Nicole Kidman

Interview By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

Nicole Kidman seems content. There’s a serene quality to her voice as she speaks about what it means to be fulfilled, in her career as well as in her family life. This glowing Australian beauty seems at peace. And why shouldn’t she be? An Oscar-winning actress with a flourishing film career, two children, and a new husband—Kidman is living out her dreams.

In her new film Margot at the Wedding (written and directed by Noah Baumbach), Kidman’s title character is not quite as together. While visiting her recently engaged sister, Margot finds she is less-than-thrilled with her sibling’s choice of mate. The long-estranged sisters simply don’t get along, and their reunion is filled with emotional arguments as both try to work out their own personal demons.

“I think she’s having a breakdown,” Kidman says of her character. “I think she’s in crisis and there’s ways in which she’s coping with that and the way in which she’s reacting and behaving is really just an indicator of all the inner turmoil. And I think part of Noah’s writing is that he’s wickedly funny. He’s dealing with disturbing parts of family life and he’s able to bring humor. I’ve always been attracted to things like that.”

In terms of playing the neurotic Margot, a woman so different from herself, Kidman relied on some outside factors to help her get into character. “I think Noah’s really strong understanding of what he’d written and also to work with Ann Roth again who I worked with in The Hours and she did Cold Mountain with me,” she says of what helped her become comfortable with playing Margot. “[Roth is] the costume designer and one of the greats in the world. She really works well with me; she’s able to find pieces of clothing and helps me with the walk and all of the things that you need to change. And somehow she gave me the pair of woolly socks and that cardigan and I was able to sort of slop around in those while we were rehearsing and that somehow just triggered the whole feeling of the movie for me. Just being able to walk around with socks and no shoes in the house gave a

very casual feel. And also the glasses that she gave me. Then obviously I worked with a dialect coach because Margot is such a New Yorker and even though I’ve lived in New York on and off, it’s still something that probably intimidates me a little bit. Particularly a writer who’s intellectual that can be intimidating so in order to play her I had to just sort of jump off and say ok I can do this. And Ann Roth and Noah both gave me a lot of confidence.”

Although playing Margot was at first a scary concept, it was ultimately her differences in personality which led Kidman to the role. Rather than drawing from familiar experiences, Kidman was able to explore a whole different human psychology. This, she says, is what fascinates her the most. Being that Margot’s relationship with her sister in the film is the polar opposite of Kidman’s relationship with her own sister in real life, Kidman had to work to understand a foreign way of life.

“My relationship with my sister—we’re very joined I would say,” she explains. “We’re twin-like in our relationship and she’s a huge part of my life and there’s an enormous amount of support there. I really wouldn’t have gotten through parts of my life without her and I would say she would say the same thing about me. So the combativeness of this sibling relationship is what interested me because I think it’s fascinating when you have this expectation that when you are family you should be getting along. And I think there are a lot of people in this world that would say I don’t get along with my family and I should and I’m trying, but for whatever reason just because we have the same blood running through us doesn’t mean that we are necessarily the right chemistry together.”

Speaking of chemistry, Kidman is currently re-teaming with Baz Luhrmann, her Moulin Rouge director. The two are filming in Kidman’s native Australia, and it’s a film that holds personal significance for Kidman. “I’m very happy to be in Australia,” she says. “I’ve been there since April making this film and it’s the film I dreamed of making when I was a little girl. I hope

it lives up to my expectations because I wanted to make a film that’s deeply romantic, that’s got sort of a magical quality to it but that’s still is a sweeping drama sprinkled with some comedy, so if we can pull that off I’ll be very, very pleased. It’s also nice to be able to stand by a director you’ve worked with before and say let’s try to make something unusual and special.”

Are there any directors she’d still like to work with? According to Kidman, the list is quite long. “I seek out directors who I’m curious about who I think are strong voices,” she says. “I’m not frightened of difficult directors, I’m drawn to that in a way, and I love working internationally…I suppose I’d really like to work with Scorsese. I’d love him to construct a film around a woman. I ask him all the time, I beg him!”

For now though, Kidman is pleased with her choices. While she appreciates the fortune of her success, she much prefers creative satisfaction to big bucks at the box office. After all, a small film like Margot doesn’t come with a hefty paycheck. “Primarily I’m there for the long haul so I will do theater, I’ll do small films, occasionally I’ll do a big film, but I suppose my heart is about the artistic path and that’s what satiates me ultimately,” she says. “And it’s wonderful to have financial rewards and at the same time I’m in a place where I can just now work as a woman in the things I want to do and that’s hard earned. I’m very pleased to be in a place where I can say I have my home, I have my marriage and I’m able to now follow an artistic path and still take care of myself.”

With Kidman firmly in control of a stable, balanced life, her calm, content demeanor is certainly well-warranted.