9 Rare Photos of Nicole Kidman's Early Career
The star has been acting since the ‘80s.
When you hear the name Nicole Kidman, you may immediately think of the Aussie actress' more recent roles, including those in Nine Perfect Strangers and Big Little Lies. However, you can’t forget about her early beginnings. Kidman, who got her start in Australia in the 1980s, has had an illustrious career. She’s won multiple Oscars, worked with notable directors including Stanley Kubrick, Baz Luhrmann, and Nora Ephron, and was even featured in the 2004 advertising campaign for Chanel No. 5 (she wore the same dress for this year’s Met Gala). Although you feel like you may have seen them all, we take a look at some rare photos of the actress during her early days on screen.
BMX Bandits
In the early ‘80s, Kidman starred in BMX Bandits, a film about a group of teenage BMXers who accidentally get involved with bank robbers after finding their walkie-talkies. The film, renamed Short Wave for its American release, was nominated multiple times at the 1983 Australian Film Institute Awards. “I was so happy to get out of school and ride a BMX bike and get paid to do it,” Kidman told Interview Magazine in 2015.
Posing for the Camera
A few years later, in 1987, Kidman starred in an Australian television miniseries titled Vietnam. She won her first Australian Film Institute Award for her role in it.
Emerald City
Shortly after, the young actress starred in Emerald City, an Australian comedy that tells the story of a couple who makes questionable decisions after moving to the big city. The film, shot in New South Wales, premiered in the U.S. a few years after its Australian release. One year later, she starred in her first big movie, Dead Calm, a psychological thriller featuring Billy Zane.
Attending Cannes Film Festival
Kidman attended the 1992 Cannes Film Festival to help promote her and her then-boyfriend Tom Cruise’s film, Far and Away. The movie, which Ron Howard directed, features Cruise as a young, poor man named Joseph and Kidman as Shannon, Joseph’s landlord’s daughter. In the romantic comedy, the pair travels to America from Ireland, hoping to make their way to Oklahoma to claim free land.
Meeting Princess Diana
Cruise and Kidman met Princess Diana during the film’s London premiere.
Hosting SNL
In 1993, the Australian actress headed to New York City to host Saturday Night Live. The episode aired in November and featured special appearances by Christina Ricci and Dana Carvey. The musical guest that evening was the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.
Interview with a Vampire Premiere
Kidman accompanied Cruise to the Interview with a Vampire premiere in Los Angeles, wearing a black two-piece suit and a tailored white blouse. Cruise, who plays a vampire named Lestat, acted alongside Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, and Antonio Banderas. The fantasy horror picture was nominated for several awards. That same year, Kidman was named a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Australia.
Eyes Wide Shut
In 1996, the actress stepped out to the Eyes Wide Shut New York City premiere wearing a gorgeous green dress with a matching choker necklace. The film, in which Kidman again starred alongside Cruise, was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
“We loved working with him,” Kidman told The New York Times years later in 2020. “We shot that for two years. We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley liked to eat with us sometimes. We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set.”
Moulin Rouge at Cannes
In the early 2000s, Kidman appeared in the incredibly popular Baz Luhrmann film, Moulin Rouge. The movie, which premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival in the opening slot, won several awards, including two Oscars and three Golden Globes awards.
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