to read this interview not just as a fan of Nicole Kidman, but as a fan of this blog. Congratulations Nathaniel!
Amazing interview! Good job, Nathaniel! I'm so happy for you. And I have to say: AAAAAH NICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLEEE!!!
I was basically living vicariously through you while reading this interview, Nathaniel. Kidman is someone who I've always had an enormous amount of respect for her since I first watched Moulin Rouge! as a teenager. Going through the rest of her work up to that point afterwards always brings about fond memories. I really love her and this interview has to be one of the best I've ever read involving her. You really asked questions that others profiling her don't always get around to (I think it's because you talked about more than her current project, but delved deeper) as well as fun things like her playlist (!!!). And I think she really appreciated your praise of her and I'm glad that you mentioned that you think she's the most important actress of the last decade. It's something that so many of us shout from the rooftops and it's funny that she says that she doesn't hear praise like that too often.
She should come hang out with us! She'd get more than an earful.
zoe -- amen, right?
Nick -- i tried to give her your phone number but she was all "oh, i don't need that. We're psychically connected. he's the only one that truly understand that what I was going for in The Others was indeed 'ceramic beffudlement' "
Holy shit this was great!
Thank you. I'm speechless. I appreciate this interview completely.
Whether she was actually aware of Birth's cult following or not, I'm so glad you brought it up. It may just be my insignificant opinion, but I think her performance in it is her best, and that close-up at the opera is - dare I say - life changing. I love how much of a sensitive, eager person she seems to be, feeling everything and willing to experience all that life has to offer. We all look forward to many more years of affecting, courageous performances Nicole!
Congratulations! I agree with you: she is the most important actress of the past decade. And I´m happy to read her favorite films are Moulin Rouge!, The Others and The Hours. I consider those her best films.
That makes sense, that she feels psychically linked to me. I assume it was her voice that coaxed me to show up to Landmark Kendall Square 90 minutes before Portrait of a Lady's first matinee in January 1997, to make sure that I got a ticket before the theater sold out. An obvious, logical deduction on my part. Suffice to say, by the time the movie started, there were only six people in the theater. But I was one of them! I feel sure she knows this.
Yours in ceramic befuddlement, N x.
Gosh that was just like...the perfect interview. Nicole is such a lovely person it seems and this interview really shows that! You are a very lucky dude, Nathaniel. Good for you. Great great great stuff.
Loved this!
Truly a joy to read. I LOVED her comments about "Birth" as I'm sure we all did!
This is so perfect. I'm really kind of speechless. I love her but what made the interview even better is your obvious love for her.
I'm gonna cry.
This was incredible on a lot of levels, and it's always fantastic to be reminded of her intelligence and awesomeness, BUT HER MENTIONING AND PRAISING ICONA POP ACTUALLY MAKE MY MIND EXPLODE.
She really might be the best person ever.
What a great interview! I love that you gave her the time to give long and thought-out answers since she's so intelligent about her craft. I feel like it's quite rare to get an interview where the marriage of knowledge/preparation/curiosity in the interviewer and openness/wilingness in the subject is just perfect and this is definitely one of those cases. We even get to hear about her music tastes and to hear her reaction to that glorious grammy moment!
I was going to bed, but then saw this and woke right back up.
LOVED it. I would've been way more embarrassing with my gushing so kudos to you! Plus, you covered *ALL* the points! did you have a checklist? But i'm so glad you mentioned the significance of Birth. I sincerely hope she took note of what you said and is secretly a reader of the site (Hi, Nicole if you are!).
One of the best interviews I've ever read.
Thank you, Nathaniel... and thank you Nicole.
This is great.
So awesome. Definitely worth the wait. Thank you!
Such a beautiful thing, this interview! I think your great skill lies in that you can show your love and respect for the other person's work in way that will prompt a disscussion and not make the other feel like you're superficially impressed by them and just want to flatter them because it's the easy thing to do.
You know, whenever you talk to one of YOU R LOVED ONES I'm always thinking 'God, I hope she (it's always SHE :p) knows what she means to Nathaniel and not just assume he likes her because she's famous/pretty'. And you totally make them "get" how you feel.
Funny thing: When she says 'I don't know if you know him?', I was thinking that I might have answered (If I were you): I'm a cinephile. OF COURSE I KNOW HIM. But you handled it politely :p
Thank you so much! (and I'm not even a huge Kidman fan)
I truly hope she's a secret reader of your blog and that she sees all the love we have for her around here. So I'm gonna just pretend and say: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nicole for offering this interview to Nathaniel! Not only did you make him cry while he was transcribing the interview, you made me tear up while reading it. You're a legend, and your work will live on and be admired past our times. Birth is probably is in my top ten movies of all times. And you should know that The Others is too. Congrats for the nominations on your performance in Paperboy! And whether or not you get the Oscar nom, that performance has already cult status. Keep it up! xx
Nathaniel, thank you, thank you! So jealous and happy at the same time that you got to engage with her with such candor and intelligence.
