Nicole Kidman is taking a nostalgic walk down memory lane as she celebrates an extraordinary milestone—41 years in the film industry.
The acclaimed actress shared a poignant throwback video on Instagram, capturing her very first role at the tender age of 14 where she looks remarkably like her teen daughter Faith, who is now 13. This special post comes just as Nicole is set to receive the prestigious American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.
The video montage features a young Nicole in her debut film, Bush Christmas (1983), where she played Helen.
Accompanying the clip, Nicole expressed her amazement at the journey her career has taken since those early days.
"This 14-year-old girl could have never predicted all the talented people she would get to work with and the many different characters she would get to play. So excited to celebrate with so many friends and peers on Saturday with the @AmericanFilmInstitute xx," she wrote in her heartfelt caption.
Nicole's breakout role in the U.S. came six years after her debut, with her compelling performance as Rae Ingram in Dead Calm (1989). Since then, her career has been a dazzling array of diverse roles and critical accolades.
The news of Nicole receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award was announced in 2023, making her the first Australian actor ever to earn this honor.
The American Film Institute praised her in a press release: “Both a powerhouse performer, spellbinding movie star and accomplished producer, Nicole Kidman has captured the imaginations of audiences throughout her prolific career, delivering complex and versatile performances onscreen.”
Her remarkable filmography includes collaborations with some of the most revered directors in the industry, such as Jane Campion, Sofia Coppola, Baz Luhrmann, Sydney Pollack, Aaron Sorkin, and Stanley Kubrick.
Nicole won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours. In addition to this Oscar win, she has been nominated four more times for her roles in Moulin Rouge! (2002), Rabbit Hole (2011), Lion (2017), and Being the Ricardos (2022).
Her trophy case also boasts a BAFTA Award, two Emmys, and six Golden Globes.
Reflecting on her extensive career, Nicole shared with People magazine how it feels to have grown up in the spotlight: “I started working at 14, and I've grown up on camera and in front of people, so that's really exposing, but at the same time, it's my path. I've shared my ups and downs with the world and also shared all of my work. That's been my life...my children, my husband and my work.”
She also revealed what advice she would give to her younger self, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion: “Be kind to yourself. I'm my toughest critic. My biggest thing would be ‘Go easy on yourself, Nicky.'"
Baz Luhrmann who worked with Nicole on Moulin Rouge told The New York Times: “You tend to find brilliant character actors, or you find someone who has star quality. What’s quite unique about Nicole is that she is both an amazing character actress — she completely absorbs into the character — but she burns so brightly as a star onscreen as well.
“She has both qualities, and that’s pretty extraordinary. Because [“Moulin Rouge!”] was a musical, I needed her to do high comedy, almost slapstick like Katharine Hepburn. The scene inside the elephant shows her complete out-thereness, throwing her dress around and making funny noises. I didn’t specifically instruct her to do it. I just said, ‘How far can you go here?’ And she went there. And that’s really true of Nicole.”
The celebration of Nicole's illustrious career will culminate at the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute, scheduled for April 27 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The event promises to be a star-studded affair, honoring a true icon of cinema. Fans can look forward to the broadcast, which will air on TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) at a later date, marking yet another high point in Nicole’s remarkable journey through Hollywood.
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