‘Babygirl’: Nicole Kidman “Exposes” Herself as Part of the Movie’s Promotion

Whatever you may think of her, Nicole Kidman is, without a doubt, an acting legend and one of the best actresses of all time. From commercial projects like Batman Forever, via Kubrick’s controversial Eyes Wide Shut, to her masterpiece role in The Hours, the Australian actress has proven herself capable of tackling the most complex of roles.

The Oscar-winning actress has also been in the gossip columns from time to time, most often because of her physical appearance, as she was known to overdo it from time to time. And while this did not influence her career in a major way, the actress’ upcoming film Babygirl is a very controversial topic.

Namely, the movie explores the relationship between Kidman’s character and a young and handsome intern, which is certainly going to cause a controversy. The film is coming out on December 25, 2024, in theaters after having its premiere in Venice earlier this year. Now, Kidman is working on promoting the film and that is what we wanted to report about.

Written and directed by Halina Reijn, Babygirl will explore the complex dynamics of a workplace sexual affair between Romy, a significantly older CEO, and Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a young and handsome intern who works for Romy’s company.

The film will tackle a very controversial topic in, as you probably know, a very direct way, and we have been prepared for a lot of steamy scenes between Kidman and her young co-star.

Kidman has recently commented on how she got sick from filming so many sex scenes, which implies that the movie will not shy away from tackling the sensitive and controversial topic in an explicit way. While the initial reactions to the film were mostly positive, it remains to be seen how the audiences will accept this intriguing psychological film.

As part of the film’s promotion, the actress recently gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter in which she discussed the movie. The interview was accompanied by a very interesting photoshoot and you can check out all the images on the link we’ve provided. As for the interview, here are some of the most interesting details:

You described this movie to me as “a calling.” What was the calling?

A lot of times women are discarded at a certain period of their career as a sexual being. So it was really beautiful to be seen in this way. From the minute I read it, I was like, “Yeah, this is a voice I haven’t seen, this is a place that I haven’t been, I don’t think audiences have been.”

My character has reached a stage where she’s got all this power, but she’s not sure who she is, what she wants, what she desires, even though she seems to have it all. And I think that’s really relatable. There are many women who are going, “Well, I’ve done this, I’ve got children, I’ve got this husband, and what do I actually want?

Who am I and what are my desires? Do I have to pretend to be something else for people to love me?” I think it’s very releasing, this film. I hope it is. I’ve had some people say it’s the most disturbing film they’ve ever seen, which I’m like, “Oh no, I’m so sorry.”

She was then asked about the relationship between Romy and some scenes from the movie and her own life:

There’s a sequence in Babygirl where your character is undergoing all these different treatments — the cold plunge, the Botox. What did that sequence signify to you?

She’s doing everything to go, “Help me to be what I think I should be, help me be normal. Help me keep up with what I need to be. I’m fighting this losing battle.” [In a later scene,] she’s trying to say, “This is who I am. I’ve tried to be everything you wanted me to be, and I can’t, and will you love me anyway?”

And, of course, there were some questions about the more steamy scenes in the movie and their significance:

How did you figure out how to play the different types of orgasms in the movie?

(Kidman covers her face with both hands.) I blush, still! That’s insane. But that’s a good thing, I suppose. I’m very interested in exploring those things, but I’m not that extroverted. I was so in character. To pull the curtain back on all of it, it’s too sacred.

Well, let’s try to pull back the curtain a little. The movie starts with what I’ll call a “Hollywood orgasm” with her husband, meaning it’s all about the presentation, all for him. Later, we see orgasms where she’s not worried what anyone thinks of her, and they look and sound very different.

Those ones may not look pretty or sound pretty. Or be what we think is pretty. Halina has always wanted to do something like this. That’s probably why we constantly say we need women in all areas of filmmaking, telling different stories. It’s not just to be more fair. It’s actually because it’s kind of fascinating.

And for people to feel, “I can be who I am.” I want people to go see this in the cinema, not just clicking on this at home, secretly, watching it in their own little secret way. There’s something extraordinary about seeing it with a group of people.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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