SimplyAbuDhabi XLVII

Our 3 Questions for Nicole Kidman Simply Abu Dhabi: You’re one of the most accomplished and prolific actors of a generation with a diverse range of roles. What can you tell us about your approach to acting? Nicole Kidman: I feel that acting is the vibrations you feel between people, your scene partners, the director. And while you can talk about it all you want, you can’t intellectualise it – you’ve got to just allow it. It’s hard to step outside of myself and look at a performance; that’s where I lack the technique that’s required to break these things down rigorously and accurately. Because to me, acting is ephemeral. It’s being completely inside what my character is feeling. You’re a rare combination of a star with box office power and an artist who takes risks. What draws you to the sort more complicated, darker roles? Yes, I have circled themes of loss, trauma, and grief throughout my career, and other things that are not explored enough on screen, particularly in American films. Maybe we don’t discuss these things because they’re uncomfortable. So I’m a huge proponent for throwing things out there and seeing how they land. And how do you see the actor’s role in those explorations? As human beings, we want to make sense of everything we can’t control. Which, as it turns out, is pretty much everything! 116 | Simply Abu Dhabi