I must say I didn't expect her to be that adorable. Someone who answers "I'm standing here in a tiara and a white beaded dress and Cartier jewels." totally deserves our reverence.
PS I love love Birth.
Thank you Nathaniel, this interview was very nice.
I'm surprised she didn't pick Dogville and Eyes Wide Shut alongside Moulin Rouge. To me these are the 3 films that define her career.
Her career-defining performance still remains To Die For I guess, but her most iconic role is Satine of course.
Fantastic interview. It's nice to see your enthusiasm shining through, without it overwhelming the scope and depth of the interview - feels like an actual conversation rather than a questionnaire, unlike so many interviews these days. And on that note, I'm so incredibly jealous that you had such a wonderful discussion with her, and so pleased for you too.
(And it is brilliant that she likes Icona Pop. 'I Love It' to hit big next year, pleaseandthankyou)
Christmas has come early. Thank you for posting this!
Beautiful interview balancing depth with affection. As personal and real an interview as I've read with the divine Ms. Kidman. Bravo, N.
She's the sweetest thing! This whole interview just made me wanna see all her movies again! I'm so glad she doesn't need audience approval, that kills creativity and the careers of so many artists (whether painters, writers, singers or actors). Rock on Nic!
I had such high expectations from this interview and I'm reeling from beyond. Thank you for such a wonderful piece.
this is a dream interview, and I'm so grateful you told her how we all feel and especially with Birth! Thank you so much Nathaniel, I hope you manage to do a live one on one with her in the future.
You did not let us down, its so overwhelming, no amount of gratitude is will suffice.
Fantastic read. Thank you! So-o-o glad you/she touched on Birth, which is my favorite performance of hers and, my God, built to last. Bravo!
I don't have much to add but "congratulations," "great interview," and "When Nicole tells you to listen to Icona Pop, you listen to Icona Pop! They fun!"
I think you hit every note perfectly! And the best part was that when it was obvious to her that you were a fan and respected her work, she really opened up and gave some of the best answers on this recent press tour.
I've seen Birth brought up quite a bit to her in other interviews, as well as Eyes Wide Shut. It's nice to see a lot of these other interviewers acknowledge that her work has been important.
I'm so in love with this interview! ♥ The thing you said to her (!!!) and her answers (!!!) love love love. I have read TFE for many years, maybe 8, but this is definitely a HIGH note.
Thank you.
BEST INTERVIEW EVER!
She seems so cute and lovely! I love her ^^
Thank you, this was lovely. I mostly admire solitary artists, like painters and writers, but Nicole makes a vivid case for artistic collaboration, how it's not just about compromising your talent but expanding it. Moviemaking is still mysterious and foreign to me, but this interview made it a little clearer.
She seems sweet.
How long did it take you to comedown from the interview? And what drug was it most similar to?
I... can't... even...
I could literally HEAR HER in my head when i was reading this. So clearly that I actually wanted you to post the audio of the interview just so I could see how accurate i was or wasn't. I just love that her personality comes across so clearly in interviews. She's amazing.
That line about doing the interview in a tiara, white dress and Cartier (equally awesome if it was untrue as if it were true)?!?! AND she loves Katy Perry and Icona Pop?!?! Hunties, Nicole Kidman is more than just an actress. She is a TASTE MAKER, and she just snatched every wig in the game. BOW DOWN, PEASANTS!
GOD how I worship her!
I was reading "so if you'r working with Lars Von Trier, it's very different Kubrick or Campion," and then my head exploded. Because not fair.
Also, every time I read your interviews I can't help but think of how grateful the interviewees must be to get asked questions they haven't heard a thousand times. Really, you're just fantastic at this.
Thank you!
Nicole is, in my honest opinion, the last of the true movie stars.
You are all so kind. Really I don't think i'm great at this (i know some areas for improvement) but I *really* appreciate the kind words.
agent 69-- a LONG time. But I'm not a drug user so i couldn't tell you ;) the movies are my narcotic of choice. For me this was the most exciting interview I've ever done with the possible exception of Julianne Moore since that was in person and she gave me a hug! (no, i did not ask)
denny -- TOTALLY (on the true or untrue bit about the tiara). Ha!