NICOLE’S BACK-ROW RENDEZVOUS

NICOLE KIDMAN was choosing her every word extremely carefully.

‘Look, Steven’s been very clear about us not commenting on the films that are in competition,’ she told me as we chatted about her jury duty and Steven Spielberg’s rule as president of the Cannes Film Festival jury.

‘He said: “Just say ‘No comment’ when people start asking you.” He was very strict about it and I’m not going to get into trouble with Steven!’ she giggled, as we sat between courses at the Electrolux Diner d’Ouverture.

She was happy to talk about her children, husband Keith Urban and how she’d ‘walk over hot coals’ to be in a movie directed by fellow juror Ang Lee, but absolutely nothing about the 20 films in the official Cannes line-up.

‘I think Steven’s right: it’s not fair to the competition film-makers. I have to say I’m looking forward to the debate we will all have when we have to decide on the Palm D’Or,’ she told me.

We had just come from the screening of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and it reminded Nicole of her own experiences working with Luhrmann as the courtesan Satine in Moulin Rouge (he’s Baz 1 this year, I’m Baz 2).

‘Baz sent me red roses when I was at the Donmar in The Blue Room,’ she said, recalling her performance in the 1998 London production of David Hare’s play. ‘They were exquisite, and the note read: “You’re my Satine.”

‘I was very excited, but I still had to audition for him. I think it had to do with the singing. He wanted to be sure I could sing the part!’ she laughed.

‘The Blue Room was very good for me because I got to work with Baz on Moulin Rouge and Stephen Daldry cast me in The Hours after seeing me in the play and I won the Oscar for that.’

Her singer husband, she told me, should be arriving some time today from Los Angeles to join her for a few days.

‘We’ll be in the dark, watching films. Maybe we’ll sit in the back row!’