Nicole Kidman has a new interview with You Magazine, a British site/publication, all to promote her role in Big Little Lies 2. She’s basically the only one in BLL2 worth a damn, but I guess that’s something – making a second series about these often unlikeable characters who happen to be women and moms. That’s the whole point – women are different and they behave differently and sometimes appallingly. Male characters are allowed to show that kind of unlikeability, so why not women? That being said, I wish Laura Dern’s character would fall off a cliff, and if I never see Shailene Woodley & her bangs trauma dance in the surf while listening to Sufjan Stevens again, it will be too soon. But Nicole is killing it, as always, playing Celeste as a ball of neurosis, guilt, trauma, grief and recovery. You can read Nicole’s full interview here, and stay until the end where she reveals some fun stuff about her cats.
Her earliest memories are of eating: ‘It was of my parents throwing snowballs at each other in Washington and I must have been about two. I remember bending down with my mittens going, “I shouldn’t be doing this,” and eating the snow…. I used to eat ants as well, but ants don’t taste good. Just sort of off. Just acidic-y. Kind of weird. And I’ll eat anything. I’ve eaten almost anything. Witchetty grubs, worms and insects…I’ll immediately get prickly if someone says, “You have to do this.” I’m like, “Mmm. Not sure I have to do anything.”’
She has no vanity: ‘When it comes to performance I have no vanity at all. Couldn’t care less.’
She says her 79-year-old mother Janelle is always on at her to ‘make an effort… My mum is like, “Do your hair, put on some make-up, stay in shape!” You know, she’s old school. My mum won’t FaceTime me without her make-up and her hair being done and I’m like, “Oh, come on!”’Her miracle pregnancy at 40: ‘A miracle… I was like, “Your only job, Keith, is to get me the epidural if I scream for it.” And I screamed for it. I was doing OK and then I went, “Oh boy!”’
Faith got her through her grief for her father: ‘[I was] down on my knees [with grief]. It was unbearable.’ It was her faith, she says, that got her through. ‘I was raised Catholic. Very Catholic. I have a strong belief in God and when I’ve experienced enormous loss is when it comes in powerfully…. I wrestle with things. I’m not just like, “Oh, everything is perfect.” I wrestle and question and that’s just the nature of probably digging in and delving into things as well.’
Whether people are still interested in her marriage to Tom Cruise: ‘I’m not sure if they are. I mean, I get asked about it but it’s one of a hundred questions and now I’ve just gone, “It’s done. That was two decades ago, so there’s nothing more to be said.” It’s disrespectful to my husband now. It’s disrespectful to my ex-husband. I’ve always said: you don’t sit at a dinner party and discuss all your exes with your new partner there, who is then privy to all of it. It’s inappropriate.’
Her Nashville menagerie includes alpacas & cats: ‘[The alpacas are] a little fierce. They make noises, they spit and they can bite. We have chickens as well. Alpacas, ten fish and two cats called Ginger and Snow… I really am a cat person. I’ve just got one of those carriers. Have you seen those? Those backpacks that you can put them in? Yeah, a cat carrier that’s a backpack and it has a window that they can peek out of and it’s got air and everything and they love it.’ Is she saying that she takes them on hikes? ‘Yeah. I was actually going to post a picture of it and then I thought, “Oh, I don’t want to do that.” But I may still because it is really cute. They hop in. They can’t wait to get in.’
Cat protection agencies are already climbing up Nicole’s butt about putting her cats in a backpack-carrier and going hiking with them. I would say that it really depends on the cat – some cats are little ragdolls who love to be carried around and wouldn’t mind riding in a backpack on a hike. Other cats would rather die than do something that uncool. Much like the women of Monterey, cats have all kinds of different personalities. But I truly got a kick out of the image of Nicole happily packing up her cats – GINGER and SNOW – to go on a hike with mom.
OH MY GOD I FOUND VIDEOS OF NICOLE TALKING TO HER FLUFFY CATS.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Kitties! Her cats are beautiful. I’ve seen those backpacks- one of mine would like it, the other would hate it. But no thanks!
I really enjoyed the first new episode of BLL. I wasn’t sure they needed a second season, but so far it’s been very interesting.
I’m dying to do the backpack thing but the rest of my family is forbidding it.
My friend’s cat loooves going for walks in the cat dome backpack. How is it possibly a problem if the cat likes it?
