Nicole Kidman Credits Director For Making Sure She \201cDidn’t Feel Exploited\201d During ‘Babygirl’ Sex Scenes
\201cI was in the hands of a woman director.\201d


Nicole Kidman is opening up about her new movie Babygirl and how the film's director made her feel comfortable during the film's most intimate scenes.
On Friday, Aug. 30, during a press conference held before the film's Venice Film Festival debut, the actress said filming sex scenes for the movie was different thanks to the writer and director, Halina Reijn.
"That's what made it so compelling, was being in the hands of Halina, because I knew she wasn't gonna exploit me," Kidman said at the time. "I mean, however anyone interprets that, I didn't feel exploited. I felt very much a part of it. It's the story that I wanted to be a part of, that I wanted to tell. And every part of me was committed to that."
The actress went on to say that there "was enormous care taken" during the filming process, adding that the cast and crew were "all very, very gentle with each other and helped each other."
In the film, Kidman plays a high-powered CEO who decides to risk her career and her family so she can begin an illicit affair with her younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson.
Nicole Kidman attends a photocall for "Babygirl" during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at on August 30, 2024 in Venice, Italy.
In a previous interview with Vanity Fair, Kidman said starring in the erotic drama made her feel "very exposed as an actor, as a woman, as a human being."
"There’s something in me going, 'Okay, this was made for the big screen and to be seen with people,'” she told the publication at the time. “But then I’m like, 'That’s a high-wire act. I’m not sure I have that much bravery.'
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
"I’ve made some films that are pretty exposing," she added, "but not like this.”
She went on to say that there were moments in the film when she didn't "want to be touched," adding that at one point she didn't "want to do this anymore."
“But at the same time I was compelled to do it. Halina would hold me and I would hold her, because it was just very confronting to me,” she added. "This is something you do and hide in your home videos. It is not a thing that normally is going to be seen by the world.…I had to go in and go out like, I need to put my protection back on," she continued. "'What have I just done? Where did I go? What did I do?'”
Nicole Kidman
During the same Venice Film Festival press conference, Kidman clarified that the film follows "one woman's story," going on to say that she hopes it is a "very liberating story."
"It's told by a woman through her gaze...and that's what, to me, made it so unique," she added. "Suddenly I was gonna be in the hands of a woman with this material."

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.
-
Meet Isabela Merced, Who Plays Dina in 'The Last of Us' and Calls Her and Ellie's Romance a "Successful Sapphic Story"
We're already obsessed with this up-and-comer.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
Queen Camilla Uses a "Signal" from Queen Elizabeth's Playbook to Get King Charles to Stop Talking
Royal author Robert Hardman said "tours don't go nearly as well" when Queen Camilla isn't "around."
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Beyoncé Cashes In on Coachella's Micro Shorts Trend
She's back in her Levi's bag.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
'Babygirl' Director Says Nicole Kidman Milk Scene Happened to Her in Real Life
Art imitates life, etc.
By Alicia Lutes Published
-
Nicole Kidman Addresses the Popular Meme Referencing Her Divorce From Tom Cruise
"That wasn't real life."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Nicole Kidman Gets Candid About Waking Up "Crying and Gasping" in the Middle of the Night
"It hits you as you get older."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Keith Urban on People Loving His and Nicole Kidman's Daughter's Hybrid Accent
Cute!
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Nicole Kidman Talks Kissing Batman, "Hardcore Horror" Movies, and Feeling "Really Deeply"
"The thing people don't understand is, it's not about the check."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Nicole Kidman Admits \201cSecretly I’ve Been Excited\201d to Kiss Certain Co-Stars Onscreen
Meanwhile, Netflix just released a steamy trailer of her making out with her ‘A Family Affair’ co-star Zac Efron.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meryl Streep Reveals That Skinnydipping at 5 O'Clock In the Morning Is Something Her ‘Big Little Lies’ Co-Star Nicole Kidman Apparently Enjoys
Streep presented Kidman with a lifetime achievement award on Saturday, and said it was \201cimpossible not to be in awe of her" (referring more to her work than her early morning dips in the Pacific).
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's Teenage Daughters Make Their Red-Carpet Debut as Their Mom Receives Life Achievement Award
They posed with their parents, cousin, and aunt.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published