Nicole Kidman
LUMINOUS NICOLE KIDMAN IS AN ENGAGING INTERVIEW SUBJECT, WITH A SHYNESS THAT CONTRASTS WITH HER FORMIDABLE SCREEN PRESENCE. AS HER NEWEST FILM, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, HITS CINEMAS, SHE TALKS TO BRET LOVE ABOUT CHILDHOOD OBSESSIONS AND LEAVING HOLLYWOOD
YOU’VE LARGELY AVOIDED THE TYPICAL HOLLYWOOD CAREER PATH. TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR ECLECTIC TASTE IN ROLES?
I think it comes from being a strange child and just having a slightly different view of the world. It’s very complicated, whatever it is that makes you what you are. I’m not a psychologist, but I know that I was aware of being different and creating an existence within my head when I was little. A lot of the same obsessions or ideas I had when I was six, seven, eight and nine are still being played out now.
WHERE DOES YOUR DRAMATIC INTENSITY COME FROM?
The lines between life and art get blurred at times, but I think that’s a good thing. If you take what exists within you and put it into your work, in some ways you’re feeding something that’s not so indulgent. You’re taking it to a different level, expressing yourself but also trying to reach out to a broader group of people. You look at somebody’s work as an actor and you can see their emotional life being fed into it and you can kind of feel them through it.
YOU’VE ALWAYS SEEMED VERY DETERMINED. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE SO DRIVEN TO SUCCEED?
It’s a weird thing, because it’s not about going to parties or getting an award, but about having something inside you that you need to express. I’m glad that I’m getting to tell stories that I feel are important. I’ve been in the place where you can be dying to express yourself and are not given the chance. So much of being an actor is being given the opportunity, because you’re not the writer and you’re not the director. It’s really nice to be given that chance now.
YOU’VE BEEN CALLED A WORKAHOLIC. AT WHAT POINT DOES A CREATIVE PASSION BECOME AN OBSESSION?
Everyone seems to talk about filmmaking as work, but I don’t see it as work! (Laughs) It’s more about the joy of being asked to play these roles with extraordinary directors. For me, acting is not a business. It’s about trying to make pieces of art that I believe in and that I can feel proud of, and the journey behind that. There’s no drive, but more of an acceptance of what my life is, which is that of an actress, and somebody who absolutely loves what they do and would continue to do it whether you paid me or not.
IS THE PRICE YOU’VE HAD TO PAY – YOUR ANONYMITY – WORTH IT?
Once it’s not, I won’t do it anymore. I have children. I have a husband. I have a whole other life. I have many other interests, so I don’t really see myself as an actor for the rest of my life. When that creative drive dries up, I’ll walk away. I think there are times in your life when you just have to do these things that come out of you. You can’t even control it, so you just succumb to it and see where it takes you.
Bookmark This Post
