Nicole Kidman

Date of Birth
20 June 1967, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Birth Name
Nicole Mary Kidman

Nickname
Nic

Height
5' 10½" (1.79 m)

Mini Biography

Elegant redhead Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Australian parents Anthony (a biochemist and clinical psychologist) and Janelle (a nursing instructor) Kidman. The family moved almost immediately to Washington, DC, where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage to her parents' native Sydney. Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge -- as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student). Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and TV offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries "Vietnam" (1987) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989).

Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line, and sinker. After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993/I). Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still hadn't quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance. In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion, on the adaptation of Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in The Peacemaker (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire.

She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes. Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mom was a feminist; dad, a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia Kidman, discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mom eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born in 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts. Her marriage to Cruise ended mid-summer of 2001.
IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors

Spouse
Keith Urban (25 June 2006 - present) 1 child
Tom Cruise (24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark

Often plays cold, emotionally vacant characters.

Trivia

Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25 1995/January 1 1996 issue)

2000: She and her husband Tom Cruise donated to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York state.

Suffered a broken rib while rehearsing a dance routine for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001). Production was halted while she recovered.

1999: Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

1996: Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

Wore a corset while filming The Portrait of a Lady (1996) to take her waist down to 19".

Spent two weeks in bed after filming of The Portrait of a Lady (1996) - diagnosed as suffering from "emotional stress".

Her father is renowned Sydney psychologist Dr. Antony Kidman, famous in his own right for work done with breast cancer patients, among other things.

Family: sister, Antonia Kidman, brother-in-law, Angus Hawley, father, Dr. Anthony David Kidman, mother, Janelle Ann MacNeille Kidman, son, Connor Antony, daughter, Isabella Jane.

10/99: Crusader against child abuse. "Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty.".

2/5/01: Separated from husband Tom Cruise.

In Moulin Rouge! (2001) Kidman sang alongside Ewan McGregor.

She has two adopted children with Tom Cruise: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).

Sang alongside Robbie Williams in a remake of the duet "Something Stupid", originally sang by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra.

Scared of butterflies.

2001: Named one of People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2001.

2001: Named E!'s Celebrity of the Year.

2001: Named Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of The Year.

Played a young girl named Grace on a sketch on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) with Mike Myers, the next time she played a character named Grace was her 2001 movie, The Others (2001). She played a character named Grace for the third time in Dogville (2003).

She was supposed to be the star of Panic Room (2002), but she hurt herself in a stunt for Moulin Rouge! (2001). So, she played the voice of Jodie Foster's divorced husband's wife.

2002: Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine.

Sister of Australian television personality Antonia Kidman.

Although naturally left-handed, she taught herself to write right-handed for her role in The Hours (2002), where she played the right-handed author Virginia Woolf.

1/13/03: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Found out about her first Academy Award nomination, for Moulin Rouge! (2001), while shooting Dogville (2003) in Sweden.

2003: Ranked #31 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #83 in 2002.

First Australian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award.

8/02: Voted the 5th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine.

Measurements: 34B-23-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

In recent polls, she was elected alongside fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman as one of the favorite upcoming romantic couples on screen.

Originally cast as Mrs. Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

Has appeared in My Life (1993/I) with Michael Keaton, Batman Forever (1995) with Val Kilmer, The Peacemaker (1997) with George Clooney and The Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Christian Bale. All four actors have played Batman in a movie.

She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1999 (1998 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Blue Room".

Best friends with Naomi Watts.

1998: She was awarded the Special Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her special and significant contributions to London Theatre for her performance in "The Blue Room".

A very tall woman at nearly 5' 11", she actually stood about 4 inches taller than ex-husband Tom Cruise, and rarely wore heels when seen publicly with him so that they could appear similar in height. Since their divorce, she is rarely seen on the red carpet without high heels, and she often meets 6' 4" actors in the eye.

Scored an IQ of 132+

While she usually commands $10 million+ for a movie, she is willing to receive only $500,000 for her role in "Eucalyptus (2006)". Produced by Fox Searchlight, its financing guideline shows that each actor signed on to the project can receive no more than $500,000, to keep costs low. This movie will be produced in Australia, another reason she decided to accept it.

Frequently does her own nude scenes, declining to use body doubles.

Replaced Rene Russo as Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever (1995) when Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton.

Likes the poetry of Anne Carson and the writing of Phillip Larkin.

