It’s been a year since Radhika Jones took over the reins at Vanity Fair and even though I’m all about the sisterhood of lady journalists and lady editors, I f–king hate Jones’ work as VF’s editor in chief. She’s turned Conde Nast’s best and dishiest property into a wordy, fart-sniffing hipster mess. None of VF’s covers make waves anymore, and while VF is “nicer” now, no one cares because the interviews are so tedious. So with that in mind, Nicole Kidman covers the latest issue of Vanity Fair. Kidman is promoting Big Little Lies 2. She goes to church. Her marriage is good. That’s about the gist of this piece. Even when a tricky subject comes up – like her now-adult children with Tom Cruise – VF tucks it away and doesn’t press any juicy angles. What’s the point of VF becoming yet another publicist-run and publicist-sanctified fluff journalism magazine again? You can read the full Kidman interview here. Some highlights:
She likes weird art films: “I’ve done weird films and I’ve done things that are so obtuse, which I’m still committed to because I like performance art and not conforming to what everyone expects of you. I don’t think in normal terms. Keith always says, ‘You’re so not mainstream.’ ”
She & Keith are a simple couple: “[It’s] extremely simple with what we want from each other and what we want from a relationship. Just peas in a pod in that regard,” says Kidman. She loves being a “tour wife” and says she can memorize his tour schedule and dates in one glance. “I love that Keith is a guitar player and a singer, but his passion is guitar and writing music. That’s what I’m around every day.”
Sunday & Faith are into music & filmmaking, but not because Nicole pushed: “You can’t really get kids into anything, I’ve realized. You can push them a bit, but motivation is a really hard thing. I mean, nobody motivated me to be an actor; if anything they tried to deter me.”
Sunday & Faith still have rules they need to follow: “They don’t have a phone and I don’t allow them to have an Instagram. I try to keep some sort of boundaries.”
On Conner & Bella: “Bella lives just outside London. You know, she really feels more English. We lived there for Eyes Wide Shut, Mission Impossible, and The Portrait of a Lady. They both had English accents when they were little.”
She’s still working steadily at 51: “There isn’t a shelf life like there used to be. That’s why it’s so important to keep changing. We live longer now, if we’re fortunate. So there has to be a place to put all that creative energy.”
She’s on a group chat with all the Big Little Lies ladies: “Look at the Friends cast, they spent all that time together—they’re different because there are no men in our equation. I mean, there are, but they’re not on the group chat, let’s put it that way.” Wait. Nicole, Reese, Laura, Zoë, and Shailene have a group chat?! What about Meryl?! “Yes. And she’s very funny.”
She goes to church: She has a strong belief in God and isn’t afraid to say it out loud. “A lot of my friends tease me.” The Kidman-Urbans go to church as a family. “That’s how we are raising our children. Keith has his own beliefs but he comes, too. I had a very Catholic grandmother, and I was raised praying, so that had massive impact. I wouldn’t say it’s absolutism, there’s constant questioning—I’m a willful, feisty girl. For me it’s very important that I don’t have judgment. My dad would always say, ‘Tolerance is the most important thing.’”
Nicole was always pretty Catholic – it was said, back in the day, that her desire to remain involved with Catholicism was one of the reasons why she rejected Scientology so much. There were years during the Kidman-Cruise marriage where she seemed to even pull Tom away from Scientology too. It would have been great to hear her talk about all of that, but I guess not. People really tease her for being religious? Good lord, she lives in Nashville! Who are those judgy heathens in Nashville??
Also: Sunday is 10 and Faith is 8. I agree that they’re too young for phones and Instagram. But it’s coming, sooner than Nicole realizes. Less than two years from now, Sunday will have a phone and an Instagram.
This is maybe the worst wig ever.
Cover and photos courtesy of Vanity Fair.
my favorite actress.