That’s what I’m wondering, too. Someone wanting to take their cat on a hike is someone who seriously loves their kitty.
I don’t know about hiking. Is what Americans call “hiking” just walking, or is it tramping up hills, down dales and through forests? I had a beautiful brown Burmese, who lived to be 20. He was the best cat, ever. We lived opposite a two kilometre-long stretch of beautiful reserve, and I used to walk and train our Doberman there late at night. Ceebs, the cat, used to accompany us every night, walking along beside me while I had the dog on the lead. When I got to the end of the reserve, I’d let the dog off the leash and Ceebs would shoot up the nearest tree. As soon as I’d clipped the leash on again, Ceebs would come down and we’d all walk home together. He also used to company me to the bus stop – a habit I could never break. The neighbours looked out for him, though. One day, the bus driver said he might need to call the RSPCA, as he often saw the cat when I got the bus, and wondered if he was lost or a stray, even though he looked in beautiful condition. I laughed and told him not to worry, that he was my cat, and that he’d go home and be waiting for me on the front step. Even though my husband worked from home and Ceebs had a cat doo and free run of the house, he just waited on the step. Brilliant kitty. I still miss him.
Um, because cats are not anatomically suited for being carried around in backpacks? They can’t sweat like we can, they’re covered in fur (most of them are, at least), they rarely drink water on demand, and they need to sleep from 10-16 hours a day. Overheating issues, dehydration and exhaustion are the first big concerns, as that would be more immediate. But there are also concerns of more gradual harm over time because like all vertebrates, cats’ organ function and skeletal health is dependent on them being able to move and rest in natural positions which for cats means being able to walk around on their own feet and be allowed to lay and stretch out as they wish. Oh and did I did mention yet how cats need to sleep 10-16 hours a day? Evolution didn’t make cats marathon runners. They’re not descended from hunter-gatherers who’d spend most of the day collecting food. They are ambush predators that use a ton of energy in very quick hunting attacks. So naturally, nearly every cat species has evolved to active only for a small portion of the day, the domestic cat included. Anyone who has cats will tell you even the most laid-back, chill cat likes to sleep in quiet places where they aren’t disturbed, because a cat’s body need *rest* and a lot of it. None of that says “Drop Fluffy in a backpack and go on a daytrip to the mountains where we’ll spend 6 hours is direct sunlight–she’ll be fine!”
I think yoy need to chill. Where did she say she takes the cats on 6h hikes? A cat in an aerated roomy dome for 1h is no cause for concern and she says the cats are excited to jump back in. Theyre fine.
Pretty cats. How can someone who has messed with her face so much (sometimes beyond recognition) front like she’s not vain? It’s disingenuous.
I believe her when she’s talking about her performances, but otherwise yeah.
Though I think that level of messing with one’s face comes more from insecurity and societal pressure rather than vanity.
Me too. She not going down the Lisa Rinna route, she’s just smoothing out her skin and making her features more youthful (which don’t but that’s another issue). I actually think she does that to stay relevant and get roles. In her acting she seems pretty selfless and engaged in wherever the roles take her. She doesn’t come across as a fashion oriented person either.
I think she was pretty fragile for a while after Cruise abruptly ended their marriage. And then I think about this one moment in the doc “Searching for Debra Winger”. Actress Daphne Zuniga spoke of auditioning for a role and later getting a call from her agent, “You got the part, but they want you to go see their doctor and have just a *little* something done. Don’t worry, they won’t take the part from you, but they still need you to go in and get it done.”
I can see that playing out w/ Nicole & having it snowball from there. But I have to say that she looks much better now that she is more in control of her screen work. She certainly gets more interesting roles than her ex-h.
I could see that happening. Women, especially actresses, and ESPECIALLY 35+ year old actresses, are so scrutinized for their appearance, and there’s some weird control things from sick people in power, like Daphne’s story.
I can also imagine that some of these doctors say stuff like “yeah, your eyes look great now, you hardly notice your thin lips” and all to sell services.
My cats would murder me in my sleep if I took them hiking.
Mine too. I’d be bandaging up my face if I ever attempted a backpack carrier.
Yeah they look like cats that like to be carried around LOL.
Admittedly I don’t know much about cats being carried around in backpacks but I have seen this with dogs.
How cool.
I have 4 senior cats who love their outdoor cat tent. Two of them walk on a leash as well.
