Nicole as Grace on Paris Match
Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 11:16PM I haven't mentioned Nicole Kidman in forever! (heh) The goddess has been busy. In addition to awards press for The Paperboy, she's been been filming Grace of Monaco and now she's covering Paris Match.
I tend to like Nicole's riskier messy projects more than her prestige polished ones. Give me a Dogville or a The Paperboy any day over a Cold Mountain or a Human Stain (anyone remember that one?). So I'm not looking forward to Grace of Monaco or The Railway Man, her 2013 films, in quite the way I usually look forward to her projects but I'll definitely see them for her. Stoker on the other hand...
I'm not sure that cover does Nicole any favors but I've been steeling myself for the inevitable "she's too old to play Grace Kelly" criticisms to come, which will conveniently forget that Grace Kelly lived to be 52 and that we only think of her as a startling young beauty because she was frozen in the public imagination for work she did in her early 20s (High Noon, Dial M For Murder, The Country Girl and Rear Window).
Grace Kelly in 1961 when she was 32
The film takes place in the early 60s when Grace was in her 30s. I'm not sure where I was going with this so I'll quit now.
Reader Comments (49)
Nathaniel, I think she has another movie coming out in 2013 - The Stoker, with Matthew Goode & Mia Wasikowska. Will it fall under "riskier messy project" or "prestige polished one"? Risky, maybe?
PJ -- ooh, right you are!
Did you get to read the first paragraph of that Paris Match article? Using an online translator, here it is. Perhaps one of your French-speaking readers can help clean up the translation?
"This is a long speech, more than six minutes, she must decide. Nicole Kidman is preparing for days, weeks maybe. She repeats, perfect every time. When Olivier Dahan, the director shouts "Action! , "The actress rocking in another dimension: it is Grace of Monaco. Assistance is holding its breath until the end. Not only the first shot is good, but the emotional charge was so powerful that it has frozen faces. The time has stopped, the silence continues. Rare moment on a movie set, technicians and three hundred extras remain speechless, tears flowing. "Cut! '
Wow! Goosebumps. I can't wait to see this film.
Wow, you are fast to add in that. I didn't even remember you have those posts on Stoker... well, until I read the "Matthew Goode makes me quiver under my bodice", LOL. That's when I said, yup I read that before. The "Stoker on the other hand" means it's definitely a YES for you?
Kelly doesn't appear as glamorous in those press photos as Kidman does in her character cover.
I can't wait for Stoker. It looks SO good. "I can't wait to see life tear you apart"
I was skeptical about Grace as well but these articles from France have helped ease my concerns. The film seems to be more of a power struggle between obligation, stardom, privacy and expectations.
Nicole can relate to all of that on so many levels, especially when it comes to expectations, and if she uses this film to successfuly depict that inner turmoil then It will be quite a fascinating piece. Grace might be the subject of the film but it's Nicole's own experience and relationship with fame that will be on display.
I think it will turn out well, it certainly is quite an ambitious project.
Hmm.
I'm not feeling that cover at all. Not particularly flattering and i'll stop right there.
My biggest problem is that Grace was so naturally stunning. Nicole used to be, but she's altered her face with too many cosmetic procedures that never cease to distract me during her movies.
She might have been "frozen in the public imagination" in the US, but I assure than in Europe we had a weekly dose of her in magazines during her princess years.
I'm also distracted by Nicole's face these days. In movies like Hemingway & Gellhorn it becomes such a problem, but anyway I'm perfectly aware this is not the right place to discuss the matter.
They should have cast Charlize Theron. I love Nicole, but I agree with you she needs risky and not prestige
I think Gwyneth fits better into the princess type.
I'm skeptical of the casting, but I know they needed an actress of her caliber to get international interest/money.
She makes me laugh in her photo as Grace, is quite ridiculous. Too old and unexpressive for that role. Somebody like Charlizze Theron will be a lot better. Nicole insist in playing young women, she have to face the fact she is not young, not anymore.
Hey, I remember "The Human Stain". I was probably one of the 10 people in the world who saw that mess in theathers.
I don't think she insisted on playing younger woman; she palyed Mia Wasikowska's mother in Stoker. If I am not mistaken, the sceenplay was in black list of best unproduced screenplays so it must be pretty special. And I remembered reading article that this role was sought after by many actresses and the producer settled on Nicole in spite of younger actresses going after it. I am cautiously optimistic regarding this project because of Dahan at the helm but I hope this turns out well.
