Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman, and the 2000s switcheroo that made them both stars
The problem with being an actor, I can only imagine, is the fierce level of competition that stars face. A role can only be played by one person, after all, and there’s such a slim chance that you’ll actually win the part, even if you’re a mega-famous star.
But sometimes, everything works out for the best. In the case of Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger, a switcheroo, so to speak, actually worked out for the better, allowing the two stars to find their footing in Hollywood. Kidman was already a star – let’s not forget her previous appearances in the likes of To Die For, Batman Forever, and Eyes Wide Shut – but it was Moulin Rouge! that earned the Australian actor her first Academy Award nomination.
Zellweger, however, also auditioned for the part, having recently broken through with her leading role in the iconic British rom-com Bridget Jones’s Diary. It was a turning point for the actor, and it truly marked the beginning for her – the only place she could surely go was up.
While director Baz Luhrmann recognised her talents, he wasn’t convinced that she was right for the role of the tragic courtesan Satine. So, the Australian filmmaker got in contact with Rob Marshall, whom he knew was looking for a Roxie Hart in his adaptation of Chicago.
So, Kidman landed the role in Moulin Rouge! alongside Ewan McGregor, and the jukebox musical proved to be taxing but ultimately rewarding. Kidman actually wasn’t sure if she was capable of the role for a start.
She revealed in an interview with GQ, “When I got the role, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing. I get to do a musical. And Satine, I love Satine.’ And then, when we started, I was like, ‘I’m not gonna be able to deliver for him.’ Because it was like singing live, and dancing, and on top of all the comedy, and the drama, it was just sort of a… it felt like an out-of-reach film for me.”
Meanwhile, Luhrmann was worried, funnily enough, that he was going to lose his leading lady to Chicago. He told Kidman in Interview Magazine, “There was a time when I thought I might lose you to Chicago. But you chose Moulin Rouge!” Of course, Zellweger would land the part of Roxie in Chicago, earning an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Actress’.
Zellweger hadn’t done a musical before, so she was a little nervous to throw herself into the role, but once she committed to it, she realised that, no matter how she felt, she had to deliver. “This was an extraordinary experience; to learn a new medium of expression is unbelievable,” she told CBS News.
“Singing makes me feel very vulnerable. Because I had to open that up, say ‘Here’s my heart. What do you think?’ Well, it was scary. And to get through that, something that I had been very, very protective of and closed about for so long. The rest of it was [an] adventure.”
