Nicole Kidman picks her three best movies
After just under a decade of ascending the ranks of Australian cinema, starring in such lost gems as 1983’s Bush Christmas and The BMX Bandits, Nicole Kidman transitioned to Hollywood in 1990 with the Tom Cruise-led Days of Thunder – and since then, she’s never looked back. The Aussie actor went from strength to strength, sharing the screen with heavy hitters like Dustin Hoffman and appearing in huge franchises like Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.
By 1999, Kidman had secured an acting opportunity that most actors could probably hardly have dreamed of: working with the great Stanley Kubrick, reuniting once again with Tom Cruise for the maestro director’s final movie, the erotic slow-burning thriller Eyes Wide Shut, in 1999.
By the time the 21st century rolled around, the actor was more than just a household name – she was an undisputed and indomitable superstar. Now, she has a career spanning 40 years and a filmography that’s close to 70 titles. Fans of Kidman may struggle to pin down a definitive movie of hers – but Kidman doesn’t.
In an interview with The Film Experience, the actor was questioned about which three movies she’d want people to see of her work. Considering her acting career has taken her all over the world, working with high-calibre directors such as Sofia Coppola, Ang Lee and Lars Von Trier, one might imagine her selection to encompass the whole breadth of her journey. Instead, her picks consisted of movies made consecutively. “It’s so weird,” the actor admitted, “Because I did all of them back to back.”
First up was Baz Luhrmann’s decadent 2001 romantic musical Moulin Rouge. In the movie, Kidman takes on the role of Satine, a captivating star of the Moulin Rouge cabaret in 19th-century Paris. What sets this film apart in Kidman’s career is not only her seamless blend of acting talent with remarkable and genuine singing and dancing skills but also the audacious style and magnetic presence that she brought to the role – making her much more than just the love interest of Ewan McGregor’s Christian.
Another work that holds a special place in Kidman’s heart is The Others, directed by Alejandro Amenábar. In this atmospheric and haunting tale, Kidman portrays Grace Stewart, a woman living in a dark, isolated mansion with her two ‘light-sensitive’ children during World War II. It’s a chilling psychological horror that relies on suspense, atmosphere, and a mind-bending twist that would have made even M. Night Shyamalan gasp.
Kidman’s third pick is The Hours, directed by Stephen Daldry. A profound exploration of the interconnected lives of three women from different time periods, it also boasted Kidman’s astonishing transformation into the iconic writer Virginia Woolf. With a prosthetic nose and a deep dive into Woolf’s psyche, Kidman embodies the character gracefully and authentically, earning her the Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’.
Nicole Kidman picks her best movies:
- Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
- The Others (Alejandro Amenábar, 2001)
- The Hours (Stephen Daldry, 2002)
