Nicole Kidman Says Erotic Thriller ‘Babygirl’ Was ‘Very Freeing’ to Make: ‘I Didn’t Feel Exploited’
Nicole Kidman hopes her new erotic thriller, “Babygirl,” is a “liberating story” for women, as she found it “very freeing” to make.
At the film’s Venice Film Festival press conference, Kidman spoke on the raunchy themes of the movie, saying it’s “obviously about sex, it’s about desire, it’s about your inner thoughts, it’s about secrets, it’s about marriage, it’s about truth, power, consent.”
More from Variety
She continued, “This is one woman’s story and this is, I hope, a very liberating story. It’s told by a woman, through her gaze — Halina [Reijn] wrote it and she directed it — and that’s to me what made it so unique because suddenly I was going to be in the hands of a woman with this material. It was very dear to our shared instincts and very freeing.”
The buzzy A24 film sees Kidman star as a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern (played by Harris Dickinson). The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Banderas, Sophie Wilde and Esther McGregor.
Kidman said working with a woman director in Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) was key to her feeling comfortable on set.
“I knew she wasn’t going to exploit me. However anyone interprets that, I didn’t feel exploited. I felt very much a part of that,” she said. “There was enormous caretaking by all of us, we were all very gentle with each other and helped each other. It felt very authentic, protected and, at the same time, real.”
Director Reijn has worked alongside Paul Verhoeven on several movies, and said she was a “big fan of his work and wanted to do something in that space.” Unlike Verhoeven’s films, however, she wanted her erotic feature to focus on the “female gaze.”
“That doesn’t mean that the film is not also about masculinity, masculine power, control, sexuality, all those things,” she added.
Reijn later explained that one of the main reasons for making “Babygirl” was to address what she described as the “huge orgasm gap” between men and women, adding “take note men… but not you, Harris,” referring to Dickinson. The actor quickly responded, “Everyone deserves a good orgasm,” to laughs from the audience, before apologizing and putting his head in his hands out of apparent embarrassment.
After Venice, “Babygirl” is due to have its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival before releasing on Dec. 25.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.