Writes short stories in her free time and hopes to publish them one day.

Is in the 50th-anniversary edition of the Guinness Book Of Records as the highest-paid actress in a commercial. She netted $3.71 million for her part in a four-minute Baz Luhrmann-directed Chanel No. 5 movie ad. The ad, costing $11 million a minute, is a short film titled "No 5: The Film". Guinness book editors noted the actress earned $928,800 per minute. Costumes designed by Karl Lagerfeld and score by Debussy.

Good friends with Russell Crowe.

Was considered for the role of Catwoman (2004).

Had played a witch twice. Once in Practical Magic (1998) and again in Bewitched (2005).

2005: Premiere Magazine ranked her as #48 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.

2004: One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People for most wanted skin.

Friends with Renée Zellweger and Jim Carrey.

Is a pianist, and did her own piano-playing in Cold Mountain (2003).

Is highly conscious of avoiding excessive sun exposure, and is rarely seen during her downtime without a hat, sunglasses and wearing sunscreen. In fact, best friend Naomi Watts has said that "Nicole won't cross the street without a hat."

In addition to having worked with all four of the most recent Batmans, she has also worked with both of the most recent actors to play Alfred Pennyworth. In Batman Forever (1995), she appears with Michael Gough. In Bewitched (2005), her father is played by Michael Caine.

Shares her birthday with Brian Wilson, Josh Lucas, Tina Sinatra, Lionel Richie, Olympia Dukakis, Martin Landauand Errol Flynn.

Has one niece: Lucia (b. 1999) and two nephews: Hamish (b. 2001), James (b. 2003).

8/04: Australian business magazine Business Review Weekly listed Kidman as the richest Australian woman under age 40, estimated at a worth of $155 million (Australian).

Is a childhood friend of Peter Overton, a reporter for the Australian "60 Minutes" (1979) program. Both lived in the same suburb of Sydney when they were children.

Has Irish ancestry.

She and ex-husband Tom Cruise made 3 movies together: Days of Thunder (1990), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Far and Away (1992). They met on the set of Days of Thunder (1990).

Attended the same high school attended by Catherine Martin (two time Oscar winner for costume design and direction on Moulin Rouge! (2001) and wife of Baz Luhrmann) and legendary Australian actress Ruth Cracknell.

Godmother of Harry (b. 19 September 2001), the son of Simon Baker and Rebecca Riggs. Riggs and Kidman are close friends.

Named goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Was listed as a potential nominee on both the 2006 and 2008 Razzie Award nominating ballots. She was suggested in the Worst Actress category on the 2006 ballot for her performance in Bewitched (2005). And she was suggested again two years later on the 2007 ballot in the Worst Actress category again for her performance in The Invasion (2007). She failed to receive either nominations.

2006: Her performance as Suzanne Stone Maretto in To Die For (1995) is ranked #40 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

2006: Accompanied her boyfriend Keith Urban to the Grammy Awards. It was their first public appearance together.

2005: Ranked as #69 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.

5/17/06: Engaged to country musician Keith Urban.

Is allergic to strawberries.

Wore a wedding gown at her wedding to Keith Urban by the label Balenciaga.

Married Keith Urban in the St. Patrick's church in Manly, a suburb of Sydney.

230 guests attended her wedding to Keith Urban. Among them were her best friend Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Jackman and Nicole's two children Isabella and Conor. Jim Carrey was invited and greatly wanted to come, in fact he booked plane tickets to Australia, but last minute scheduling conflicts stopped him from going.

She asked her wedding guests not to buy any presents for her and Keith Urban but to donate the money instead to some humanitarian organization.

She and Keith Urban honeymooned in Tahiti -- more precisely the St Regis in Bora Bora. Eva Longoria Parker and her boyfriend Tony Parker were also coincidentally staying there at the time. (So much for "getting away from it all".).

Her second wedding ceremony lasted 35 minutes.

Four Oscar winners were at her wedding to Keith Urban: Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Catherine Martin and Kidman, herself.

Baz Luhrmann read a love Psalm by New Zealand writer Joy Cowley (a nod to Urban's birth place) at her wedding to Keith Urban.

Three star performers sang at her wedding reception to Keith Urban. Hugh Jackman sang "Tenterfield Saddler", a favorite of Urban's. Keith Urban sang his hit song "Making Memories of Us" to her. Neil Finn sang "Fall At Your Feet".