Yes, i like her as an actress too. On a different note, i live in Nashville. This city is growing like wildfire (and that’s and understatement), traffic is hell at all times of the day now. Rudeness and disrespect is taking over the old southern hospitality. There is a huge influx of people from all over the US and from foreign countries. Right now cranes dominate the landscape. A lot of people and developers from the west coast are buying land and properties like they’re going out of style because it used to be very affordable, however the demand is bringing prices up at an incredible pace and outpricing locals. Cost of living has nearly tripled yet wages haven’t gone up accordingly. Nashville used to be the perfect mix of a city with the charms of country living and an affordable price tag; which is why i had moved here 10 years ago. The changes are coming too fast, there doesn’t seem to be a sustainable growth plan, it is more about milking the money at this point as they cram as many officces, commercial and apartment buildings at outrageous prices. The way it’s growing, it’s becoming more into a nightmare. Crime and panhandling has skyrocketed, too. Many people had moved to the surrounding suburban towns however those are being over developed as well since Nashville is reaching full capacity. I’m all for growth but this feels more like a bunch of piranha developers wanting their piece of the cake. I have experienced first hand the change in attitude among residents and it has a lot to do with the type of people moving in. The locals are upset at the changes happening before their eyes. I am not surprised at all that Kidman has gone through judgment. Geographical location doesn’t define the culture nowadays. This part of the South has been changing tremendously and not for the better.
Sad that many cities across America are experiencing what we endured in Southern California for several decades, and still endure.
Nashville resident here. I agree. Remember back when people would thank you for letting them in while driving? I’ve noticed in the last year, very few do that anymore. And the housing prices, ridiculous!
Here’s an article on Nashville’s recent changes for reference if anyone would like to check it out…and yes i’ve caught a quick glimpse at a distance of the Urban-Kidmans at the local Whole Foods as well as country music singers at local restaurants. Let’s see how long that lasts. Driving the 15 miles to work used to take 10 mins. Now it’s 30 mins if you leave 30 mins earlier and better pray it doesn’t rain bcs it takes up to 1 hr and i am not exaggerating. The 15 mile commute back home can take up to 2 hours with rain, even if i take back-roads. Public transportation is for tourists. There are so few and far in between bus rides and just a handful of routes that it’s just not a dependable way to keep a job. It is not pedestrian/bike friendly.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2018/11/26/nashville-growth-has-exploded-since-left-20-years-ago-opinion/1766617002/
Why on earth would traffic slow down when it rains???
I currently live in the Atlanta area, and these southerners often ride the break when it’s raining. It’s as if they believe ice will suddenly develop. It doesn’t help that in general, they tail gait, drive very distracted, and refuse to use turn signals when weaving in and out of lanes. I’m from the Chicago suburbs, and I’ve never seen anything like it. There is no drivers ed offered in school and it shows. Accident rates are high and insurance rates are outrageous.
Excuse me, “these Southerners” know that roads can be slick when wet, so we slow down. I’m so sorry we’re not as perfect as people in the murder capital of Chicago.
The teasing is either being Catholic in Nashville? Or every Sunday religious in general in LA? No idea. Her TN and LA grps seems churchy too, so no idea.
Nicole has been estranged from her older kids for years. And apparently now she is talking to Isabelle. She was at Isabella’s wedding. So I can see exactly why the issue wouldn’t be pressed and why Kidman and her team would insist that it wouldn’t be. If you had finally started being able to communicate with your child after years would you endanger that for a Vanity Fair interview??
Nicole and Tom was not at Isabella’s wedding, although Nicole was in London at the time.
Although Tom’s people put out that he paid for it.
I’m an angry ex-Catholic. I respect Nicole’s right to be religious but I feel this conversation would be better served if she discussed maintaining her Catholic faith in wake of all of those who were sexually abused by priests rather than her belief in God. In this day and age, I worry about Sunday and Faith going and being exposed to priests but it’s not my business.
I know it’s not her responsibility to answer for all the heinous things priests done but I just need to know how one can maintain their faith after all allegations. I couldn’t do it. I want to know how she did.
“I’m an angry ex-Catholic.” – I like your passion!
Yep – I’m angry ex-Catholic too. I could go on and on, but nope. I’m speaking for myself, but organized religion really f**ked up my head for a while.
Probably because she was wise enough to put her faith in God and not in people or institutions. I’m horrified and saddened by the evil men do under the closk of religion but my faith remains strong.
No god would allow an institution to do the horrendous and heinous things that have happened not only in the Catholic church but many other churches as well. No god with compassion would allow sexual abuse in their name.
