Nicole Kidman attends Prime Video's "Expats" New York premiere at The Museum of Modern Art on January 21, 2024 in New York City.© Getty Images

Nicole Kidman soaks up the sun in a tiny bathtub in new behind-the-scenes photo

The actress, 56, stars in the new Amazon Prime series Expats

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
January 30, 2024

Nicole Kidman is impressing many with another addition to her acclaimed filmography, the new Amazon Prime series Expats, which has already received early critical praise.

The 56-year-old leads the drama miniseries, which dropped its first two episodes on January 26. Its six-episode run concludes on February 23.

The show stars Nicole, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, and Brian Tee, and they all featured in a sweet behind-the-scenes compilation shared by creator and director Lulu Wang.

VIDEO: Nicole Kidman stars in "Expats"

Taking to Instagram, the celebrated Chinese filmmaker shared a slew of images from the making of the show, which included candid moments of cast interaction and the joy between them.

One of them even saw Nicole, stripped down to just a white mini, bask in a tiny plastic bathtub as one of the crew members held an umbrella above her to get the right lighting.

Lulu captioned her photos: "BTS with the incredible Expats cast who made it all possible. Thank you to everyone who watched this weekend," which Nicole shared on her Instagram Stories as well.

Based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee and produced by Nicole's Blossom Films, the series and its lead star initially came under fire from Hong Kong audiences for the "tone deaf" move to film a show on expatriates in the city in the midst of its political strife.

The Australian-American actress' exemption from mandatory quarantine (a week at the time) when she flew to Hong Kong to film the series in August 2021 generated controversy.

MORE: Nicole Kidman shares rare glimpse into family life with teenage daughters Sunday, 15 and Faith, 13

When it came to the backlash from internet users, as per The New York Times: "Some of them saw a case of life imitating art, or the power of celebrity, or at least a public relations misstep amid a pandemic.

Nicole Kidman in an image shared by "Expats" director Lulu Wang on Instagram© Instagram
The actress was also seen lounging in a plastic bathtub in one photo

"But either way, many people in the Chinese territory regarded the Australian actress' end-run around coronavirus rules – some of the strictest in the world – as a symbol of the unfairness that pervades a city known for its soaring inequalities."

Filming was able to proceed smoothly, though, and the mom-of-four even returned to Hong Kong that October to wrap production on the series.

RELATED: The secrets to Nicole Kidman's amazing skin in that backless dress revealed

As for other projects in the work, fans of the Oscar-winning star were excited to hear in November that her acclaimed series Big Little Lies was going to receive a season three after all.

© Getty Images
"Expats" premiered on Amazon Prime on January 26 with its first two episodes

The HBO series initially ran for two seasons from 2017-19 and was a hit with the ratings and critics, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, including one for Nicole herself.

At the New York premiere for Expats, Nicole told Variety that work on season three had begun in earnest and she was in constant touch with co-star and co-producer Reese Witherspoon.

MORE: Nicole Kidman stuns in unearthed first red carpet photos – and she looks exactly the same

"We're at work on it," she said, adding that she and Reese were "texting every day" and that "there's a timeline and we're doing it."

© Getty Images
Meanwhile, talks are also on for season three of "Big Little Lies"

She refrained from sharing more details, though, joking: "We've got to start keeping our mouths shut…We've got to button it."

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