Dropped out of the role of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004) due to scheduling conflicts.

Ex-girlfriend of Lenny Kravitz.

2006: Lives in an apartment in Sydney, with her husband, country music singer Keith Urban. (2006).

Author Philip Pullman requested her specifically to play the role of Marisa Coulter in the movie adaptation of his book "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass".

Studied ballet and drama in Australia.

Keith Urban's brother Shane Urban was best man at their wedding.

Keith Urban gave Nicole a first edition of Emily Brontë's novel, "Wuthering Heights", purchased from Sotherby's for $200,000 as a wedding present.

Keith Urban's brother Marlon Holden was best man at their wedding.

Stepmother of her adopted children Isabella and Connor is Katie Holmes.

Wrote the introduction to the book "Truth: Personas, Needs, and Flaws in the Art of Building Actors and Creating Characters" by her friend and acting consultant Susan Batson.

2004: Topped The Hollywood Reporter's list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood .

9/01: Attended the Royal Premiere of Moulin Rouge! (2001) alongside Kylie Minogue, Prince Charles and Ewan McGregor.

Was considered for the lead role in The Painted Veil (2006), which eventually went to her best friend Naomi Watts.

Is a fan of actress Aishwarya Rai, and her film Bride & Prejudice (2004). Nicole got to meet Aishwarya for the first time at the 2005 Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world dinner held in New York City.

Was cast as Ulla in The Producers (2005), but backed out due to scheduling conflicts.

The bridesmaids at her wedding were her adopted daughter Isabella Jane Cruise, her sister Antonia Kidman and her niece Lucia.

In honor of her June 2006 wedding to singer Keith Urban, Australian TV presenters Simon Reeve and Nelson Aspen teamed up to sing Nicole a live rendition of the theme song "Bewitched" on the morning news program "Sunrise" (2003).

4/13/07: She was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia, which is Australia's top civil honor, at a ceremony in Canberra. She was honored for her contribution to cinema as well as her charity work with women, children and cancer research.

Was slated to star alongside Russell Crowe in the movie adaptation of Murray Ball's novel "Eucalyptus," but the project was dropped.

Wore a red wig for her role in Moulin Rouge! (2001).

2006: Presented her The Peacemaker (1997) co-star George Clooney his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Was cast in Baz Luhrmann's doomed Alexander the Great-project.

2004: Presented her The Interpreter (2005) co-star Sean Penn his Best Actor Oscar.

Jim Carrey is her best male friend.

December 2007: According to Forbes, her movies averaged $8 of gross income for every dollar the actress got paid.

Earns $4 million per year endorsing Chanel No. 5 perfume. Her three year contract is up for renewal in 2007.

Turned down the lead role of "Roxie Hart" in Chicago (2002) because she had just completed Moulin Rouge! (2001) and did not want to do two musicals in a row. Her friend, Renée Zellweger, won the role of Roxie and an Oscar nomination for her efforts.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year to be $28 million.

She and husband Keith Urban, purchased a farm near Leipers Fork, Tennessee, which they are now renovating. (November 2007).

Was originally cast in Ridley Scott's Emma's War (2011).

Moved in together with Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh during filming Margot at the Wedding (2007), because they wanted to perfect their roles as a dysfunctional family.

Welcomed her first child with Keith Urban, a daughter named Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, on Monday July 7, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. Kidman has said Sunday is the couple's favorite day of the week because it can be both lonely and happy depending on whether "you've got your family" around. They also found inspiration in Aussie art collector Sunday Reed, whose first name Kidman's father suggested as a possibility. The baby's second name is a tribute to Urban's grandmother, Rose.

To prepare for her role in The Human Stain (2003) she visited women's shelters and talked to former victims of abuse for inspiration.

Her and Tom Cruise's high profile divorce was finalized the same week that her horror movie The Others (2001) was released.

When she went to Sweden to shoot Dogville (2003), it was the first time in 15 years that she had flown on a public plane.

For her role in Birthday Girl (2001) she went to the Russian Embassy in Australia for help in speaking Russian. She didn't work with any other coach on the set except the woman from the embassy.

Got the role as Diane Arbus in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) after Samantha Morton backed out.

To make the character 'Marisa Coulter' in The Golden Compass (2007) so good as possible, she read the whole His Dark Materials trilogy, and wrote small notes, whenever she found something personal about the character.