I agree Monicack, there is a way to separate God from the imperfect people who form institutions supposedly to honor him/her.
I remember going to church one day, and hearing the priest chastising a parishioner for asking him whether another adult would be present when her son was meeting with the pastor (this is at the height of when abuse was coming to light in parishes in every town near me) He didn’t call her by name, but he tried to shame her for “how dare she question God like that” and it took all that was in me to keep from standing up and shouting out “she wasn’t questioning God, Father, she was questioning YOU. There’s a difference you know” That was sort of my breaking moment with the Catholic Church, as it exists in the US at this time.
But I’ve seen enough things in my life, in and out of “church” to believe there is something/someone much bigger than any of us in the world and something beyond the material world. People, at least for now in the US, can believe what they want, and worship, or not, as they want in the US at the moment.
Lucia, I can’t understand or explain why bad stuff happens, or why people are able to do SO much harmful s*** while cloaking themselves in the pretense of “God’s work” … There are some very bad people who both directly harmed thousands and/or covered up the harm and allowed it to continue in the name of protecting “the institution ” (or their own position, power, income, a**) And I don’t think we’ve seen the full fall out from that yet.
@Lucia. ExMormon here. Actively involved in the exposure of the lies and abuses of LDS Corp. Whatever people want to believe is fine, but the people running the show are absolutely criminals and I am not having it.
I love you, GOTDANG!!! Keep fighting the good fight.
People are complicated.
I love how when indigenous people, men women and children, where raped and murdered by the church for centuries no one batted an eye. The Church still refuses to apologize for kidnapping native children and putting them in residential schools within the last 100 years. Survivors of those “schools” are still alive today. But now that it’s white middle class kids who were abused a line has some how been crossed and it’s time to cancel the Church. Organized religion of all stripes is a cancer on humanity.
Don’t get me started on that. DO NOT get me started on that. OMG do not get me started.
Abuse happens everywhere in both religious and secular organizations. Predators deliberately insert themselves into environments where their prey is present, and it’s to their benefit when they are in a position of power over that prey. It happens with priests and every other kind of clergy, as well as with teachers, sports coaches, scouting leaders, and any other position of leadership.
The failure of the Catholic Church, and numerous other secular and religious institutions, is to try to protect the institution instead of supporting victims and trying to prevent further abuse. The Catholic Church’s male-dominated hierarchy and inherent lack of transparency make it all of the more obvious, but the same types of abuses happen in every other organization.
And I don’t say this as a “well everybody else has screwed up too” excuse for Catholicism. Any individual or organization who has failed to do their utmost to protect against abuse and support victims needs to own their failings — whether it springs from a spiritual obligation to God or a secular moral obligation to common decency.
“I’m an angry ex-Catholic. ”
Me too. I was raised Catholic, but broke from the church while I was still in my teens. I feel conflicted at times, as I have many dearly-loved relatives that are very religious.
I believe in a higher power for sure, but am not into organized religion.
We all should be very angry at the people who protected pedophiles and outright refused to protect children. But there is a difference between Church leadership, who are humans, and one’s belief in God as expressed through Catholicism. I think you can maintain a strong belief in the Catholic faith while hating just about everything the leaders of the Church have done in the name of that faith. It’s not a corporation that you reject because of their practices. That being said, I think every single Catholic should be angry, betrayed, and advocating for huge change. Is the Church corrupt enough to require that we branch off into a new sect? We’re awfully close.
Thank you for this.
Yep!
These photos are really terrible.
I’m completely convinced she died years ago and this is a Tussaud creation brought to life Frankstein-style
These photos are certainly good evidence of your theory. That cover one is just really awful. Yikes. And I’m really not visually acute at all, so it must be pretty bad for me to see it. Usually people comment that something is badly photoshopped and I have to go back and look again to have half a clue what they mean. But this one immediately made me wince.
LOL
i don’t think she’s under any obligation to discuss whatever happened with her insane scientology kids. i’m sure it is extremely painful for her.
I agree, and I wish people would stop pushing her on it.
If journalists want to push someone on Scientology created child separation, ask Tom Cruise how Suri’s doing.
Also, how fun must that group chat be!?
Exactly!
