Nicole Kidman is having a moment. And honestly, with global collaborations, big- and small-screen projects about to air, and a posse of A-list best friends by her side, why wouldn’t she be? Even better, it’s clear the Academy Award winner is not thinking about slowing down any time soon; in fact, it feels very much like she is just starting to ramp things up.
When I met Kidman in Los Angeles late last year, it was a mere 36 hours before it was announced that her 19-year marriage to singer Keith Urban was over. In January of this year, they were officially divorced. Despite the public manner in which the A-lister is required to do things, Kidman’s poise and attitude throughout the process could only be described as dignified and graceful.
There was zero spectacle – and left unfed, the gossip engine had very little to talk about. Far from public meltdowns, Kidman graced high-profile red carpets with daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret – a proud declaration to the world that her children would be her focus. Her calm demeanour signalled a dignified signing off of one chapter and a confident look forward to the next.
Suffice to say, when I sat down with the Australian star in a suite at The Maybourne hotel in Beverly Hills, there was no indication that something was amiss in her personal life – all I saw was a radiant woman who seemed very comfortable in her own skin.
Wearing a grey Camilla and Marc pant suit, Kidman beckoned me to sit down next to her on the couch, patting the spot where I should sit. While I absolutely felt the star power, the gesture felt genuine, familiar almost. “Let’s do this,” she says with a grin, looking at me intently with her trademark blue eyes.
Becoming a beauty ambassador
We were there, first and foremost, to talk about Kidman’s new partnership with Clé de Peau Beauté – a collaboration that came about because of the actor’s genuine respect for the brand. “I was already using it, that’s the truth,” Kidman tells me when I ask her why she decided to partner withthe Shiseido-owned beauty brand. “I’ve worked with a Japanese makeup artist for my feature projects many times throughout my career, so Clé de Peau Beauté has long been in my personal collection.”
Kidman has a few enduring favourites that she relies on. “I was using The Foundation, La Crème and the Eye and Lip Makeup Remover, which removes waterproof mascara,” she shares.
Sitting by a window in broad daylight for our conversation, I can say with conviction that Kidman has the kind of skin you dream of. It’s otherworldly flawless, clear beyond belief and in possession of an almost startling luminosity that appears to beam from within.
Some of it could well be put down to La Crème, the jewel in Clé de Peau Beauté’s range. An investment cream formulated with more than 60 ingredients, it’s the culmination of years of research by the brand’s chief technology officer, Kiyoshi Sato. Designed to boost the function of the skin cells, the cream is meant to help skin think like younger skin. “It’s the best cream on the market as far as I’m concerned,” Kidman says. “And I’ve tried them all.”
The luxury, science-heavy skincare and makeup brand has only recently launched on Australian shores. Exclusive to David Jones, Clé de Peau Beauté has opened concession areas in Sydney’s Chatswood Chase and Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall stores, with more coming.
It’s a partnership that Kidman feels passionate about. “I’ve been offered other skincare lines,” she says. “I’ve been offered to put my name on things. But this is where I want to go. This feels right.”
And it seems very much that the brand feels the same way. When the Clé de Peau Beauté team visits Sydney, I have the chance to meet with Nicolas Baudonnet, the beauty brand’s chief marketing and business officer. “Radiance is not just what you see on the surface; it’s what comes from within,” Baudonnet says. “Nicole embodies the philosophy that we have on radiance – not only [with] how she looks but how she is as a person. She is confident, she is elegant, but she has also championed meaningful causes that help women.”
Family first
Women are the core of Kidman’s world. And one thing that is clear is the high regard in which the star holds her family and her friends. “I derive a huge amount of resilience and drive from the love and support of my family,” she says.
And now, perhaps more than ever. Since Kidman’s mother passed away in September 2024, her sister Antonia has been her North Star. “She’s incredibly fit; she’s a powerhouse,” Kidman tells me, beaming. “She’s my little sister, but I hold her on a pedestal. She’s my confidant. She’s my rock.”
Drive and ambition clearly run in the family. Antonia is now working as a lawyer, and Kidman says she could not be prouder. “She had six kids and then decided she wanted to become a lawyer. And she did. She’s incredible,” she says.
Since her marriage split, Kidman has said she is “hanging in there” as she re-routes from one life into another. Her focus is on her children, who she’s said give her the “purpose of being their protector and their guide”. Days after filing for divorce, Kidman made an appearance at the Chanel spring/summer 2026 show in Paris. But even before all the press, Kidman was seen out and about with her daughters.
Faith Margaret attended the Clé de Peau Beauté black-tie gala dinner with her mother. Kidman was the guest of honour at the event, held within the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, but speaking about the evening the following day, she sounds more like a doting mum. “We found her dress at Liberty in London,” Kidman says. “[Faith said], ‘I’m not going to have anywhere to wear this.’ And then suddenly it was like, ‘There you go.’” The 15-year-old also features in the brand’s campaign with her mum, doubling down on Kidman’s commitment to family.
A girl’s girl
At 58, Kidman feels very much the assured movie star, but she is also quick to say that having other female Hollywood A-listers, like Sandra Bullock, in her corner has helped. “The minute I got off the plane from Nashville, I texted Sandy and went straight to her house,” Kidman says. “She’s amazing. She’s so smart, so down-to-earth; she’s the real deal. I can’t say enough about her. I love that woman.”
