And Nicole Kidman, for all of the daring ways she’s taken on hard roles in the past, is doing it again with her latest film, “Babygirl.”
But the 57 year old actress best known for her film roles in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ has donned a very different role, one which delves into the world of power, sexuality and the professional relationship.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” star Harris Dickinson plays Romy’s much younger intern in this sizzling romantic thriller, in which Kidman plays a high-powered CEO imprisoned in a loveless marriage who has a passionate affair.
In UK cinemas next year, ‘Babygirl’ promises explosive on-screen chemistry between Kidman, Dickinson and Antonio Banderas as Romy’s husband.
It deals with the relationships at their most complex: emotional and sexual, towards which Kidman’s character is subjected.
While “Babygirl” deals with hard subjects, Kidman had to contend with more than the plot. Kidman confronted an unexpected personal battle during the filming of movie’s intimate sequences.
She admitted in a candid interview that sometimes her sex scenes can be ‘overwhelmingly’ sexually charged.
Kidman said there were times when she was shooting that she was like ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more.’
The scenes were so intense, actress laughs, ‘I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life!’ While filming, she also said, ‘It’s like, don’t touch me.’
Kidman went on to say that despite the difficulty, she had the trust and caring of her co stars. Dickinson, Banderas and director Halina Reijn were all part of the collaborative environment on set that she spoke about.
Reijn’s approach, Kidman said, was important, especially for a movie dealing with such a sensitive topic, because it meant having a female director. Kidman said he knew Halina wasn’t going to take advantage of him. “There’s the story I wanted to be a part of, I wanted to tell.”
The three worked with intimacy coordinators to make sure everyone was safe and comfortable during the more explicit times.
Kidman’s comments were echoed by Dickinson, who praised the effort put into the sequences, saying: “We were all very, very gentle with each other, and helped each other.”
Kidman has played sexual parts before but she says “Babygirl” pushed her far beyond. The actress said her motivation for the job was to find new aspects of herself as an actor.
As an actor, I’ve always been on a quest, always going: ‘Where have I not been? ‘I said, ‘And what can I explore as a human being?” she said.
Kidman admitted the script had a big impact on her reaction to it. “It was so funny, but it was hypnotic,” she said, calling it “turned on” stuff.
As Kidman’s ‘Babygirl’ is soon to be released, fans will be eager to see how she navigates this new chapter in her well known career.
The Academy Award winning actress is still willing to take risks and challenge herself in unanticipated ways — and this picture is just one more example.