I want a cat stroller. Not sure I would try a backpack. I know Pharaoh Loki would go in it. He loves his leash walks. LOL But my RA could not Carry his 15 pounds.
I’m trying to get mine to walk on a leash but she’s not great on it. She’s always begging to go outside and I’m trying to get her to connect the fact that the harness and leash mean outside — it should be a good thing! — but she doesn’t quite seem to get that yet.
I recently saw a photo of a cat stroller and it had a little litter box in it, so funny.
I tried to take my (now deceased) cat on a walk with a leash. It was a royal fiasco. Clawing into the ground howling like I was murdering him (when all I did was put the harness on him, we hadn’t even attempted to walk yet.) Such drama: he was clipped into the harness and immediately fell over like he was frozen. Then the clawing into the ground. Then the howling. Never again.
I love hearing the voices other cat owners make when talking to their cats. We all have a voice we do lol. I’ve seen those carriers and they are really cute. They are perfect for cats who like going outside with their owner but dont like being walked. My boy would freak out. But I know people whose cats would love it. Cats are such diverse creatures personality-wise.
Our Cricket is half Ragdoll, half Siamese. If she could be permanently attached to me, she would be. That cat wants to be doing exactly what you’re doing at all times. I keep considering getting her a harness and taking her into the yard, but I don’t want to deal with her potentially trying to make a break for the door one day.
She has legitimately sat on my shoulder (she’s still under a year) while I was getting ready for work and doing my makeup. When I come home she’ll put her little arms up in the air begging to be picked up haha.
Aw, she sounds adorable. I hear you on not wanting to get her too excited about going out. Mine is always trying to bolt out the door when someone opens it. She’s gotten out a couple times and has never got far but she did get stuck in a tree one time. And she’s snuck out without us knowing, which is even scarier. My son went outside and was astonished to see her standing on the roof of the garage! He panicked for a second but luckily she came right down when she saw him.
Leave the door open for them to sneak out when it is raining outside. Cures the curiosity fast! We had coyotes in the neighborhood and lots of missing cat signs, so letting them want to go outside wasn’t an option. You can also surprise them with a garden hose if that doesn’t work.
I highly recommend a cat tent. You can put the harness on your fur baby and put them in the tent. It is all mesh btw. Cats can see out all
around. Mine love to sit and bird watch.
Aw, sounds adorable! My one is part Maine Coon, and would be attached to me 24/7 too.
I have a good sized sunroom that when all opened up is like a screen porch. That’s as close to outside as mine are going to get.
I’m just going to come out and admit to being a Nicole stan. I just like her.
Me too 🙂
Those videos of her talking to her cats in that boo-boo voice make me like her so much more for some reason. She comes off very human. How sweet.
Her mom has to have full hair and makeup to facetime and Nicole has to have no wrinkles at all, all the time. Sure Jan.
I don’t like her much because of her long association with Scientology – she could have said something about that by now. But her work on BLL has been stunning, so I’m watching season 2.
My cats (we have 4 right now, no I AM NOT A CAT LADY) would murder me if I tried to put them in a backpack and my body would never be found.
By all accounts, she was never really into scientology. In fact, she was the reason Tom left scientology for a bit. She humored him by doing some auditing, but it was never her thing.
I like her personality, sweet. But she and Keith are so over Botoxed and filled?
She will go deep into a role but who is she kidding she may be calling her mom w no makeup on but it’s w a frozen face!
Our cat, Pepper, is more cat/dog/baby. If she’s energetic, she runs up my body to my face. And it’s almost always when I least expect it. She meows constantly, and even if you’ve fed her, freshened her litter box, she’s meowing to be picked up and carried like a damn baby. I swear I’ve never met a cat this needy and high maintenance lol. Walks in carriers would be right up her alley. Not mine though.
Lol. Aw.
OMG I love her cats! Nicole Kidman is suddenly human to me in a way that she never has been before…
cute kittums!! all three of mine would be incredibly offended if I put them in a backpack and took them for a hike. They prefer to lounge on their fluffly thrones (cat beds) in sunbeams like the queens that they are!
Funny, I love that she’s a crazy cat person, I can so relate. I was always a dog person until two kittens came into and literally took over my life.
I’ve met Nicole, been to her house a few times in LA. Nikki Stan for life!
I met her at a charity event in NYC one year. She was really nice, down to earth, and just a pleasure.