Topics: US News, Nicole Kidman, Mental Health, Film and TV, Entertainment
Babygirl star Nicole Kidman has opened up about how she feels when people use one specific word to praise her for working hard.
Working hard or hardly working? 2025 has seen the debate grow even hotter as many remain conflicted over whether to work as hard as possible in order to try and climb their career ladder or simply opt out of the societally prescribed idea of being part of the machine until you retire, instead choosing to work minimally and travel more.
Nicole Kidman? Well, with 2024 seeing the actor star in a whole host of releases from A Family Affair to The Perfect Couple and, of course, Babygirl, it would seem the 57-year-old has chosen the former - but there's a certain compliment when it comes to her dedication to work which she loathes.
Advert
Babygirl caused quite the stir - Kidman starring as a married CEO who embarks on a kinky romantic affair with a much-younger intern (Harris Dickinson).
Written and directed by Halina Reijn, the A24 movie saw Kidman's role praised as being one of her best yet, however, that's not to say it didn't take its toll on the star - the actor speaking out about not ever wanting to 'orgasm' again as a result of some of the intimate scenes.
And it's this idea of the level of work ultimately taking its toll and that not being as widely recognised which Kidman addressed during an interview with TIME magazine.
Given the amount of projects she's churned out in recent years, Kidman revealed she's found herself being praised by some as 'a superwoman' but she admitted she 'hate[s]' the compliment.
Why? Well, the actor explained she doesn't feel like she embodies the term, explaining to Time she gets tired like everyone else, going on to describe herself as a people pleaser.
Ultimately, praise such as 'Superwoman' - along the lines of similar compliments such as 'brave' and 'strong' - neglects to recognize just how much effort, energy and time - and, in Kidman's case vulnerability and orgasms too - go into working so consistently.
And in actors' cases, embodying a whole other character is particularly taxing.
However, that's not to say Kidman doesn't appreciate how much work she's had in recent years, reflecting on times when opportunities have been much more sparse.
She admits she thought about quitting acting 'when there was nothing exciting or relevant coming my way, when there was massive criticism or bullying, when your self-esteem is shattered, when you’ve been hit with some massive loss or grief and go, "I don’t want to get out of bed. It’s too frightening."'
