Nicole Kidman talks ageism and resisting the narrative

Actor Nicole Kidman recently got honest about her experience in the industry, as well as fighting ageism and the resistance needed for such a feat.

The whole thing was shared while celebrating her Woman in Motion Award with Variety’s Angelique Jackson.

For a Kering Woman in Motion talk the star said, “You get to a certain age and maybe you had made a great film in your 20s that got lauded and then suddenly you’re in your 40s and you haven’t followed it up or made choices that didn’t succeed.”

“But you’re like, ‘I’m not over! Please still keep believing in me and investing in me’.”

“That is important too, resisting ageism,” Kidman warned. “There’s the emerging talents and then the ones that are still going who have a wealth of knowledge and experience and have somehow been cast out or are not the cool person. It’s about going, ‘No, you actually can have a second or third chapter.'”

During that same conversation, she was also asked about directing and whether she sees herself stepping into that role.

Her response was a quick “no”, because “I find it incredibly fulfilling supporting filmmakers in a producer capacity,” she claimed. “It’s beautiful being an actor and saying, ‘I’m in your hands and shape me and do with me what you will.’ I enjoy the intimacy of the work. The intimacy is what keeps me coming back. It’s salvation for me.”

For those unversed with all the film’s under her belt, Kidman is best known for Moulin Rouge! The Hours, Rabbit Hole, and Dogville among others.

Simultaneously she has also prioritized working with a lot of female talent, from veterns like Karyn Kusama and Susanne Bier to more newer faces of their time, Halina Reijn, Mimi Cave.

Her most recent though is Babygirl and according to IMDb tells the story of a “high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.”