Digital Cover celebrities© Amy Sussman

Nicole Kidman reflects on advice for 4 children amid 'really hard' times and her mother's sudden death

The Special Ops: Lioness and Babygirl actress has four children, Bella, Connor, Sunday and Faith

Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
Updated: November 13, 2024

It has been a very busy year for Nicole Kidman, who has had a growing tally of projects and accolades, however it has been in part marred with heartbreak.

The Special Ops: Lioness actress has had several projects release this year, among them The Perfect Couple, A Family Affair, Lioness, and the forthcoming erotic thriller Babygirl, but as she was about to be awarded the Venice Film Festival's Volpi Cup for best actress for the latter, she got news that her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, passed away.

Her trip to Venice was cut short, and her Babygirl director, Halina Reijn said on her behalf at the time: "I am in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her, she shaped me, she guided me, and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina [Hejn], the collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken."

Now, speaking with Vanity Fair as part of their annual Hollywood issue, which also featured fellow stars such as Zendaya, Glen Powell, Dev Patel and Josh O'Connor, among others, Nicole delved into what she meant with her message then.

"She was my compass in a way. It's like losing that, but at the same time going, 'Okay, well, this is for her then,'" she shared.

The mother-of-four added: "So much of what she wanted for my sister and I was to create women in this world who felt like they could express themselves and have opportunities, especially things she didn't have from her generation."

© LUCY NICHOLSON

Nicole with her parents in 2002

"She loved my career, she really did. She would be there through all the ups and downs, all of it. Her essence has been pretty much the driving force through my whole life," she further shared, before noting: "I wish she could have seen this part of it. She was very excited to see Babygirl, and she was excited to see Perfect Couple too, but she didn't get to see either of those."

MORE: Inside Keith Urban's $6.5 million-dollar car collection

MORE: Nicole Kidman brings back her iconic curls as she reveals 'very scary' moment

Further in the interview, Nicole also reflected on the difficulty of her busy year and relationship with Hollywood, however it being one that she embraces. "Everything's hard now. Actually everything," she said, though noted: "I just think that's the nature of what we're dealing with now. Things are shrinking in terms of shows being done and films being made. I definitely feel it. I'm sure most people in the industry feel it. I know the crews feel it. I know writers feel it."

© James D. Morgan

The actress and her mother in 2018

Still, she maintained: "You're just along for the ride, and it is very much ups and downs and roller coasters, and you just go, Hold on tight. It's what I try to teach my kids because I don't know what their futures are: Hold on and go for it and take the opportunities when they arise and jump in and try something. The worst you can do is fail. That may be humiliating, but at least you don't go, Gosh, I wish I'd tried that, and I regret that I didn't."

MORE: Keith Urban suffers 'damage' to $600k car while out with daughter Sunday

© Getty Images

She has been married to Keith since 2006

Nicole has four children; she shares Bella, 31, and Connor, 29, with her ex-husband Tom Cruise, and Sunday, 16, and Faith, 13, with husband Keith Urban, who she married in 2006. 

MORE: Keith Urban reveals the one bucket list item he shares with teen daughters

© Monica Schipper

The extended Kidman family earlier this year

She further reflected: "I have been crazy in life, so whatever happens, it comes out in many different ways. I feel things intensely. I read a lot. I'm raising a family. I'm a wife, I'm a sister. I've got all these friends. I'm moving through the journey of life."

"It can be really hard, especially if you're very present and emotional and in it. And then there's an enormous amount of sheer joy. That was one of the greatest pieces of advice I was ever given once: Don't think ahead to something bad happening. Stay in the moment when it's good, because you need to nourish during that time. You will have the fortitude to ride out when it's not. If you're already not allowing in the nourishment of the joy and the good times, that's the wrong way to live."

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best celebrity coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Celebrity News

See more