More than eight years ago, Nicole Kidman made a commitment to herself, and to the careers of women behind the camera, that she would work with a female director every 18 months. In the years since, Kidman blew the original mission far and away and has since worked with 27.
“I was going to make it possible,” Kidman said of the lofty ambition during a headlining conversation on Sunday as part of Kering’s Women in Motion talks at the Majestic Hotel during the Cannes Film Festival. “For me, at this stage of my life, to have that purpose and to have that commitment is something that pulls me through as well. Because as much as I’m an actor and I’m looking for great roles, I’m also looking to experiment. I don’t want to be contained and I don’t want to be safe, so constantly looking for the boundaries is what I’m looking for. And I know that’s what the younger filmmakers are looking for as well so they’ll come and experiment with me.”
The conversation — held inside the Majestic’s 7th floor Kering Suite with a sweeping and sun-drenched view of the French Riviera over Kidman’s shoulder — started with a brief recap on Kidman’s incredible Cannes history. It stretches back to her earliest work in Ron Howard’s Far and Away followed by such films as Gus Van Sant’s To Die For, Lars Von Trier’s Dogville and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, to name just a few. In 2017 alone, she had four projects in the festival including How to Talk to Girls at Parties, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Top of the Lake: China Girl and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled, the latter of which won Coppola a best director prize. She’s also served on the jury here.
Kidman’s appearance today comes ahead of Sunday night’s glitzy Kering Women in Motion Awards at which she will receive the gala’s top prize. “To be asked back to receive this award and to talk about women and the voices of women in cinema is such an honor,” Kidman noted.
Kidman then noted how many competition titles there are in the 2025 Cannes competition lineup directed by women, singling out Mascha Schilinski’s German-language Sound of Falling, a film she’s heard great things about, she said.
Again, on the subject of female directors, moderator Angelique Jackson of Variety, asked Kidman to talk about the collaborative rhythm she finds with them, specifically naming Susanne Bier, a close friend and frequent collaborator. They are poised to reteam on a sequel to Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock, and Kidman offered a brief update on the status of the film, which Warner Bros. dated for Sept. 18, 2026.
“Sandy’s worked with her, too, so the two of us were like, well, this is the perfect triangle because we all know each other so well and so to be able to work together on something that is fun and witchy, that’s fun and it has something very different to say [than Babygirl].”
Speaking of the Halina Reijn-directed Babygirl, Kidman took a moment to acknowledge the virality of that film, which took on a life of its own on TikTok. “Suddenly the thing was finding its own way,” she said of the film which co-starred Harris Dickinson. “Awards or no awards, doesn’t matter, it’s actually where things are being heard about. That’s the way in which news travels now and it travels fast, and people are, like, ‘I want to see that.’ That’s very exciting.”
Kidman revealed she arrived in Cannes on Saturday, and took a meeting with an unnamed director on a possible new role. “He was like, ‘I have something that is incredibly disturbing. Are you frightened of that?’” Kidman detailed, adding that her response to being on board for it was, “Absolutely! Absolutely!”
When she can squeeze in the time, Kidman said that she’s also getting creative late into the night by jotting down ideas. “I do it at 3 a.m., writing sessions. I wake up and I’ll write something, be it a dream or something circulating in my head and my life and my heart at that time. I think 2 and 3 a.m. is a very, very ripe time for things to happen because you’re in that slightly removed state from reality, but your your dreams and your psyche are very, very there and very present.”
Jackson then asked if we’ll see Kidman as an a credited screenwriter or director anytime soon?
“No,” she said, adding: ”I always say no and turn around and change my mind.”