Nicole Kidman returns to the stage this year as Rosalind Franklin in Photograph 51. She's received rave reviews as the scientist who played a central role in discovering the double helix.
Off the stage, she's busy serving as female role model in her own right - she's just celebrated her 10th anniversary as an ambassador for OMEGA watches, with whom she works for UN Women's causes.
We caught up Nicole ahead of OMEGA's party in Milan to celebrate the landmark. Here's what she had to say on her family, feminism and why Photograph 51 was a project she couldn't pass up...
On returning to the stage after such a long hiatus...
"It was terrifying. When I said I’d do it, I actually didn’t realise how much fear I would have. 17 years ago I don’t remember having that sort of fear. I think when you’re younger you have that sort of laissez-faire attitude. […]
"For me, it’s wonderful to be able to tell the story of Rosalind Franklin and just to be able to push myself into places I haven’t been for a long, long time. And this is such a different play."
On George Clooney's call for more male roles to be adapted for women...
"Go George! It’s fabulous if that happens, because it doesn’t happen that often, and it is that lateral thinking. There are so many scripts out there; there just isn’t enough male actors to fill them.
"Obviously, when something is intrinsically written for a female, something like a Rosalind Franklin, because based on a real person, there’s so much heart in that, I think it really shines through. When you take something and rework it for women, you have to make sure that you really do rework it properly, so it’s not just a woman pretending to be a man, if that makes sense. We’re very different, as we all know."
On family life...
"At this stage in my life, to do something like the play, it’s a family decision. I don’t ever make a decision by myself, or just for myself. It’s always made as a group. And even the 4 year old gets a say in that.
"They’re the most important thing and time with them is the most important thing, I know it’s a cliché, but it does go past so quickly, which is so devastating. That’s why I don’t want to miss any of it. "Right now [my daughters] are little adventurers, as is my husband who has toured his whole life, so he’s used to it, exploring the world, and right now we’re what I call a ‘travelling circus’."
On seeking to tell female-led stories...
"[Photograph 51] is written by a young female playwright [Anna Ziegler], who’s not had anything produced on the West End before. So to be able to get behind her and do this for her is a huge joy for me. It was terrifying because we were all like, ‘oh my gosh, if it’s not received well, we all go down in flames.’
"But also, telling of someone like a scientist such as Rosalind Franklin who existed in the 50s and really contributed to finding DNA in a big way, to have that story told is a wonderful thing for me to be able to do at this stage, because she’s not around to tell it. So I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to do that and will continue to look for stories like that."
On whether her kids want to act...
"[My daughters] already mimic me. But neither of them right now wants to be an actress. They both stated that very clearly. ‘Too much work’, they say, which is actually quite good that they don’t want to right now. But they role-play, and they stand on the side of the stage and they watch it all."
On the advice she'd give her younger self...
"I’ve always said to choose love. Always be happy. My grandmother lived to 90. Her last words to me were ‘Be happy Nicky.’ And it’s the simplest thing. It can seem so far away and so difficult at times. Whenever I think of her little voice saying that to me, I go ‘that’s right,’ because ultimately, none of it matters."
On female role models...
"My mother was a strong feminist, so she raised both my sister and I to feel like we were equal and that we could do anything in the world and just put our minds to it."