Hollywood loves a good fight. For years, if you picked up a tabloid, you’d see Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie framed as the ultimate icy rivals. One was the poised, classically trained Australian powerhouse. The other was the rebellious, "blood-vial wearing" disruptor who eventually became a global humanitarian force.
But honestly? Most of that "feud" was built on a single movie role and a very messy divorce that didn't even involve both of them directly.
The rumor mill went into overdrive back in 2005. You probably remember the Mr. & Mrs. Smith drama. What people often forget is that Nicole Kidman was actually the original choice to play Jane Smith. She had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts with The Stepford Wives. Enter Angelina Jolie. The rest—the chemistry with Brad Pitt, the "Brangelina" explosion, the end of the Jennifer Aniston era—is history. Because Nicole was close friends with Aniston, the media decided she must hate Angelina by default.
It's a tired narrative. It's also mostly wrong.
The Scarpetta Pivot and the 2026 Shift
Fast forward to right now. The industry is buzzing about the new TV adaptation of Kay Scarpetta, the famous forensic sleuth from Patricia Cornwell’s novels. For a long time, this was Angelina’s project. She was attached to play the lead for years when it was envisioned as a film.
Then things changed.
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The project shifted to a high-end series for Amazon, and suddenly, Nicole Kidman was the one holding the scalpel. Some outlets tried to paint this as Nicole "outplaying" Angelina. In reality, it’s just how the 2026 entertainment landscape works. Nicole has spent the last decade building a massive production empire with Blossom Films. She knows how to navigate the "prestige TV" world better than almost anyone. Angelina, meanwhile, has been pivoting toward directing and specific, high-concept biopics like Maria.
It wasn't a heist; it was a career pivot.
Why They Finally Stopped Avoiding Each Other
For a long time, these two were like magnets with the same polarity. They'd be at the same festivals—Venice, Cannes, TIFF—but never in the same frame. That changed during the 2025 awards circuit.
Witnesses at the Palm Springs International Film Festival saw something nobody expected: a genuine, warm interaction. They weren't just "polite." They were talking. Really talking.
Sources close to the stars say that being "90s Queens" in a TikTok-driven industry has given them common ground. They’re both mothers. They’ve both navigated incredibly public, painful divorces. They’ve both dealt with the "too thin" or "too plastic" critiques that the media hurls at women who dare to age in front of a camera.
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- The Shared Bubble: Nicole once famously told Vanity Fair that only couples like her and Tom Cruise—or Brad and Angelina—could understand the "intoxicating bubble" of that level of fame.
- The Career Longevity: Both women have moved past the "ingenue" phase to become producers who actually hold the purse strings.
- The Humanitarian Angle: While they had a brief spat in the mid-2000s regarding how they handled their UN roles, they now frequently support the same global causes.
Comparing the "Power Portfolios"
If we look at their career trajectories, they’re actually remarkably similar. Nicole is the workaholic. She’s constantly filming. Since Big Little Lies, she has become the queen of the "suburban woman with a dark secret" genre.
Angelina is more selective. She goes years without acting, then drops a transformative performance like her role as Maria Callas.
One isn't "better" than the other. They just have different appetites for the spotlight. Nicole seems to crave the work itself—the long hours on set, the character building. Angelina seems to view acting as a tool to fund her real passions: directing and international advocacy.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Rivalry"
The biggest misconception is that there was ever a "stolen" man or a "stolen" Oscar.
When Nicole won for The Hours, she was at the top of her game. When Angelina won for Girl, Interrupted, she was the industry's new obsession. They weren't competing for the same space. Hollywood is big, but the media likes to make it feel small. They want there to be only one throne.
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The truth is, by 2026, the "feud" is officially dead. They’ve been seen chatting at the Critics Choice Awards and even sharing a laugh at a private Balenciaga event. It turns out that when you’re both legends, there’s no point in fighting over crumbs.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Follower of the Industry
If you're following the careers of Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, don't get distracted by the tabloid headlines about "battles" or "snubs." Instead, look at the business moves they are making.
- Watch the Production Credits: If you want to see where the best roles for women are going, follow Nicole’s production company, Blossom Films. She’s currently scouting more literary adaptations that Angelina once eyed.
- Follow the "Prestige" Shift: Notice how both actresses have abandoned traditional blockbusters. If they’re in a project, it’s likely going to be a heavy hitter during awards season.
- Ignore the Body Shaming: Both women have faced intense scrutiny regarding their physical appearance at recent festivals like Venice. Recognize this for what it is—a distraction from their actual craft and longevity.
The most interesting thing about these two isn't who they dated or whether they like each other. It’s how they’ve managed to stay relevant for over thirty years in an industry that usually replaces women every five. That’s the real story.
Keep an eye on the upcoming Scarpetta release. It’ll be the ultimate test of Nicole's ability to take a character once linked to Angelina and make it entirely her own. Based on her track record, she's probably going to nail it.
Check the latest casting calls and production updates on IMDbPro or Variety's "In Production" lists to see if their paths finally cross on screen. Experts have been whispering about a potential joint production for years—and with their new "truce," it’s finally a possibility.