I find those "they should have cast so-and-so" and "she insist in playing young women" type of comments a bit ridiculous. First of all, no matter what she wants to play, the producer(s) and director(s) would need to be willing to cast her. With this film, they supposedly auditioned at least 15 actresses. And they picked Nicole. Obviously they think she is the best choice.
We will see how is Nicole be beautiful in Grace Kelly,But that is Nicole,and not Kelly.But i am still support this project@
Please.
Theron looks more like the new Princess of Monaco with her broad shoulders and Paltrow is too angular to play Grace. Naomi Watts would have looked too common and Chastain looks nothing like Kelly. So who would you cast ? Michelle Williams ? She lacks this "air" that one needs to play a royal.
Anyway there's no one in Hollywood who looks like Grace so Kidman is the best choice I think.
Naomi Watts is playing Princess Diana so there is an ongoing fascination for A-list actresses to headline biopics. Thank goodness I am not the only one here who finds Nicole's plastic surgery distracting. She is only 45 but is obsessed with remaking and freezing her face.
If Nicole Kidman is making movies and you find her face distracting then why bother wasting close to 2 to 3 hours sitting and watching the films? The face has been there for about 7 years and there is still whining? oh boy......Stoker, Railway Man, GoM are coming, will they be followed by more whining about her face? lol
As for wanting to always play younger women - apart from Gellhorn and Grace, did I miss something in her filmography?
What about Theron and Paltrow put Olivier Dahan and his producers off casting either of them since they were considered.
Finally, she still finds her groove and performance just as the natural looking actresses out there so what is the problem? Is it that it is more fun for some people when she throws out a Trespass (2011), Bewitched (2005) and Stepford (2004) unlike when she is on her game and shows how it is done thus making some people worry that she will usurp their favourites because she has "starpower and is "popular" when neither are greatly evidenced.
We long for the likes of Pfeiffer, Dern, Jason Leigh, Collette and many more to get the kind of opportunities Kidman is searching out, attacking and claiming as her own, isn't that a good thing rather than settling into playing unsatisfactory, under-done roles?
"remaking and freezing her face"? In the nearly 30 years that she has been in showbiz, she has always had a striking resemblance to her mum, dad and sister. And she still does. Are you implying that all four of the Kidmans have the same "remaking and freezing" procedures at the same time so they can still all look alike? lmao!
@ Amy
Right on. The Kidman bashing is weak. She doesn't have a myth backing her legacy like some overrated keepers of the throne.
Is that a great cover? No. Should Rosamund Pike (or Amy Adams, who I'm just realizing REALLY resembles Kelly) be playing the role, instead? Maybe. Will I be watching said film anyway? Absofuckinglutely.
Her plastic surgery and botox as well, she is now more unexpressive than ever, and she was! Her photo as Grace is a comic parade.
It's the upper lip...and, OK, the forehead. (She looks more like a young Margaret Thatcher in this photo than Princess Grace.)
Kidman actually did resemble Grace Kelly quite a bit in The Others, in which her character was named, oddly enough, Grace. (Too bad she didn't make Grace of Monaco 10 years ago.)
http://wodumedia.com/the-others-2001/nicole-kidman-as-grace-in-a-thriller-movie-the-others-2001-distributed-by-warner-brothers-7
Amy, 3rtful:
right on!!
all these depressed bunch of haters are just frustrated that Nicole keep rocking on while their idols has no interesting jobs on hand.
Her photo of Grace says all! Good staff! Oh, And I was remenbering Fred Bassett. She is good for comedy and a good laugh, she looks really funny...... Say whatever, Ja, Ja, Ja....
Per IMDB, Grace of Monaco is a 2014 release. I doubt they want to put her up against Streep's upcoming juggernaut of August:Osage County.
There's no urgency on the Academy's end to award Streep another statuette immediately.
That cover isn't very flattering. There are far better pictures of Kidman as Grace Kelly out there.
In any case, I'm sure she'll be fantastic in this role. I can't think of a better actress than her to play Kelly.
And 2013 should be a great year for her with Stoker, The Railway Man and this. And maybe an Oscar nomination for The Paperboy?
Still she does look like Fred Bassett in that photo and others too. An unexpressive face never gets better, and with botox, plastic surgery, etc., well, the result are those photos. Age got a lot to do, of course. Save your bum bum bla bla bla!
@Titania : Why do you keep on posting the same nasty, vicious comments again and again? It's ridiculous.
it's almost 2013 and people are still talking about nicole's face? get over it already!
besides, kidman keeps doing strong work, moving forehead or not.
