Not so long ago, Nicole Kidman could barely speak about the pain of her divorce from Keith Urban – the man she once described as “the best thing that’s ever happened to me”. But times, they are a-changing.
It’s now been four months since she added her famous signature to their divorce settlement and the Babygirl actress is doing much better.
“I’m in a place of saying, ‘2026 – here we go!’” laughs Nicole, who confesses she was “quiet” last year.
“I had other things going on… I was in my shell.”
Now, says the Oscar winner, she’s on the road to recovery “because I’m always going to be moving toward what’s good. What I’m grateful for is my family, and keeping them as is and moving forward.
“I’m staying in a place of ‘We are a family’, and that’s what we’ll continue to be… My beautiful girls, my darlings, who are suddenly women.”
Aside from her obvious commitment to the daughters she shares with Keith – Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith, 15 – Nicole, 58, has plans galore stacking up this year. Her new crime show, Scarpetta, recently launched on Prime Video, and she soon begins shooting the third season of the spy thriller Lioness and the horror movie The Young People.
A new chapter of adventure
It fits perfectly with her self-description as a “worker bee”, but despite her many commitments, there’s something else Nicole is excited about – taking time out to travel the globe.
“This year and my next few years are for the adventures,” she says.
“I’m at a certain time in my life. I’m going to do the things I’ve always dreamed of doing that are not anything to do with work. Just exploration.”
Antarctica on the itinerary
Last year, it was Antarctica.
“I took my sister, nieces, nephews and loads of friends on a cruise. We met so many good people. We saw penguins and sea lions…”
And next up, “We’re going to head to the Galápagos, then hike Machu Picchu.”
A return to filmmaking
Chances are, any other adventures Nicole has planned for the coming year won’t be happening in the lead-up to the September release of the much-awaited Practical Magic 2. The actress, who also shares daughter Isabella, 32, and son Connor, 30, with ex-husband Tom Cruise, 63, says she loved filming the sequel to the 1998 hit about sister witches Gillian and Sally Owens – and a lot of the enjoyment had to do with co-star and close pal Sandra Bullock, 61.
In addition to starring in it, the pair also co-produced the movie.
“I love Sandy,” Nicole enthuses.
“And we’re so different. I’m like [she makes a funny noise], and she’s so measured and together. We’re like sisters. I have so much protection and love for her.
“We also have incredible chemistry. We produce totally differently. She’s incredibly hands-on and I love delegating.”
A private life kept off-limits
One topic that’s off-limits for Nicole is her post-divorce love life. Rumours have swirled about her close connection to fellow Aussie actor – and Scarpetta co-star – Simon Baker, 56. The pair, who play husband and wife in the series based on the popular Patricia Cornwell novels, held hands at the show’s New York premiere in March, and Nicole told reporters their chemistry “just vibrates”.
A source says the pair’s connection “clearly wasn’t faked. At the after-party, they stayed close all night.”
Another insider, however, points out that Nicole has been close friends with both Simon and his ex- wife, Rebecca Rigg, 58, for decades, and that romance was unlikely. Since well before Nicole filed for divorce from 58-year-old Kiwi country crooner Keith, citing “irreconcilable differences”, the star has remained in the mansion they bought two years after their 2006 wedding in Sydney.
Keith, meanwhile, has moved into a new farmhouse that serves as a “bachelor pad”, complete with a state-of-the-art recording studio.
A quiet new chapter in Tennessee
Nicole’s move to “simple, quiet and nourishing” Tennessee all those years ago turned out to be exactly what she didn’t know she needed, and she’s not in the least bit tempted to move back to the intensity of Los Angeles.
“We have our life here,” she says of herself and her teenage daughters.
“I’m part of the city and community for 20 years. It’s my home.”
Besides, if she fancies some Hollywood glamour, she only has to wander across the road to connect with close pal Reese Witherspoon. The two women were both executive producers of the hit TV show Big Little Lies and also led the ensemble cast.
“We live opposite each other. Isn’t that weird?”
she smiles. “That’s why Big Little Lies exists.”