While filming The Invasion (2007) she was involved in an accident while riding with others in a picture car mounted on trailer being towed by a camera truck rig. While filming a stunt in downtown Los Angeles, the truck took a turn too wide, slid on wet pavement, and collided with a light standard. Several stunt artists on the picture car were injured in the accident. Ms. Kidman was brought to the hospital as a precaution, but was able to return to the set the next day.

With a beautiful letter, Philip Pullman convinced her to take the role as Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass (2007).

Just like Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, and Robin Williams she did her own singing for Happy Feet (2006).

While she was searching divorce from Tom Cruise, she lived together with her friend Naomi Watts.

Her friend Naomi Watts turned down the female lead in The Interpreter (2005) because she knew Nicole wanted the role.

Has always dreamed of working with her friend Steven Spielberg.

Like to work with costume designer Ann Roth, with whom she worked on Margot at the Wedding (2007), Cold Mountain (2003) and The Hours (2002).

One of her favorite movies is Gone with the Wind (1939).

Became good friends with Daniel Craig after working with him on The Invasion (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007).

She loved wearing the prosthetic nose, that she originally used in The Hours (2002) and wore it in private too, mainly as she was undergoing a divorce from Tom Cruise at the time and was attracting a lot of paparazzi interest. Much to her delight, by wearing her fake nose out and about, she found she could easily evade the paparazzi as they didn't recognize her.

She decided not to imitate Virginia Woolf's actual tone and voice because she feared people thought it would be comic.

She is distantly related to Isabel Kidman, the second wife of Jack Lee.

Good friends with Meryl Streep.

Did not return to work until two months after giving birth to her daughter Sunday in order to begin filming Nine (2009).

Replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role of Claudia in Nine (2009) after she quit due to scheduling conflicts.

Is a natural blonde.

Dyed her hair red during the nineties.

Admitted to have suffered an ectopic pregnancy very early on in her marriage to Tom Cruise, which was very traumatic to her. The experience made Cruise and Kidman decide to adopt.

Personal Quotes

[8/00, on her marriage to Tom Cruise] Every day there is a compromise. Living with somebody requires a lot of understanding. But I love being married. I really love it. Sometimes I try to downplay it a bit because people are like, "God you guys!" I just feel so fortunate that I have found someone who will put up with me and stay with me.

[on husband Tom Cruise] I wouldn't want to be married to me, but luckily he does.

[8/01, commenting on her break-up with Tom Cruise] Now I can wear heels.

It's so bizarre, I'm not scared of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies. There is something eerie about them. Something weird!

[on winning the Academy Award for The Hours (2002)] And I am standing in front of my mother, and my whole life I have wanted to make my mother proud. And now I'm going to make my daughter proud.

When I heard about the Suzanne role in To Die For (1995), I thought, "I'll never get it - it'll be offered to someone else." So I called Gus [Gus Van Sant] at home, and he took my call, thank God. I told him I'd seen Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and I really wanted to work with him. I said I was destined to work with him.

I think it's important that we don't all have to hold our heads high all the time saying everything's fine.

These different people that I play become the loves of my life.

The split [from Tom Cruise] left me very fragile but I'd love to marry again.

I would love to have boobs and a butt like Jennifer Lopez but I'm not having surgery so there it is.

[on receiving her star on the Walk of Fame] I've never been so excited to have people walk all over me for the rest of my life.

You want to take some responsibility in your choices so that it sets the groundwork for that next generation of actresses - so for me working with Lars von Trier, I would hope that says to another generation: "go and seek out those directors, it's ok"

[on Dogville (2003)] One day it would be a fairy tale, the next it was a nightmare. Lars [Lars von Trier] was gentle with me - he was gentle and soft, then he would beat me up emotionally when he felt he needed that. I did not always register what was happening until afterwards but you shouldn't have too much awareness as an actor, I don't think.

I have a boy's body. I would prefer to have more curves because I think that's more beautiful. I would much rather have J. Lo's [Jennifer Lopez] body than mine.

[on filming The Interpreter (2005) at UN headquarters in New York] As a backdrop for a thriller, it's fantastic, but also since I'm Australian and I've always worked internationally and this is an international place in New York, I really like the kind of communication it represents. I know I sound very much like my character now, but I do believe in this place.

