Nicole Kidman isn’t afraid of ‘incredibly disturbing’ roles
The Australian star returns to Cannes after eight years to receive the Women in Motion Award.
Nicole Kidman returned to the Cannes Film Festival this week for the first time in eight years — with proof that her 2017 vow to champion female directors wasn’t just a sound bite.
The Australian star, 57, was awarded the Women in Motion Award by Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault, Cannes president Iris Knobloch, and festival director Thierry Frémaux.
Kidman took the stage to reflect on a promise she made at Cannes eight years ago: to work with a female director every 18 months. “I was going to make it possible,” she said during the Kering-hosted talk. “I was at a point where we had a discussion where there was such a disparity in terms of the choice. You’d go, ‘Could a woman direct this?’ And there wasn’t a number of names where you could even consider people. They’d say it was someone’s first time and you didn’t want to risk it.”
She didn’t just keep the promise — she exceeded it. Since 2017, she has collaborated with 27 female directors across film and television. She’s teamed with veterans like Susanne Bier and Karyn Kusama, as well as newcomers such as Halina Reijn (Babygirl) and Mimi Cave (Holland).
“We will take the risk and we are going to mentor and support and help and then really protect,” she said. “Because part of it is surrounding the women with a force field of protection.”
She recalled how, early on, even finding women directors was considered risky. Her solution was simple: attach herself to the projects. “I’m here. I’ll be in your film,” she said. “The only way to do it is to actually do the work.”
Though Cannes has often been criticised for its lack of female representation — some years featuring only one or two women in competition — this year sees a record seven.
Kidman singled out first-time German director Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling as a standout: “Now we’re all going, ‘What’s next?’ That’s exciting. That’s why we have these festivals.”
She also spoke about the kind of roles she’s drawn to now. “I’m looking to experiment. I don’t want to be contained. I don’t want to be safe.” One director recently told her, “I have something incredibly disturbing. Are you frightened of that?” Her response: “Absolutely not. I’m thrilled about it.”
As for directing herself? “No. I always say no, but then I turn around and change my mind,” she said. But she did reveal she keeps a dream journal full of ideas “circulating in my head and my life and my heart at that time” scribbled down at 3am.
For now, she’s content producing through her company, Blossom Films, and supporting others. “I really enjoy the intimacy of the work. That’s probably the thing that keeps me coming back. It’s salvation for me.”
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