Nicole Kidman reveals more about The Undoing and how her kids made it into the series

Nicole Kidman has revealed more about how her new show The Undoing was cast, and how her kids got in — even when they “fired” her at home.

No one does distraught and disturbed as well as Nicole Kidman.

Even the title of her latest HBO murder mystery, The Undoing, seems to somehow imply another stellar performance from her dark side is inevitable.

Playing an affluent New York City therapist, married to Hugh Grant’s successful paediatric oncologist, is most certainly mired in the grim reality of finding out the hard way that white privilege is no defence for betrayal, dysfunction, and homicide.

Perusing her resume of troubled roles most recently – the abused wife in Big Little Lies, the beaten down detective in The Destroyer, or Bombshell’s discarded Fox News anchor woman – it’s clear the thread that binds these women together is their underlying strength.

Kidman nods: “They’re complicated women. But I think the word ‘strong’ gets thrown around too frequently because it’s not so much about strength … the thing I’m really interested in is resilience. I like exploring resilience.”

Explaining her apparent predilection for bleak material to The BINGE Guide, she shrugs her shoulders and says: “I grew up on European cinema and, while I say that in jest, it’s true. Ultimately, the roles you take on are what you end up being offered and are the result of the way directors see you. But remember, although Moulin Rouge was a tragedy, there was a humour in it. And To Die For, that was a comedy, the black kind.”

Anyone who has spent time with Kidman will attest that she most certainly leaves the darkness and the drama for the screen.

She laughs often and easily. In fact, her co-star Grant describes her as “a silly Aussie girl with a great sense of humour”.

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Nicole Kidman seen filming on location for 'The Undoing' on the Upper East Side in New York City. Picture: GC Images

Clearly delighted with that description, she offers, “I think I’ve always been silly and funny but that was always in the privacy of my home. Now,” she continues, “that’s part of loosening up in terms of just ageing and going, ‘OK. I can be more myself.’ But I think I was probably a lot shyer when I was younger.”

Indeed, the growth of Kidman’s confidence, both on screen and behind the camera, has seen her take greater control of her career.

Besides taking the lead in The Undoing, the 51-year-old doubled as executive producer, playing a part in the choice of director, key cast while keeping the studio bosses across the production of the six-part series.

Her name alone is enough to bankroll most projects, but her skill in juggling her performance with her producer duties is also earning her effusive praise from those working by her side.

Danish director Susanne Bier [The Night Manager, Birdbox], for one, marvels at Kidman’s acting ability to “access characters and just deliver.”

“Maybe she is from outer space because she just becomes the character and she delivers. Every take is different, but all of it really truthful and real and amazing. And then she leaves set and you call her up and she’s a producer,” Bier says.

“It’s like having an ally to hold hands with because she’s incredibly supportive. She’s been in the Hollywood system since she was very, very young. And she understands how everything works and she’s very smart about it. So whenever there is an issue, she was amazing to deal with because she will very elegantly handle things, but not in an intrusive way. She’s the kind of producer that when you need her, she is so there, but she’s not imposing.”

For Kidman, the David E Kelley script – written with her in mind for the role of Grace Fraser – was a large part of The Undoing’s allure – reuniting with her Big Little Lies creative partner.

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in The Undoing, screening on Binge and Foxtel.

“What really drew me to the story is that it’s so twisty and nothing is what it seems,” she notes. “It also addresses the question of how well we really know our partners, or even our children. The psychology of the series is that we choose to see certain things, but also that everyone has secrets. It really dissects a marriage … it really digs in.”

The chemistry between Kidman and Grant has been 30 years in the making, what seems a lifetime ago now, when Kidman was married to Tom Cruise.

“I met Hugh when he was with [then-fiancee] Liz Hurley and we all went to dinner. He wasn’t yet ‘Hugh Grant’ at that point,” she adds, with one of those ever ready smiles.

“He hadn’t done Four Weddings yet but he was up-and-coming. After that film he really hit. And since then we’ve always been in the same circles because we have friends in common. He’s unbelievably smart and such a good actor. Sometimes he wants to work, sometimes he doesn’t. He has this love/hate relationship with acting and he passes on most things he’s offered.”

The casting of Donald Sutherland, as her obscenely wealthy and caring father came, from a more personal place, Kidman explains: “Donald reminds me of my father, so we immediately had this connection.”

In supporting roles, Edgar Ramirez as the lead detective, and rising Italian star, Matilda De Angelis, also impress.

But there are two more supporting actresses she’s particularly excited about, with her daughters Sunday, 12 and Faith, 9 making a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearance.

“They’re in the first episode,” Kidman laughs. They’re used to being extras, but they did five days in the freezing [New York] cold, never complained, and didn’t get any special treatment. And then one day they came home and said, ‘We got a line!’”

Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and Nicole Kidman seen filming on location for The Undoing on the Upper East Side in New York City. Picture: GC Images

Naturally, it’s nearly impossible to be objective about one’s own children and their burgeoning talents, but mum has a lighthearted attitude to their efforts.

“My oldest [Sunday] wants to be a filmmaker and she makes films every weekend. The little one is battling to get in them, but she had a tantrum and wouldn’t say the lines. And actually, I got fired last weekend,” she confesses, with a laugh.

“I keep vouching for Faith, saying, ‘She’s a good actress. Put her in one of your films!’ So that’s what’s been happening at my house.”

“That was Susanne [Bier]. She said to me, ‘I want you to have your hair as red curls, which you haven’t done in years. It’s how you’re meant to look, and I want you to go back to that.” She pauses: “I’m amazed at the way people like it on me. Maybe it’s because it looks like it did when I was younger.”

Her statuesque frame – she stands at 180cm tall – is of course another trademark feature she struggled to make peace with.

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“I’ve had a complicated relationship with being tall,” she admits. “When I was younger, I’d always fall in love with the boys who were much smaller than I, and I remember being at school and nobody wanting to dance with me because I was a foot taller than all of them,” she chuckles. “Actually, one of my most jarring images is of a boy being dragged across the floor [to dance with Kidman], going ‘No!’ It scarred me for life.”

Nicknamed “Storky” at school it was a traumatic for the teenager, “but then finally, I’ve gone, ‘Okay, own it. Enjoy it. Wear your heels, wear your platform shoes. Hold your shoulders back, and don’t stoop.”

As she continues filming Nine Perfect Strangers in the Byron Bay hinterland, Kidman is also preparing for her next role as a chorus girl in Ryan Murphy’s musical comedy, The Prom.

“I can finally use my height because she’s a showgirl and her thing is her legs and her high kicks, which I’ve been practising,” she beams.

“But this is different from Moulin Rouge. This is a [Bob] Fosse dancer, so it’s a very particular type of dance. It’s a huge leap for me and way out of my comfort zone,” she laughs, adding “let’s just hope I can get those high kicks down!”

* The Undoing, 12pm, Monday on Fox Showcase and streaming on BINGE.