AaronSGreen -- i imagine it's one of those that says one year but will easily get a last minute berth in the previous year if they feel there's Oscar potential. They've been filming for awhile so there's no way it won't be ready for Christmas 2013. Just a matter of whether they want to release it then or not. I'm personally hoping for 2014 since two Kidman features in 2013 is juicy enough (and I like to spread the wealth)
I loved NK in Moulin Rouge, The Hours and The Others. Then she kind of spazzed out with really bad film choices (Bewitched, Stepford Wives). She jacked up her face and got a boob job. For a film actress, it's deadly to alter your appearance and be believable as a character (unless that character is someone who the audience is supposed to believe gets facial fillers and plumps up her lips). In Rabbit Hole, you could tell that her face had been fussed with. Now it's smooth and plump again. From the comments above, it seems as if people will follow her no matter what she does (or there is some denial going on). But I think plastic surgery is a horrible message for girls or young actors. Aging is inevitable and audiences will spend time looking at someone who is aging just like them. Plastic surgery makes the actor remote and unrelatable. In addition to odd film choices, this may be why Nicole is not popular with audiences. My two cents.
NOTHING gets as ridiculous as her face.She really resembles Fred (middle aged). You like to impose your likeness of Freddy Bassett alike. Pu pu pu
@Duncan : What are you talking about? You say : "For a film actress, it's deadly to alter your appearance". Um, Nicole Kidman is still one of the world's most respected and most sought-after actresses. She got an Oscar nomination for Rabbit Hole in 2011, an Emmy nomination, a SAG nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Hemingway and Gellhorn and a SAG nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for The Paperboy in 2012. In 2013, she'll have a movie directed by Chan Wook Park, one co-starring Colin Firth and she'll be Grace Kelly.
So how has whatever she did or didn't do to her face been bad for her career?
Rabbit Hole and Paperboy were both commercial failures. The HBO movie received mixed reviews and was seen by a very limited cable audience. She also made ill advised appearances in recent Nic Cage and Adam Sandler movies. Let's revisit this when she has a hit movie.
@Duncan - I still don't see your point. Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Aniston have had several flops as well and yet you won't accuse them of being "unpopular with audiences". What Louis said still stands. Kidman gets work because she's an actress of a certain caliber who consistently takes on challenging material helmed by risk-taking auteurs. They seek her out and vice-versa.
Anyway, I won't deny that the photo is unflattering, but the photos from the actual set of the film look much better (thankfully).
All her movies bombed and she is box office poisson. She even makes a movie earning only 65,000. Well says all. Poor Fred Bassett look alike. We talk briefly and wise.
Titania Duncan Paul whoever Jenny
You gals are sick.
I can never be better than Nicole Kidman, so suck it if I don't get SAG
Titania, Antonio, Paul , Jenny and I-don't-care-how-many-more-names-you-add-here:
Check out boxofficemojo,com. Nicole's Hollywood films:
North America boxoffice (adjusted for ticket price inflation) - total to date: US$2,258,301,800 (over $2.2 billion!)
Worldwide (unadjusted) - total to date: US$$3,351.5 million ($3.3 billion!)
Add in all her major awards and nominations. That's why she'll continue to get work. :)
Fred Nicole Bassett is downhill and for her , the ending is starting now. BE wise and BREEFLY, don`t talk out of dessperation. Both Fred and all of you are really desspered. Bum Bla bi bi bo bo bu PU Anything is better than Fred.
Is too late for Nicole Fred Bassett, and for all of you, we act in our own, not because we got favours, People are not silly. Fred is nothing those days, and that started a few years back. She works even for nothing as werll as she appears in a movie, is not so easy for her tyo find somebody to cast her. You can`t full nobody. Save your garbage. PU PU PU
Titania & etcetera... this is getting ridiculous. I don't generally delete comments unless they start insulting fellow commenters but I don't know who Fred Bassett is and you clearly have an agenda that has nothing to do with commenting on the post. So please chill.
Fred Bassett is Nicole look alike, do find out about him. Most people know him from the comics. Says all.
I always knew Kidman will never be nominated for the Academy, but she insisted and it didn`t happen.
Every year there are award worthy performances that are not nominated by the Academy. No one can know for sure how the Academy is going to vote each year. As long as Nicole is still making films there is always a possibility that she could be nominated if her performances are deserving of an award. Just my opinion but I don't believe that everyone who is nominated by the Academy deserves their nomination and to some extent I think popularity plays a role in the nominations and awards. Nicole deserved nominations for To Die For, Dogville, The Others and Birth at a minimum so I do not think she is going to get a nomination for her popularity but that her performance will have to be exceptionally brilliant for her to get another nomination. And I believe she is capable of that.