Nicole Kidman Says ‘Babygirl’ Would Have Been Different With a Male Director: ‘There’s a Safeness’
Writer-director Halina Reijn was crucial to Nicole Kidman’s experience filming “Babygirl,” the actress told Elin Hilderbrand as part of a lengthy interview with The Guardian published on Saturday.
“I don’t think I could have given the performance with a male director. She was the one that wrote it. She was the one that understood it,” Kidman said. “A man directing this, it wouldn’t have been the same, because he can’t actually be in my body, but she can.”
The actress continued, “We share that form, and so we have the ability to communicate telepathically almost, with an understanding of what our bodies will do. And all bodies are different, but there’s a safeness, and there’s a secrecy almost to the sexuality that had to be shared. And that’s why it was a very, very, very different experience for me.”
Reijn further told The Guardian the pair connected after Kidman watched her film “Instinct” and they had a meeting. “Later on, when I began writing the script for ‘Babygirl,’ Nicole was definitely in my mind. I felt she would be one of the few people who would bring the courage to a character like this. It’s not a very likable character from the start. Romy has a lot of layers and you have to be able to play all those different roles.”
Additionally, Kidman answered questions from her industry friends, co-stars and colleagues, including Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Jackman and Sam Mendes.
Witherspoon asked her “Big Little Lies” co-star if there was a character she’d be interested in revisiting. “Actually, the character I would love to go back to is the character in ‘The Others’ [the 2001 gothic horror directed by Alejandro Amenábar] — Grace,” Kidman answered. “Because I feel like ‘The Others’ gets overlooked and I loved that character.”
Jackman noted that Kidman tends to “try anything once” — but asked if there is anything she would hesitate to try. “I’m pretty much up for trying anything once, Hugh knows that, I’m game for most things,” she admitted. “So I can’t think of anything. Is that crazy? [Pause] I actually wouldn’t do Everest. There you go. I’m never going to do Everest. I just don’t think I’d make it to the top. Because even though I have a risky side, I’m careful. And that wouldn’t feel good, right?”
“Babygirl” is now playing in theaters.
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