Nicole Kidman surprised many when she confessed in a candid chat with Harper’s Bazaar that two attributes she once resented—her towering height and pale skin—used to torment her. Now, in her late 50s, she says those same features have become traits she fully embraces.
Growing up, Kidman would twist her hips, slouch, or try to make herself seem smaller in photos. She admitted, “I used to grapple with that and kind of twist my hip down and pretend I was smaller.” She longed to look up to someone in films, thinking a shorter stature would create more flattering camera angles.
Fair skin was another source of insecurity. She shared, “It’s still not my favorite thing, but I appreciate it because it’s very good on film, so I use it that way.” Over time, she’s learned to see it as an asset rather than a flaw.
Today she doesn’t try to hide or diminish these traits. Instead, she stands tall, puts her shoulders back, and says, “I just own it.” Her daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, both inherited her genes—they’re reportedly about 5′10″ tall. Kidman joked that in her family there’s “not a small gene,” saying “we are all giants.”
But the shift wasn’t easy. Kidman acknowledged that she once felt pressure to conform to conventional beauty standards in Hollywood—where height could complicate casting and skin tone could lead to typecasting.
She admitted there were moments when she wished to be just a few inches shorter so she could look up to someone on screen.
Her embrace of those features comes at a time of personal upheaval. Kidman recently filed for divorce from country star Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage. In the interview she reflected on how life’s emotional trials forced her to grow stronger. She said, “You are going to have to feel it … you are going to feel like you’re broken, but if you move gently and slowly … it does pass.”
That raw vulnerability—admitting she once hated aspects of her body, now celebrating them—makes headlines.
Some applaud her as a role model for self-acceptance, while others whisper whether her revelations are partly timed to soften public opinion amid her divorce. The line between empowerment and PR spin can feel thin.
Kidman also spoke about aging and emotional resilience. She said she sometimes feels “really, really, really old,” though there are times she feels like she’s five and “a sense of play” still lives in her.
She expressed a desire to pass on lessons she’s learned, hoping to leave wisdom to her children beyond fame or roles.
In her fashion life, Kidman has recently used style as another layer of revelation. In a Vogue cover story, she said fashion can be armor, something defiant, sometimes sexy—depending on mood.
She described dressing up as a form of expression: “Sometimes it’s armor … sometimes it’s playful, sometimes it’s sexy.”