She may be at the eye of a tabloid hurricane, thanks to her recent split from Tom Cruise, but Nicole Kidman is refreshingly unselfconscious in person. Chatting with a tableful of journalists at the elegant Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, in Antibes, two nights after the Cannes Festival premiere of “Moulin Rouge,” she cut a dominating figure. Ease in the spotlight comes naturally to her; she’s been a star in Australia since her teens. Her enthusiasm for her part in Baz Luhrmann’s flamboyant Montmartre musical is obviously unforced. And she refuses to indulge in any self-pity, either for the marital breakup or the injuries (ribs and knee) she suffered in “Moulin Rouge.”
Q. Are you happy with the movie?
A. Yes, very much. You know, it took a real leap of faith to make something like this. When Baz first described the role to me, he said: “She sings; she dances; then, she dies.” That piqued my interest immediately. . . . But I really believe in this film. I’m genuinely excited by it.
Q. Did you have any qualms about singing and dancing? Or agreeing to the six-month workshop-rehearsal period Luhrmann wanted?
A. No. I agreed straight away. Then he made me audition anyway! But I consider myself lucky that directors like [Stanley] Kubrick and Baz want to work with me, make me part of their vision.
Q. Luhrmann did a lot of research into courtesans of the 19th Century. Did he share it with you?
A. He gave me a huge pile of research: huge folders of stuff. . . . I read Zola; I read “Nana.” I read so much stuff. But then he said: “Well, actually, don’t bother with it!” [Laughs] That’s like studying for an exam; you know, you’ve got to have done the homework to be able to actually go in and say: “OK, I’m ready to sit for this exam and write a full-page essay.” . . . Once you’ve done the homework, it does allow you freedom.
Q. Any parallels between the life of a famous French courtesan and a modern Hollywood movie star?
A. Yeah, the traps! You can really disassociate from your life: from what is real and what is not real. From protecting yourself and putting up too many barriers. From becoming someone who really does not feel that they can meet people.
Q.Do you feel trapped?
A. No, not so much. I feel it a little bit now, because I’m here [in Cannes]. And I’m very tired, and talking to so many people whom I don’t know — that’s quite strange. But then, I speak to my mum on the phone. . . . I go: “Oh yeah, right. I know where I fit in.” We send faxes.
Q. Will you do any more stage work in London?
A. Yeah, I hope to with Trevor [Nunn]. I’d love to work with Sam [Mendes] again as well. I really loved London and I’d love to do something else. The best time I’ve had ever was doing “The Blue Room” in London. It was just really exciting: doing eight shows a week and going in and saying: “I love to do this!” Working at the theater and ducking around the corner in Covent Garden and having a little dinner and then going and doing a play! That’s really, artistically, so satisfying. And the immediate audience reaction! It was fun. It was a lot of fun. It was like walking on air!
![An extra-alarm fire destroyed a home and damaged two others on the near West side Wednesday night, though fire officials said no one was injured in the blaze. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of West 16th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, according to a social media update from the Chicago Fire Department. Officials quickly upgraded the blaze to a 2-11 fire. Neighbors who clustered around the scene Wednesday night said the home had been under construction and appeared to be vacant. Although the fire was declared struck out at 9:30 p.m. in a social […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-structure-fire-041724-06.jpg?w=525 "An extra-alarm fire destroyed a home and damaged two others on the near West side Wednesday night, though fire officials said no one was injured in the blaze. The fire broke out around 8:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of West 16th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood, according to a social media update from the Chicago Fire Department. Officials quickly upgraded the blaze to a 2-11 fire. Neighbors who clustered around the scene Wednesday night said the home had been under construction and appeared to be vacant. Although the fire was declared struck out at 9:30 p.m. in a social […]")
