Nicole Kidman’s wax figure covers the January issue of Elle. Wait, what’s that? No joke? That’s the real Kidman posing on the cover?! Get out of town. The Dior shorts cover is the subscriber’s cover and it’s terrible. The newsstand cover is a little bit better. Anyway, Nicole covers the January issue because she’s promoting Paddington, which still looks terrifying to me but I’ve heard some people say that it’s actually a lovely family film. Nicole has had a really rough year with the passing of her father and, to a lesser degree, the utter failure of Grace of Monaco. Nic needs a win! So maybe Paddington will be that win. Some highlights from her interview:
Why she married Keith Urban after dating for a month: “I’m spontaneous. I jump in. I kind of like getting married and then getting to know each other; I know that it sounds incredibly strange, but to me, it’s a more natural process.”
Noticing that the 38-year-old interview was pregnant: “I had my last one at 43. My grandmother had her last at 49. Every month, I’m like, ‘I hope I’m pregnant!’” “Off the record,” interjects her publicist, who’d been waiting nearby to escort her into hair and makeup. “‘Off the record’? I don’t mind!” Kidman says. “Why not, right? I wish I was!”
This is what Sheryl Crow says about Kidman: “I think that she has been very poised throughout her public life, and sometimes people will misconstrue that; they see her as being an ice queen. The kind of scrutiny she’s been subjected to can’t be comfortable, and she’s dealt with it by being very careful—that’s what gives people the wrong idea. She’s not someone we’re going to see out paddle-boarding in a G-string; she doesn’t set up situations where she’s playing to the paparazzi. She’s more old-school than that. She’s not that kind of movie star.”
On Kubrick, Cruise and Eyes Wide Shut: She credits the legendary Stanley Kubrick, who directed her and Cruise in 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, for encouraging her: “He would always say, ‘You’re a character actress, Nicole. Don’t play leading ladies. Go and find the character roles.’” In fact, she says, she loved working with Kubrick so much that she didn’t mind the famously drawn-out, two-year shoot…and neither did her then husband. “We loved it. Everyone thought that was when our marriage started to break down—not at all. That movie was a great part of our life together, and I’m glad we have it.”
Did she really only know Keith for a month before they got married? I feel like they were together for longer than that, but maybe she’s talking about getting engaged after a month. Which is still kind of wacky when you think about it. And I love that Elle published that bit about Nicole’s publicist barking “OFF THE RECORD” when Nicole talked about babies. What, is it a state secret that Nicole wishes she could be pregnant right now? I believe that too – she’s baby-crazy right now. Maybe she and Keith should adopt a kid?
Photos courtesy of Paola Kudacki for Elle.
