Ever since her rise to stardom in the 90s, Nicole Kidman has remained a leading female star in the Hollywood landscape, delivering a plethora of acclaimed performances both on the big and small screen. And recent years witnessed Kidman deliver an exceptional performance in the HBO Show Big Little Lies, which many consider the actress’ best performance to date.

But delivering such an immense performance wasn’t an easy task for the actress, as dissolving completely in her character took a heavy toll on her, especially during the filming of an intimate sequence.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman felt humiliated while filming some difficult scenes in Big Little Lies 

To stand out among the other A-listers in the HBO series, which involved names like Meryl Streep and Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman completely dissolved into her character of Celeste Wright. But tackling the role, which involved her character being trapped in an abusive relationship wasn’t easy for the actress, especially during the naked scenes, which left her feeling ashamed on the set. Further reflecting on her experience, she explained filming one racy s-x sequence during episode 7 of the first season finally broke her, leaving her crying on the bathroom floor half-naked.

“I was just lying there, sort of broken and crying,” Kidman said. “And I remember at one point Jean-Marc coming over and just sort of placing a towel over me because I was just lying there in half-torn underwear and just basically on the ground with nothing on and I was just, like [gasps].
But despite the overwhelming challenges that arrived her way, Kidman was adamant about doing the character justice, resulting in her performance being praised unanimously.

Big Little Lies

Nicole Kidman has nothing but admiration for Jean-Marc Vallée

Despite the challenges that the actress had to overcome, Nicole Kidman had the utmost admiration for director Jean-Marc Vallée, who comforted her after she broke down into tears after filming a difficult scene. The Eyes Wide Shut star commended the director’s skill and was fascinated by the writing for her character, which motivated her to give her best shot at the HBO Show. She explained,
“But it was beautifully written, I have to say, and Jean-Marc is an exquisite director because he was able to modulate it and allow it to be and to grow and see and then sort of paste it together, you know.”

Nicole Kidman and Jean-Marc Valléeq

Apart from rave reviews from critics, who flowered the show with extreme praise, Nicole Kidman also received heartfelt emails from fans, who resonated with her character.

Big Little Lies is available to stream on Max.

Source: W Magazine