I like her and she’s a beautiful woman but these photos are really terrible.
It breaks my heart whoever put that wig on her head…I could have found a MUCH BETTER wig for less than $20 up the street from my house and styled the HELL outta of that…because I LOVE seeing her in that short style…Her face on the cover…looks swollen and the lanky hair in the back…and the garish color…SERIOUSLY..WHAT THE HEYLL?!?
I mean, at the end of the day, even with her wonky surgeries she is still a million times more gorgeous than I ever was or will be…so who am I to judge? And yes, her face, her body, her choice.
BUT… one of the things that was the most beautiful about Nicole was how delicate her features were. The plane of her right cheek is so distractingly “off” in this photo. I understand that Hollywood drives these women to try to fight aging in anyway they can. But like…how bad could Nicole possibly have looked if she didn’t do anything? She has very fair skin, and was not one to tan…so I suspect she used lots of sunscreen. She has had access to great skin creams all her life…or at least as long as they really counted. I have to think that she would have looked pretty damn great had she gone the natural route.
Not my choice, it is hers, and I am not an aging actress so I really don’t know half the pressures she is under. But I can’t help but wonder what she would look like without the poofiness etc.
I don’t believe in organized religion whatsoever but can’t imagine teasing my friend for being religious. That’s a personal choice. Kind of a weird comment from Nicole.
Nicole has a gag order in her divorce settlement on Scientology comments. She will never discuss that matter widely. (I know for fact as friend worked on her decree.)
I’ve liked Nicole as she’s gotten older. She has this ability to discuss her love love in saccharine terms, but it’s not off-putting to me. I liked her acting best in that Birth movie. Weird and stoic. To Die For was probably her very best.
I would have thought now that she’s had so many years of success and she’s married to Keith, she could afford to pay back everything that Tom gave her and rip up the agreement.
It may not just be a matter of money, of her being able to “pay back everything”.
When there are kids involved, she may be making choices of what to comment on/not comment on in consideration of what’s best for them, and what keeps open the possibility of a relationship with them.
Then how TF did she marry a Scientologist??
Reportedly he was sort of out of Scientology when they got together, and got back into it during their relationship.
Kidman got together with Tom before he was widely known to be in Scientology. He already was one of the biggest movie stars in the world back then. Tom had seen Dead Calm (Kidman’s breakthrough movie) and was very impressed with her, he wanted her to audition for Days of Thunder. She did and got the part AND the leading man. Sparks flew while Tom was still officially married to actress Mimi Rogers, who on her part had introduced him to Scientology to probably help him deal with his dyslexia… Kidman was early 20’s and fell head over heels for Tom and he fell hard for her too. He was practically out of ‘the church’ when they were together, only cared about Nicole and their family, but eventually he got lured back in and that probably ended their marriage. I think it’s quite sad, just google them as a couple. Brangelina was nothing compared to them in terms of chemistry and hotness.
TC used to say in interviews that Scientology was compatible with other religions – you could be a Buddhist Scientologist or a Christian Scientologist or a Jewish Scientologist. That was around the time they got married and presumably he was less “evolved” than he is now.
I don’t think she realises that most kids by nature go through a stage of wanting to be whatever it is that their parents do. My father was a diplomat and so I thought that’s what I’d end up doing too. And when your parents do something that (presumably) your friends think is cool that would be even more the case. It’s a bit disingenuous to think they’re interested in movie making without any influence.
Although comments are mainly focusing on Kidman, I want to add my total agreement about Vanity Fair…I used to look forward to every issue and read it avidly for years but sadly cancelled my subscription. Just uninteresting….miss Graydon Carter!
Me too, those long form VF articles used to be amazing, now it is a snooze fest …bring back GC!
Agree on Radhika Jones. She tweaked VF to make it more modern and cool presumably but instead it now seems more outdated and boring. How is that possible?
Tom cruise is gay and she never wanted those kids. He did.
She is an attractive woman but it looks as though they have created a weird flat blank canvas and then re-photoshopped the features onto her face… and it didn’t go well.
The article is written in such a false and cheesy tone. It has not a single true note. If it’s really her words, she comes across as sounding vapid and strangely unreal. Sort of like the photo really lol.