Nicole Kidman Embraces Mature Sexuality in New Erotic Thriller ‘Babygirl’

Kidman’s Sexiest Role Yet

At 57 years old and with an impres­sive career span­ning diverse roles, Nicole Kid­man has tak­en on her most sex­u­al­ly explic­it part yet in the new erot­ic thriller ‘Baby­girl.’

The film, which pre­mieres at the 2024 Venice Film Fes­ti­val, sees Kid­man play a high-pow­ered exec­u­tive who begins a risky affair with her much-younger intern.

Intimate Scenes and Vulnerability

Kid­man has admit­ted feel­ing “vul­ner­a­ble” and “exposed” while film­ing the mul­ti­ple sex scenes, includ­ing one depict­ing a submissive/dominant dynamic. 

The actress has described ‘Baby­girl’ as her “most expos­ing” project to date, sur­pass­ing even the dream-like eroti­cism of 1999’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ with then-hus­band Tom Cruise.

Embracing Midlife Sexuality

Despite her trep­i­da­tion, Kid­man has embraced the mature sex­u­al­i­ty required for the role, say­ing she feels “sex­i­er than ever” in her 50s. 

The Aus­tralian star has been unapolo­getic about push­ing bound­aries with her dar­ing fash­ion choic­es and on-screen performances.

Navigating Industry Expectations

Kid­man has spo­ken open­ly about nav­i­gat­ing Hol­ly­wood as a woman over 50, refus­ing to let soci­etal expec­ta­tions hold her back.

She makes choic­es based on how she feels rather than wor­ry­ing about pub­lic reac­tion, believ­ing it’s impor­tant for old­er actress­es to be vis­i­ble and celebrated.

Positive Reviews and Female Perspective

‘Baby­girl’ has received rave reviews, with crit­ics prais­ing Kid­man’s raw and “vul­ner­a­ble” per­for­mance. Direc­tor Hali­na Rei­jn is said to have want­ed to specif­i­cal­ly focus on the female expe­ri­ence of desire and sex­u­al­i­ty in the film.

Redefining Older Women’s Roles

Kid­man’s role in ‘Baby­girl’ is part of a broad­er trend of films depict­ing inti­mate rela­tion­ships between old­er women and younger men. 

Experts say this trend helps to counter the indus­try’s his­tor­i­cal bias towards cast­ing younger actress­es in roman­tic leads.