[on Cold Mountain (2003), The Human Stain (2003) and Dogville (2003) being released within months of each other] It's weird because they're all coming out at once. But I made them over 2-1/2 years.

You look at somebody's work as an actor and you can see their emotional life being fed into it and you can kind of feel them through it. That's far more interesting than anything I could say about where I'm at or who I'm with. It's good to have a little distance. If you discuss your love too much, it just damages it.

[on the troubled The Stepford Wives (2004)] It's a comedy. We hope.

Even from a very early age I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.

Cinema is a director's medium, so you're saying, "What do you want?" Being an actor is about adapting - physically and emotionally. If that means you have to look great for it and they can make you look great, then thank you. And if you have to have everything washed away, then I'm willing to do that too.

[on Birth (2004)] This is a film about love. What is a great love? Is there a love of our life? Do you ever recover from the loss of somebody that was so important to you?

Stanley Kubrick taught me to believe in myself artistically. I spent my 20s raising my children, and wanting to, and being married. That was my driving force. And then he said to me, "No, you have to respect your talent, and give it some space, and give it some time." Which was a lovely thing to be given. And my children were a little older then.

It was by chance that The Hours (2002) came along. Was I in a place where I could say, "I'm going to go to England and make this?" Yes. Could I do that earlier, when I was married? No, I couldn't travel like that. We had a thing where we couldn't be separated for more than two weeks. So that made a lot of work just not possible. Which was fine by me.

I have moments where I've said, "Don't tread on that crack in the pavement, don't have a black cat walk in front of you." Deep down am I superstitious? No. Do I believe in trying to be as kind as possible and as compassionate as possible because ultimately you're alone with yourself and your own conscience, and you want that to be as clear as possible? That's not superstition. You have to just try and stay pure and know what you value.

Usually, a young actress can't deliver because she doesn't have the emotional baggage, really, to play those things. That's something that's very beautiful about becoming a woman, and becoming a woman in your 30s. If you've lived your life, and lived it where you've said, "I want to be a participator and not a voyeur", then you have an enormous amount to pull on.

I'm still just finding my way through. I don't actually see a path in front of me. I can see not ever doing it again, and I can also see other things pulling me away from this. It's strange, because I know it's in my blood in terms of having to somehow act or express myself creatively, but I'm willing to do it different ways if need be. And I think that's partly because when I went through my divorce I dealt with the idea of never ever working again, and never being here and never able to be an actress, and went through an enormous amount of soul searching, and at that time, I was very ready to give it all up, and dealt with that emotionally. I was going, "Well, I'll never be able to do this again." And that was OK. And, strangely, as life is so strange, that was when everything exploded.

I never feel like I'm in control. There's a certain type of actor that relinquishes control when they act, and then there's another type who ends up being a producer and director and they're more someone that likes to take control. I fall in the first category, where I like to relinquish control, and fit into somebody else's world. And that's just lately, but you never feel like you are making choices. You feel like they're finding you in a strange way. That's why when people say, "What role do you want to play next?", I say, "I don't know". I never know. It's about responding to things rather than planning.

I think someone said my career defies all logic [laughs]. Because I choose the sort of strange little films, and somehow they're the things that make my career.

So if you talk about a box-office career, then I'm a disaster. But somehow, you know, I still manage to find my way to work.

I think actors are getting so much more power these days, but I'm not. I stay very much away from the decisions, the way in which things are orchestrated, what's been changed. I just try to stay completely in the role as the actor and as the character.

I'm at a time of my life now where, for me to want to go back and work, it'd have to be something that I really feel passionately about.

Regrets are ridiculous, so I don't regret, no.

[talking about her character from Batman Forever (1995)] Chase is attracted to the darker side of life. Batman is very appealing to her.

To be an actor you have to have a certain amount of madness in you. That's why, when people meet you and you seem very together, they are quite surprised--they don't see you behind closed doors.

[speaking of her father Antony Kidman] He's a great father, I can call him at three in the morning and he's there for me.

By the time I was a teenager, I had developed skills as a writer, and my father encouraged me to think about a career in journalism. I began keeping a diary, which I maintain to this day. I used to fill whole notebooks with my writings.

My parents thought it was nice to develop my imagination, but they never seriously thought that anything would ever come of it. They said that I couldn't be an actress because I would be taller than all my leading men, so I thought I would be a writer instead.

