Nicole Kidman is training to become a death doula
Nicole Kidman is in training to become a death doula, a decision that was sparked following the passing of her mother in 2024.
While speaking recently at the University of San Francisco, the Australian actor shared that she is training to become a professional who provides various levels of support to the dying.
The word “doula” usually relates to professionals who help mothers non-medically during pregnancy and childbirth, though “death doulas” have been on the rise.
She admitted that, though the decision “may sound a little weird”, she recalled the experience of watching her 84-year-old mother, Janelle Ann, pass away two years ago.
As per the San Francisco Chronicle, she shared, “As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide.”
She added, “Between my sister and I, we have so many children and our careers and our work, and wanting to take care of her because my father wasn’t in the world any more, and that’s when I went, ‘I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care.’”
On top of Kidman’s mother tragically passing away, the 58-year-old actor and Keith Urban recently ended their marriage after 20 years.
Another famous name in the industry also boasts this special talent; Hamnet director Chloé Zhao is a death doula, specifically as a result of her fear of death and dying.
She told The New York Times that her anxiety surrounding death has impeded her life experience: “Because I’ve been so afraid, I haven’t been able to live fully … And because I’m so scared of it, I have no choice but to start to develop a healthier relationship with it, or the second half of life would be too hard. It shouldn’t be this terrifying that I can’t even live.”
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