Nicole Kidman doesn't just act; she surrenders. Honestly, if you look at her decades-long run in Hollywood, there’s a recurring theme of her jumping off emotional cliffs. It’s not just about baring skin. It’s about the raw, sometimes ugly, and often confusing reality of human desire. People talk about the Nicole Kidman sex scenes in Eyes Wide Shut or Babygirl like they’re just tabloid fodder, but there’s a lot more going on under the surface than simple titillation.
For Kidman, these scenes aren't "extra" bits added for a rating. They’re the work.
The Kubrick Contract and the Reality of Eyes Wide Shut
When Stanley Kubrick called, you didn't just sign a contract; you signed away your life for a while. Nicole and her then-husband Tom Cruise ended up filming for 400 days. That’s insane. Most movies take three months. This took over a year. The Eyes Wide Shut production is legendary for its secrecy, but the way Kidman handled the intimacy was actually very business-like.
She had a specific clause.
Basically, she told Kubrick he could film the nudity he wanted, but she had to approve the final cuts of those scenes. This gave her the "mental safety" to go to some pretty dark places. You've probably seen the scene where her character, Alice, admits to a fantasy about a naval officer. It’s a monologue, but it’s arguably more "explicit" than the actual physical scenes because of the psychological betrayal involved.
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Interestingly, Kubrick actually kept Tom and Nicole apart for many of these sequences. He wanted to foster real-world jealousy to bleed into their performances. It worked. While the movie was criticized at the time for being "too cold," it’s now seen as a masterpiece of how marriages actually feel when the doors are locked.
Why Babygirl Left Her Feeling Burned Out
Fast forward to 2024/2025, and Kidman is still out here outworking people half her age. In the A24 erotic thriller Babygirl, she plays a high-powered CEO who starts a kinky affair with an intern played by Harris Dickinson.
This wasn't just "standard movie sex." It involved a lot of power-play, BDSM themes, and what she called "radically long takes."
She told The Sun that the filming process actually led to a sort of "orgasm burnout."
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"There were times when we were shooting where I was like, 'I don't want to orgasm anymore. Don't come near me. I hate doing this.'"
That’s a level of honesty you don't usually hear from A-list stars. Usually, it's all "we're such good friends, it was so professional." Kidman admitted it was ragged. It was exhausting. It made her feel like she never wanted to be touched again.
The Role of the Intimacy Coordinator
Back in the 90s, you just "figured it out" on set. Now, we have professionals like Lizzy Talbot. On the Babygirl set, Talbot was there to make sure every move was choreographed like a dance. Kidman has been vocal about how this didn't "kill the magic"—it actually allowed her to be more extreme. When you know exactly where a hand is going to go, you can stop worrying about your safety and start focusing on the character's internal breakdown.
Breaking the "Expiration Date" for Actresses
There’s a weird rule in Hollywood that once an actress hits 40, she’s supposed to play the "mom" and stop being a sexual being. Kidman basically set that rule on fire. Whether it's the sweaty, gritty scenes in The Paperboy (remember the jellyfish scene? Yeah, that one) or the complicated power dynamics in Big Little Lies, she refuses to be "neat."
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Her husband, Keith Urban, reportedly views her work as pure art. He doesn't get jealous because he sees the separation between the wife and the performer. That kind of support is likely why she feels brave enough to keep taking these roles. She’s exploring "where she hasn't been" as a human.
What We Can Learn From Her Approach
If you’re looking at her career from a purely technical standpoint, there are a few takeaways for anyone interested in film or the business of "brave" art:
- Boundaries Create Freedom: By having strict contractual agreements (like with Kubrick), Kidman felt safe enough to be "unsafe" in her performance.
- Vulnerability is a Tool: She doesn't try to look perfect in these scenes. In Babygirl, she intentionally showed the vulnerability of an aging body and the "shame" of repressed desire.
- Trust the Process, Not the Hype: She chooses directors (Halina Reijn, Lars von Trier) who challenge the audience rather than just trying to sell tickets.
The next time a "controversial" Kidman scene pops up on your feed, remember it’s probably the result of months of negotiation, psychological preparation, and a woman who is genuinely bored with playing it safe. She isn't doing it for the "clicks"; she's doing it because she’s still on a quest to see what she's capable of.
If you're interested in seeing this evolution for yourself, start with Eyes Wide Shut to see the 90s-era "contractual" approach, then watch Babygirl to see the modern, intimacy-coordinated version of the same fearless energy. It's a masterclass in how an artist grows without losing their edge.