The Stunning Transformation Of Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman is beautiful, perfect, funny — oh, and seriously talented. Really, there isn't a negative word to use when talking about the actress. Kidman has been wow-ing the world on screen for decades and only continues to reach new levels of success, taking on new, challenging roles that remind us just why we respect her so much.

Aside from her career, Kidman has been married to Keith Urban for over a decade and the couple only looks more and more in love as the years go by. She also takes on the role of super mom with her four kids. And whenever we see this star on the red carpet, she appears gracious and happy. Over the years, Kidman has gone through her own struggles and successes, and has handled them all like the classy lady she is. So let's take a closer look at Kidman's life and her stunning transformation.

When Nicole Kidman was 17 years old, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. This had a huge affect on the teen and made her want to help. As she later described to Vanity Fair, "My mother had breast cancer when I was 17, and it affected me in such a deep way. You see someone go through chemotherapy and it's a year of hell. It's the most upsetting thing that's ever happened in my life, but it also made me very aware. I had to confront death at an early age, had to realize that people are mortal — you're born, you die. I'm sure I have rain up ahead and I'm sure I also have sunshine, and that's life."

Kidman's mom beat the disease, but her mother's journey stuck with Kidman. She continued to want to give back. She later became involved with the U.C.L.A. Women's Reproductive Cancer Research and Treatment Program as a chairperson. For Kidman, it's a simple fact that she should give back. As she said during the interview, "I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It's important not to focus on yourself too much."

Nicole Kidman began to see film success in her early 20s. She then was cast in the Tom Cruise movie "Days of Thunder," and in addition to starring in the film, she also struck up a relationship with the leading man himself. The two married when Kidman was just 23 years old. As her career was taking off, and Cruise's was in full gear, the two had a very well-known union.

Kidman later reflected on this fact with Vanity Fair, saying, "There is something about that sort of existence that, if you really focus on each other and you're in that bubble, it's very intoxicating, because it's just the two of you. And there is only one other person that's going through it. So it brings you very close, and it's deeply romantic." And Kidman and Cruise were willing to do what it took to make the marriage work. They had crazy schedules but understood what they had to do. Kidman said, "I think in this industry you can get lax, you can get lazy, and that's so destructive to your relationship. If it means getting on a plane and having to fly in to see each other, even if it's for 24 hours, you do it. It's the thing that keeps you together. Life's too short to endure months of separation, where you're on the phone going, 'wish, I wish, I wish.'"

In 2001, Nicole Kidman was reaching even greater fame. She starred in popular films like "The Others" and "Moulin Rouge!," but through the success, the actress was having a tough home life. At the time, the then-34-year-old was going through a divorce with then-husband Tom Cruise. It was not an easy time, and Kidman used this opportunity to work more. As she described at the 2015 Women in the World Summit in London (via Entertainment Tonight), "To be completely honest, I was running from my life at that time ... I wasn't able to handle the reality of my life and as an actor you have this wonderful thing where you can go and get lost in somebody else's life and become somebody else for a period of time, and when I look back on it, I really see that."

But even with the opportunity to escape, Kidman didn't seem to have any regrets when it came to the marriage. She told Australia's WHO Magazine (via People), "I got married really fast and really young. But I don't regret that because it got me [children] Bella and Connor, and I did have a fantastic marriage for a long period."

For a few more years, Nicole Kidman continued to work, and, at the same time, she continued to feel a sense of loneliness. And then in 2005, the then-38-year-old met someone who would be very important in her life. As she later told Vanity Fair (via E! News), "I think we were two lonely people. I would probably say that two very lonely people managed to meet at a time when they could open themselves to each other. We were a mixture of frightened and brave."

This person was Keith Urban, and Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman's relationship took off fast. The couple married quickly in 2006. Kidman explained the situation to Elle (via HuffPost), saying, "I kind of like getting married and then getting to know each other. I know that it sounds incredibly strange, but to me, it's a more natural process."

Nicole Kidman's career has continued to excel, but the star is totally happy to stay away from Hollywood, outside of her job. She lives in Nashville with husband Keith Urban and their family and couldn't be happier. In 2013, she told Vanity Fair, "The whole business side of it — it's too present. It doesn't suit me ... There's an enormous amount you have to give up if you want to have a family. You can have a certain career, but you can't be living in Hollywood, [where] absolutely everything, everything revolves around it. That wasn't my choice. I'd rather revolve around somebody else's career and then still find my own."

Because of this, Nashville became the perfect spot. She continued on to say, "I have stepped away from the fame part of it. I didn't find what I was looking for in fame. So I went, O.K., this is not for me. And it was such a blessing that I found somebody who said, 'Well, are you willing to move to Tennessee?' And I was, 'Oh, am I willing to move!'"

After a career of film acting, Nicole Kidman eventually found herself acting for television in 2017 when she starred in "Big Little Lies," alongside Reese Witherspoon. Kidman and Witherspoon served as executive producers for the show, which was born from a desire to create meaningful roles for women. "It was building opportunities for ourselves and our friends," she told W magazine. The show follows three mothers played by Kidman, Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley, whose lives begin to spin out of control. Kidman became deeply connected to her character, Celeste, and would often bring her work home with her. "I would keep on a very brave face at work and then I would go home and I didn't realize how much it had penetrated me. And it affected me in a deep way," Kidman told W magazine.

In 2021, Kidman starred in another television show based off of a book by the same author of "Big Little Lies." "Nine Perfect Strangers" follows nine strangers as they arrive on a resort island and quickly discover that their dream retreat isn't quite what they expected. Kidman's deep dive into prestige television drama lead to her fully committing to the art form. "I suppose the artist spirit, a lot of times, is saying, 'I don't care what it's gonna cost me as a human being, because my thrust is deeply artistic,'" she told Harper's Bazaar in an interview.

With Nicole Kidman's Oscar-nominated performance in "Lion" and her powerful role in the HBO series "Big Little Lies," it's clear that she is not slowing down. She continues to surprise us with her artistic choices and knocks it out of the park each time. Whether she is giving an intense soliloquy in character or jokingly telling Jimmy Fallon he could have asked her out in the past, she never fails to surprise.

We don't know what's on deck for Kidman, but we'll be paying close attention to her acting career. Kidman is a breath of fresh air, and we're anxiously waiting to see what she challenges herself to do next.