It Was Probably Hard To Do, But Kidman Wasn’t Supposed To Be Pretty In ‘Portrait’

Nicole Kidman is explaining the proper technique for hitching up corsets.

“You lace just under the ribs and wait half an hour before lacing it up even tighter again,” the Australian actress says, sucking in her tiny stomach. Why go through such torture? “The costume designer wanted a 19-inch waist.”

So did director Jane Campion, who wanted the 28-year-old Kidman to strut her authentic, hourglass figure in “The Portrait of a Lady,” a dramatic 19th-century love story.

But Kidman is no stranger to petticoats and bustles, having worn them when co-starring with husband Tom Cruise in “Far and Away,” Ron Howard’s historical Irish epic.

Since then, Kidman has been the caped crusader’s girlfriend in “Batman Forever,” a silky gun moll in “Billy Bathgate” and a sneaky con babe in “Malice.”

Last year the actress won a Golden Globe for her wicked portrayal of Suzanne Stone, a cable weather girl obsessed with TV stardom in Gus Van Sant’s “To Die For.”

By the time Kidman auditioned for Campion’s much-awaited project, she was ready for a career U-turn. Snagging the lead in “Portrait” was a coup. But the pairing was hardly unexpected - the two have been friends ever since Kidman was cast at age 14 to appear in Campion’s graduation movie. Only this time, Kidman says, the costumes were a tad more lavish.

1. You’re considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, yet you are hardly pretty in this movie. Why?

Kidman: I loved how Jane wanted my hair to be dark and frizzy. She wanted no makeup. Jane doesn’t ever like beauty, she doesn’t like prettiness. We really worked on taking away any sort of glamour, which I liked. I love the idea of recreating yourself and being able to get lost in a character, rather than your own personality or your own looks defining the character.

2. You always employ accents. Which one do you like best?

Kidman: I haven’t done my favorite yet, which is English. I can’t wait to do an English accent. Cockney. I love accents. Somehow they help me to get lost in the character. I find unless you do it all the time you’re on the set, it does distance yourself from the role. Because if you’re speaking in your own accent and then they go, ‘OK, rolling!’ and suddenly you put on an accent, it’s almost as if you’re acting now, you’re performing. So what I do is speak in the accent for the duration of the time I’m on the set.

3. The Stanley Kubrick film “Eyes Wide Shut” will be the third time you and Tom have been united on screen. Was it different than last time?

Kidman: I know now, five years down the track, we’ve both changed so much as actors. It’s almost like rediscovering him as an actor, working with him, in a way. In “Far and Away” we were just married and we had a lot of fun making that film. This film is a lot darker and it’s almost like entering a different stage. Which is right for now. You know, we were in our early 20s then. Now I’m in my late 20s, he’s in his early 30s and I think we’ve entered a different phase of who we are as people. We’re going, “Yeah, let’s really delve into some of the complexity. Let’s really get in there and explore.”

4. C’mon, isn’t there any rivalry between you as actors?

Kidman: It’s not so much rivalry. It’s more like you’re in there and you know that the other person opposite you knows you SO well and can see when you’re acting and can see when it isn’t truthful. And you have to get past that level so you can really create characters with an honesty and a truth. It’s almost like you’re being scrutinized on an even deeper level. It’s almost as if he’s the first critic.

5. Who would you still like to work with?

Kidman: I’d still love to work with Woody Allen. As an actor, you aspire to be, at some stage, in a Woody Allen film. I’d just love to be given something comedic with him. Really anything that he’s handling, because his comedy is just extraordinary.