Nicole Kidman says she feels like ‘the opposite of Cinderella’ when walking red carpets

‘I want to get out, take my dress off, and put my jammies on,’ Kidman says

Nicole Kidman has shared her candid thoughts about walking the red carpet at star-studded events.

The 56-year-old actor opened up about her career during an interview with Elle, published on 19 March. She specified that while getting ready for heavily publicised events – during which she typically wears dresses made by luxury designers – she feels fairly nervous. She also revealed she doesn’t necessarily want to wear the outfits for the entire evening.

“It feels a little unreal at times. I want to get out, take my dress off, and put my jammies on,” she said.

The Bombshell star emphasised that while the red carpet appears to be a glamorous occasion, it doesn’t always feel like a fun night out for her. Kidman further described moments when she’d rather be home than at these events.

“It’s kind of like the opposite of Cinderella - I’m happy to go home and just go back to me,” she continued. “It does feel a little overwhelming. I’m like: ‘I need to go home now. I’m very tired. I want to get warm, and I want to curl up, and I want to feel real.’”

This isn’t the first time Kidman has opened up about working in the entertainment industry. When asked how “fame” has affected her life during an interview withThe Guardian in 2021, she said that she doesn’t necessarily “live that life” in the spotlight. She noted that she’s instead focused on her family, which includes husband Keith Urban, and their two daughters – Sunday, 15, and Faith. 13. She also shares two adult children, Isabella, 31, and Connor, 29, with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

“I’m deeply embedded in a family, in a very deep marriage. I’m parenting children. I’m a daughter,” she said. “Those are the primary things. And yes, I have other things that circulate. But at my base are relationships that are very, to use your word, ‘real.’”

The Eyes Wide Shut star went on to acknowledge that throughout her professional career, she remains honest about her life outside of the public eye. “The only thing I can bring to my work is that emotional truth,” she said. “My life is my life – I’m left alone with that ultimately, right? I mean, you’re not working at 3am, lying in bed.”

Elsewhere in her recent interview with Elle, she described how the meaningful moments in her life happen with her family, from hosting her New Year’s Eve parties with Urban to organising parties for her teenage daughters and their friends.

“I have a very full life with people that I love. I’m raising daughters. I’m a wife, I’m a best friend. I’m a sister, I’m an aunt. I have deeply intimate relationships with people,” Kidman explained. “And that, to me, is the meaning of life - and then taking care of what we leave behind, who we leave behind and how we do that, and our sense of respect for that.”