i was really looking forward to meeting nicole in london, but even as superstars, travel plans can be ruined these days, so we talked virtually. nicole kidmanjoining us from los angeles, welcome to this cultural life. thank you. thank you for having me. you were born in hawaii and moved to sydney with your australian parents at the age of four. your father was a clinical psychologist and biochemist. was it a creative upbringing? yeah, absolutely. i mean, as much as i grew up the daughter of a scientist who became a psychologist, i was also the daughter of a nurse educator, but they were both academics. erm, but there was an enormous love of the arts. i was always taken to the theatre, opera, symphonies. my mother loves opera. what are your earliest memories of favourite films? i would go to a place called the independent theatre, which would show films, and we were all allowed to flop around on bean bags. they didn t have chairs, they didn t have seats, they had bean bags. an
an international star for over 30 years now. i was really looking forward to meeting nicole in london, but even as superstars, travel plans can be ruined these days, so we talked virtually. nicole kidmanjoining us from los angeles, welcome to this cultural life. thank you. thank you for having me. you were born in hawaii and moved to sydney with your australian parents at the age of four. your father was a clinical psychologist and biochemist. was it a creative upbringing? yeah, absolutely. i mean, as much as i grew up the daughter of a scientist who became a psychologist, i was also the daughter of a nurse educator, but they were both academics. um, but there was an enormous love of the arts. i was always taken to the theatre, opera, symphonies. my mother loves opera. what are your earliest memories of favourite films? i would go to a place called the independent theatre, which would show films, and we were all allowed to flop around on bean bags. they didn t have chairs, th
why have you chosen that? once again, took a massive chance with me. believed i could sing and dance and act in the same film. erm, gave me satine, who ijust became and loved, and people still think i am. she laughs and, erm. ..gave me that, and i watch that film, and i m like, i can t believe i made that. i m so happy that exists. ..gave me that, and i watch that film, and i m like, i can t believe i made that. i m so happy that exists. i m so happy i got to be satine and i got to do it with ewan. and i have such magical memories of it and i find
did it change your own idea of what you were capable of as an actor, do you think? yeah, yeah. pushed me. i m not necessarily running out going, i want to do another musical. but, yeah, it.it pushed me into places i didn t even know i was capable of going, which is what s happened on the lucille ball film, on being the ricardos, iwas like. i mean, physical comedy, that is so hard. i did a tiny bit of it in moulin rouge, i was reminded the other day. you know, where i do the. on the floor going, ah, ah, ah. and that was all sort of improvised and so fun. so there was some physical comedy in that, but. ..lucy s physical comedy is clown. i mean, it s broad and extraordinary and she created all that and it was like, oh! , and my absolute, like. ..i cannot believe what she. what she did, and how she could get a laugh, and she would do anything
the film magical and he s. baz is magical. you played satine, the consumptive courtesan, opposite ewan mcgregor as the struggling writer. was it the first time you d sung professionally? i d sung at drama school, when i would go to the little weekend drama schools. i was never that good. i always had friends who could belt it out, and i was never a belter. but baz, when i went and auditioned for him, he had me audition with the song, erm. # nobody does it better. that song, which is not in the movie. erm, and i remembersort of acting singing it. and baz on set as a director, what did you take away from him? well, he s an actor. he started as an actor, so he can act it. erm, so you re getting that support, where he understands the actual process. he understands how to get you there. and he s very, erm. he s, you know.