LEAP IN THE DARK
Nicole Kidman once again wades into grim but rewarding territory in the HBO murder mystery TheUndoing, writes Michele Manelis
NO one does distraught and disturbed as well as Nicole Kidman. Even the title of her latest HBO murder mystery, The Undoing, seems to somehow imply another stellar performance from her dark side is inevitable.
Playing an affluent New York City therapist, married to Hugh Grant’s successful paediatric oncologist, is most certainly mired in the grim reality of finding out the hard way that white privilege is no defence for betrayal, dysfunction and homicide.
Perusing her resumé of troubled roles most recently – the abused wife in Big Little Lies, the beaten- down detective in Destroyer or Bombshell’s discarded Fox News anchorwoman – it’s clear the thread that binds these women together is their underlying strength.
Kidman nods: “They’re complicated women. But I think the word ‘strong’ gets thrown around too frequently because it’s not so much about strength … the thing I’m really interested in is resilience. I like exploring resilience.”
Explaining her apparent predilection for bleak material, she shrugs her shoulders and says: “I grew up on European cinema and, while I say that in jest, it’s true. Ultimately, the roles you take on are what you end up being offered and are the result of the way directors see you. But remember, although Moulin Rouge was a tragedy, there was a humour in it. And To Die For, that was a comedy, the black kind.”
Anyone who has spent time with Kidman will attest that she most certainly leaves the darkness and drama for the screen.
She laughs often and easily. In fact, her co- star Grant describes her as “a silly Aussie girl with a great sense of humour”.
Clearly delighted with that description, she offers, “I think I’ve always been silly and funny but that was always in the privacy of my home. Now,” she continues, “that’s part of loosening up in terms of just ageing and going, ‘OK. I can be more myself’. But I think I was probably a lot shyer when I was younger.”
Indeed, the growth of Kidman’s confidence, both on screen and behind the camera, has seen her take greater control of her career.
Besides taking the lead in The Undoing, the 51-year- old doubled as executive producer, playing a part in the choice of director, key cast while keeping the studio bosses across the production of the six-part series.
Her name alone is enough to bankroll most projects, but her skill in juggling her performance with her producer duties is also earning her effusive praise from those working by her side.
Danish director Susanne Bier [ The Night Manager, Bird Box], for one, marvels at Kidman’s acting ability to “access characters and just deliver”.
“Maybe she is from outer space because she just becomes the character and she delivers. Every take is different, but all of it really truthful and real and amazing. And then she leaves set and you call her up and she’s a producer,” Bier says.
“It’s like having an ally to hold hands with because she’s incredibly supportive. She’s been in the Hollywood system since she was very, very young. And she understands how everything works and she’s very smart about it. So whenever there is an issue, she was amazing to deal with because she will very elegantly handle things, but not in an intrusive way. She’s the kind of producer that when you need her, she is so there, but she’s not imposing.”
For Kidman, the David E. Kelley script – written with her in mind for the role of Grace Fraser – was a large part of The Undoing’s allure – reuniting with her Big Little Lies creative partner.
“What really drew me to the story is that it’s so twisty and nothing is what it seems,” she says. “It also addresses the question of how well we really know our partners, or even our children. The psychology of the series is that we choose to see certain things, but also that everyone has secrets. It dissects a marriage … it really digs in.”
Alongside Grant, the cast also includes Donald Sutherland as Grace’s obscenely wealthy and caring father, Edgar Ramirez as the lead detective and rising Italian star Matilda De Angelis.
But there are two more supporting actresses Kidman is particularly excited about, with her daughters Sunday, 12, and Faith, 9, making a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearance.
“They’re in the first episode,” Kidman laughs.
“They’re used to being extras, but they did five days in the freezing [New York] cold, never complained, and didn’t get any special treatment. And then one day they came home and said, ‘ We got a line!’”
THE UNDOING
10.30AM, MONDAY, FOX SHOWCASE; ENCORE, 7PM; STREAMING ON BINGE