Nicole Kidman walks the walk, has worked with 27 women directors in 8 years

Nicole Kidman is one of the most influential stars of this time. She has been busier than ever, giving us hits after another with multiple projects that she has been a part of. The actress has made an extra effort to be seen in both films and OTT projects.

Now at the Cannes Film Festival, Nicole Kidman spoke about how she made a proactive approach in the last few years to sign up with women directors. In 2017, the actress made a public vow to work with a woman director every 18 months. She didn’t know if it was possible but she was determined to make it happen. In the last eight years, Nicole Kidman has teamed up with 27 women directors across her various film and TV projects.

Nicole Kidman is at the Cannes to receive the Woman in Motion Award from Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault, Cannes president Iris Knobloch and festival director Thierry Fremaux.

At a discussion with Variety at Cannes, Nicole said, “I was going to make it possible,” of her vow. “I was at a point where we had a discussion where there was such a disparity in terms of the choice. You’d go, ‘Could a woman direct this?’ And there wasn’t a number of names where you could even consider people. They’d say it was someone’s first time and you didn’t want to risk it.”

“I had to start to say this is how I am doing it. This is what I am doing,” she continued. “We will take the risk and we are going to mentor and support and help and then really protect. Because part of it is protecting and surrounding the women with almost like a forcefield of protection and support so they can do their best work. At the same time, it’s giving them the opportunity where they feel like this isn’t the only chance. A lot of is like, ‘OK, you get one shot.'”

She added why it was necessary and added, “You get to a certain age and maybe you had made a great film in your 20s that got lauded and then suddenly you’re in your 40s and you haven’t followed it up or made choices that didn’t succeed. But you’re like, ‘I’m not over! Please still keep believing in me and investing in me.’ That is important too, resisting ageism. There’s the emerging talents and then the ones that are still going who have a wealth of knowledge and experience and have somehow been cast out or are not the cool person. It’s about going, ‘No, you actually can have a second or third chapter.'”