“I Experienced Deep Humiliation,” Nicole Kidman Reveals Why She Cried After Filming Intimate Scenes

Nicole Kidman has always been known for her daring and immersive performances. However, behind the glitz and glamour lies a lesser-explored aspect of her craft — the emotional toll that intimate scenes can take on an actor. In a recent interview, she fearlessly shared her honest reflections on this topic and the difficulty of balancing professional commitment and personal comfort, ultimately revealing the depth of her dedication to acting.

She felt deep humiliation.

Nicole Kidman recently shared her candid thoughts about her involvement in the popular TV series Big Little Lies, where she played the character of Celeste Wright, a woman trapped in a challenging and emotionally difficult marriage. Kidman disclosed that portraying the role presented significant challenges, leaving her feeling emotionally unprotected, sensitive, and profoundly embarrassed.

In her own words, she stated, “I felt very exposed and vulnerable and deeply humiliated at times.”

One particular scene took a tool on her mental health.

Among the episodes, one scene, in particular, remained vivid in Kidman’s memory. “I remember lying on the floor in the bathroom... and I just wouldn’t get up in-between takes,” she recounted.

“I was just lying there, sort of broken and crying, and I remember at one point Jean-Marc coming over and just sort of placing a towel over me because I was just lying there in half-torn underwear and just basically on the ground with nothing on, and I was just, like [gasps].”

She draws on the experiences of other women.

Reflecting on other women who have gone through similar situations, Kidman states, “But at times, I would have flashes of images of women that have gone through this, and I’m like, ’This is authentic, this is the truth, and this is what I have to do, and it would just come through like that.’ But it was beautifully written, I have to say, and Jean-Marc is an exquisite director because he was able to modulate it and allow it to be and to grow and see and then sort of paste it together, you know.”

It affected her deeply, but it was important for the role.

The impact of those emotions lingered even when the cameras were turned off. “I would keep on a very brave face at work, and then I would go home, and I didn’t realize how much it had penetrated me,” Kidman revealed. “It affected me in a deep way.”

“When I would go home, I would feel ashamed, and that’s the same emotions and the same feelings that Celeste was having,” Kidman explained. “So we were very much parallel in the feelings, but I was willing to do that for the role because that’s what I felt was important for the role.”

She separates the art from the artist.

Reflecting on her approach to storytelling and portraying characters, Kidman shared, “When I talk about not censoring myself through my own inhibitions and not then affecting a story or a character because of my own inhibitions, I’m here to tell the story and to be true to the art, not to bring my own problems in terms of what I feel comfortable with, not comfortable with. I’ve got to go work that stuff out so that I can come as a pure vessel to the work, if that makes sense.”

Her acting helps women understand domestic violence.

Kidman feels a deep sense of gratitude in retrospect that her role in the show has had a profound impact on other women. She expressed, “I’m glad that it’s created the conversation, I’m glad that it sort of pulled the veil off. I’ve received the most amazing e-mails from people saying I now understand why women stay [...], and if that changes one person’s life, that’s amazing for me.”

Fans of Game of Thrones may remember the explicit scenes between Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa, but few know that the experience left Clarke emotionally drained. Recently, she finally opened up about why the scenes were so difficult to film.