Nicole Kidman is drumming up some serious Oscar buzz for her hyper erotic performance in Babygirl and a source exclusively tells In Touch she’s keen to follow up by further embracing her sexuality in future roles, while happily putting herself forward as the Hollywood poster girl for female empowerment and encouraging all her 50-something peers to do the same.
“Babygirl is the payoff for the years of experimentation Nicole has been doing in this department since the first season of Big Little Lies,” the insider explains. “Nicole was brave and got naked and pulled off these amazing sex scenes, and she won an Emmy for Lies and could win her second Oscar for Babygirl.”
The 57-year-old actress recently opened up about the behind the scenes of filming her upcoming project, which is set to release Christmas Day, telling the Sun that playing opposite her costars Harris Dickinson, 28, and Antonio Banderas, 64, had gotten seriously hot under the collar during some of the more risqué sequences of the movie.
“There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more,’” Nicole said, referencing the demandingly-intimate takes she had to film over and over. She would even occasionally tell Harris and Antonio “Don’t come near me” and “I hate doing this” while filming.
“I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life!” the actress continued, adding that she’s now “over it.”
“It was so present all the time for me that it was almost like a burnout.”
Nicole is no stranger to taxing sex scenes, famously enduring Stanley Kubrick’s intense filming schedule – which lasted almost 3 years – for the erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut, in which she starred alongside then-husband Tom Cruise.
Now, 25 years later, the insider says the Aussie actress’ recent career turn has landed her a nice niche in an industry notorious for casting aging stars aside – especially women.
“This is pure courage at work, and nobody is making fun of Nicole for it,” the source says. “She’s found a powerful vein to tap and she has a peer group totally afraid of doing any nudity whatsoever, which gives her a global monopoly on telling these kinds of ‘sexuality over 45’ types of stories.”
With her star on the rise once again, a number of A-listers have come out in support of her Oscar dream – notably Brad Pitt, who In Touch had previously reported was cheerleading the Practical Magic star’s movie to spite his ex Angelina Jolie, who is pushing for her own Oscar for Maria.
The source agrees “Nicole has become a big force in television over the last seven years and she’s made a lot of hits,” but adds that for critics and Academy voters alike, “Babygirl is a big reminder that she can still deliver on the big screen and she still loves making movies.”
“And she still happily gets naked for audiences if she thinks the project is worthy. That might be the thing that wins it all for her this year!”