This bond is why the pair have made Practical Magic 2. In cinemas this September – airing in time for Halloween – the film comes nearly 30 years after Bullock and Kidman made the 1998 original. “It’s amazing to come full circle and do this again,” Kidman says. “And it’s generational. You can go with your mum, with your daughter; there aren’t many films like that anymore.”
The film is a testament to Kidman’s resilience in an industry obsessed with the new. “Sandy and I say, ‘We’re still here,’” she says good-naturedly. “To get a film greenlit at a major studio at this stage of our careers; we’re so grateful. We’re a little bit in awe that it’s happened.”
Bullock, of course, is not Kidman’s only high-powered friend. Hollywood darling Reese Witherspoon is as friendly with the star as their characters are in the hit series Big Little Lies. Based on a book by Australian author Liane Moriarty and directed by David E. Kelley, the HBO Max series is in production for a third season, which could be out as soon as the end of this year. “We have Big Little Lies 3 in the pipeline,” Kidman says. “Reese lives opposite me in Nashville so, you know, we are Big Little Lies.”
The two actors have become close over time, Kidman says, and Witherspoon is often knocking on her door asking for a walk – and presumably a download, as friends do. “She’ll text me and say, ‘Want to go for a walk?’ And then she’ll be ringing the doorbell,” Kidman explains. “It’s [happened] slowly. It’s really nice when it’s real. We hold each other’s secrets.”
When exactly Kidman has time for walking around the streets of Tennessee is a mystery. The star has so many projects on the go, it’s hard to keep up.
Big and small screen projects
Scarpetta, which aired on Prime in March, is an adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s best-selling novels. Kidman stars as Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist, flanked by Jamie Lee Curtis as Kay’s sister, Dorothy Farinelli. “It’s a crime thriller, which I haven’t done on television before,” Kidman says. “Working with Jamie Lee, who is such a force, has been incredible. She’s become like a sister.”
The eight-part series, which Kidman describes as “really scary”, brought her and Curtis close. It also gave her insight into the medical world. “We had an incredible medical examiner teaching us. I can do an autopsy now – can you believe it?”
But increasingly, Kidman’s world is shifting to behind the camera, and taking on the role of producer is helping her create opportunities for the next generation coming up behind her.
She is executive producer on The Last Anniversary, an Australian series starring Teresa Palmer and Miranda Richardson. “We may be doing a second season of The Last Anniversary,” Kidman reveals. “It’s an Aussie show, which is great – and a Liane Moriarty novel.”
Kidman also has an executive producer credit for the upcoming Margo’s Got Money Troubles, streaming from April 15. The Apple TV comedy drama series is based on the popular book by Rufi Thorpe. Directed by Dearbhla Walsh (director of Bad Sisters), it stars Elle Fanning and another Hollywood stalwart, Michelle Pfeiffer, with Kidman making a cameo appearance in the female-led series. “It was so good to produce those two women,” Kidman says of Fanning and Pfeiffer. “They give fantastic performances in the show. I’m excited.”
Making changes
Kidman is, of course, hyper-focused on moving the needle for women in Hollywood. Not only is she creating starring roles for herself in her fifties, she is also making real change for the next wave of women. “I was shocked a while back by how few opportunities there were for women,” she says.
“To go from being an actress to a producer to a mentor has been such a wonderful thing. Watching these strong female voices emerge, and being able to give new filmmakers avenues and pathways to opportunity, that’s become a huge part of why I love doing what I do. I’ll play any role, big or small, if it means someone gets an opportunity they maybe weren’t going to have.”
Years ago, Kidman famously pledged to work with a female director at least once every 18 months; it was a commitment she more than exceeded. And the push for women does not stop in Hollywood. Philanthropy has long been a big part of Kidman’s focus – and her collaboration with Clé de Peau Beauté has strengthened her involvement with UNICEF.
Kidman’s philanthropic work
Clé de Peau Beauté has had a longstanding partnership with UNICEF with the aim of empowering girls and young women through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Since 2019, the partnership has helped more than 12.9 million girls around the world gain access to education and training. “I’ve worked with UN Women for so long,” Kidman says. “That [initiative] is about eradicating violence against women. [Clé de Peau Beauté’s] partnership with UNICEF is about children, so it’s all linked. This partnership fosters a supportive community of women who uplift one another while empowering the next generation.”
Kidman says her mother has been a big influence on the philanthropic work that she does. “I do an enormous amount of work with cancer research,” she says. “My mother had breast cancer, so that was the initial phase for me. And she was a feminist – that’s how I became involved with UN Women. If we protect the women, we protect the children.”
Australia calling
For us living in Australia especially, we have grown up with Kidman – on our big and small screens, in magazines and papers, and on our feeds. So, perhaps out of some sort of patriotic duty, I tell her how much she is adored in Australia.
“I was born in Hawaii but, I mean, every part of me is Australian and, obviously, my whole family is Aussie through and through,” says Kidman, who has spoken at length about her love for the country she grew up in.
And perhaps it is her very Australian-ness that makes Kidman feel both A-lister and friend, movie star and neighbour, untouchable yet grounded. For someone whose life has been so publicised for so many years, Kidman feels like someone we know on a personal level. Being a household name, though, comes with a perception that you belong to other people; that success means your life must play out with an audience. But, of course, Kidman is allowed to keep her private life her own – something she has shown she is able to do with grace. Give a lot and hold just a little back. And the bits she holds back should be shared with the people she chooses to keep close.
Clé de Peau Beauté is available at David Jones; davidjones.com
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