This is a film that makes me feel vulnerable. It feels scary, says Kidman at an international digital press conference.
The tone of the film is set from the very first scene. Kidman's character Romy has sweaty sex with her husband (Antonio Banderas) – afterwards, she rushes directly to another room where she masturbates while watching pornography. Soon after, the successful female CEO starts a relationship with a significantly younger male intern. A relationship that has sadomasochistic tendencies:
This is a film about desire, about sex, about your innermost thoughts, about marriage, about power. The sexual language is complicated. This is a woman's story, and it feels unique that I've been able to do this in a female director's hands, says Kidman and adds:
It's unfortunately all too rare. I wouldn't have done "Babygirl" if it had been a male director.
Felt safe
She felt safe in Halina Reijn's hands because she knew she wasn't at risk of being exploited, states Nicole Kidman.
Every part of me was on board. We were all kind to each other, we wanted it to feel authentic.
What I want to do is to explore what it's like to be human and what it's like to be a woman. The film might remind you a bit of 80s erotic thrillers like "Deadly Desire". But it never ended with the woman being punished. That's not the case here.
Outspoken feminist
Kidman is an outspoken feminist and believes that this will become apparent as she becomes more active as a producer (she has been on "Big Little Lies", "The Undoing", and "Nine Perfect Strangers").
This is really new territory for me, but I hope I can help with what I've learned over the years. What I want is to create projects for women, it's something I feel extremely strongly about.
Working with women's issues is important to her, not least after #MeToo.
We all need to help each other to bring about real change. There's been an enormous awakening, and now we really have the opportunity to bring about change, to stop the exploitation of women, says Nicole Kidman.
Age: 57 years.
Lives: In Nashville, USA.
Family: Husband Keith Urban, four children (two with Tom Cruise).
Occupation: Actress, producer.
Previous films/TV series in selection: "Days of Thunder", "To Die For", "Portrait of a Lady", "Eyes Wide Shut", "Moulin Rouge", "The Others", "Dogville", "Grace of Monaco", "The Killing of a Sacred Deer", "Big Little Lies", "The Undoing".
Currently: With the Swedish premiere of "Babygirl" on 24/1.
