The early criticism that still bothers Nicole Kidman: “I was mortified”
For most male actors, one of the biggest challenges they’ll ever face is whether or not their names are Hollywood enough. For women, on the other hand, it’s everything you could possibly think of – right down to their appearance. The great Nicole Kidman was no exception.
There are countless stories involving female actors who have experienced criticisms about their appearance. Florence Pugh got it a lot in the beginning because execs told her her face wasn’t right for Hollywood and encouraged her to change the way she looked. “All the things that they were trying to change about me – whether it was my weight, my look, the shape of my face, the shape of my eyebrows – that was so not what I wanted to do or the industry I wanted to work in,” said Pugh.
The only way she managed to get around this was both perseverance and working on projects she actually wanted to work on. Spaces where she could be “opinionated and loud” and focus on acting rather than surface-level triviality meant she eventually found an expressive outlet as an actor, rather than a constant battle to play a game she didn’t even want to play in the first place.
This is a common theme across Hollywood. Viola Davis was also once told she wasn’t conventionally beautiful, just like Selena Gomez faced criticisms about not being sexy enough – whatever that means. One of the most legendary names in the entire industry, Winona Ryder, was once told by a director during an audition that she wasn’t pretty enough and that she should turn her back on acting altogether because of it.
The list goes on: Jessica Chastain struggled to get leading parts because she wasn’t considered pretty. As a young girl, Meryl Streep faced the same treatment. And if all those examples aren’t enough to make you feel that deep unease in the pit of your stomach, just think about the fact that Mindy Kaling was once rejected for a role in a sketch show for not being attractive enough – and the role was to play herself.
Nicole Kidman isn’t immune to any of it, either. In fact, Kidman might have been beautiful enough to fit the standard – whatever it is – but the issue she faced in front of execs and directors was her height. To them, she was way too tall to make an impact in Hollywood, to the point where they told her she would never have a career because of it.
“I was told, ‘You won’t have a career. You’re too tall,'” she told Radio Times Podcast. “I had to talk my way through the door because they were measuring you before you went in. I was mortified.”
She continued, “I say I’m 5 foot 10 ½ inches, but I’m really 5 foot 11 inches. I was teased. I was called Storky.”
She’s admitted it still gets to her – unless it’s for a role, when she finally feels alright not shrinking herself down. And while she’s thankful for her health, she’s also spoken about the physical downsides of being tall, like knee troubles and other bits that can make the job a bit trickier than most realise.
Things have come on a bit over the past decade, sure – but let’s not kid ourselves, there are still loads of actors getting flak for how they look. Hollywood’s not quite the ruthless beast it once was when it comes to women, but it’s still got a fair way to go before it properly embraces a wider, more diverse mix of talent.