It was very natural for me to want to disappear into dark theater, I am really very shy. That is something that people never seem to fully grasp because, when you are an actor, you are meant to be an exhibitionist.

Do you know I'm always scared that one day I'll look back and say "God they were the best years of my life and now what?" There are moments when you feel as if you have been blessed for a while, moments when you think this is perfect, moments when you start to believe that even for an hour, even for a year, it might all happen. So I'm determined to keep making it get better and better.

It's a very brave thing to fall in love. You have to be willing to trust somebody else with your whole being, and that's very difficult, really difficult and very brave.

[about her first role at the age of five] I was one of those terrible kids who said everyone's lines.

Since I have fair skin, I have to stay out of the sun. I can't stand the sun. I dyed my hair red for a while during the 1990s but I'm actually a natural blonde.

I'm very close to my sister, Antonia [Antonia Kidman]. Every day we swim together. I love my sister.

When I was a child, I was a natural towhead. Now my hair is naturally a darker shade of blonde.

I'd like to be wise. You have to go through a lot to get there, but I'm willing to go through a lot.

What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching?

Even from a very early age, I knew I didn't want to miss out on anything life had to offer just because it might be considered dangerous.

I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much.

I love acting but I don't like all of the other stuff associated with it. The interest in celebrities, the press, the Internet, when your identity becomes mixed up in the way people are perceiving you.

I have a little bit of a belly, a tiny bit of pooch. It's the one thing I don't want to lose. I just like having some softness. If I lose that, then Tom [husband Tom Cruise] might leave me.

I never knew I'd be in a musical, let alone win an award for one.

There's no drugs, no Tom [Tom Cruise] in a dress, no psychiatrists.

Having gone through all of this, I feel in some ways calmer now. It's strange, but sad. I think I'll always be sad.

I love acting, but it's much more fun taking the kids to the zoo.

[on her split with Tom Cruise] My life collapsed. People ran from me because suddenly it was, "Oh my God! It's over for her now!"

I love working with people who are inspired and obsessive.

As a child my hair was naturally red, but since I was 13 my hair turned light blonde naturally. It's really strange but it happened. Ever since Chase through the night, the directors made me dye my hair red, as they all thought it suited me at the time. Even for Dead Calm (1989), Phillip Noyce made me dye my hair red. Now the directors and studios just let me keep my natural blonde hair.

For an actor, facial expressions and emotions are really important. That's why I'll never have Botox. I've always been against that and seeing Botox on TV with all the swelling and pain put me off it anyway. The directors always allow actors with Botox but I just say. "No way, not for me". Drinking lots of water, eating fruit and doing yoga is what keeps me looking young naturally. I swear by it. I also use creams with natural ingredients to make wrinkles less visible. Everybody should try these things rather than going the plastic route, which I just hate.

You don't have to be naked to be sexy.

I'm a person that carries everything that happened to me in my past, with me into the future. I refuse to let it make me bitter. I still completely believe in love and I remain open to anything that will happen to me.

If I packaged toothpaste and told you you were gonna get half the toothpaste in the tube, you probably wouldn't buy it.

It would be far easier to go, "Oh, I wish I loved women," but I don't. I love the way a man thinks. I love the way a man smells. I love the way men look. And I'm hooked on the male physique - hooked on it.

You're either going to walk through life and experience it fully or you're going to be a voyeur. And I'm not a voyeur.

Salary
The Golden Compass (2007) $15,000,000
Margot at the Wedding (2007) $6,000
The Invasion (2007) $16,000,000+
Bewitched (2005) $17,500,000
The Interpreter (2005) $17,500,000
Birth (2004) $15,000,000
The Stepford Wives (2004) $15,000,000
Cold Mountain (2003) $15,000,000
Dogville (2003) $2,800,000
The Hours (2002) $7,500,000
Birthday Girl (2001) $1,500,000
The Others (2001) $7,000,000
Moulin Rouge! (2001) $7,000,000
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) $6,500,000
Practical Magic (1998) $6,000,000
The Peacemaker (1997) $5,000,000
The Portrait of a Lady (1996) $2,500,000
Batman Forever (1995) $2,500,000
To Die For (1995) $2,000,000
My Life (1993/I) $500,000
Far and Away (1992) $250,000
Billy Bathgate (1991) $200,000
Days of Thunder (1990) $200,000