Nicole Kidman Talks About Her Role In ‘The Railway Man’
Nicole Kidman, who has been a much loved and well known Hollywood star for the best part of two decades, has been under the radar for a few years now as she focused on raising her two children, along with husband Keith Urban.
But all that is about to change as Kidman assumes a new role in the film, The Railway Man, due for release on April 11. In the film, Nicole Kidman plays the supportive wife of World War 2 veteran Eric Lomax, played by Colin Firth.
In this autobiographical adaption the couple battle with Eric’s past as a prisoner of war in Thailand, focusing on his time there working on the “death railway” to Burma. In an interview with the AP, Kidman talked about the challenges of playing Patti Lomax in the film, as well as her role as Gertrude Bell in the upcoming Grace of Monaco.
She was asked by the interviewer how she approached the characters she is playing who are based on actual people. Kidman replied:
Patti is different because she’s still alive and was able to give me information about herself. I didn’t meet her until I started filming. Everyone kept saying, “Do you want to meet her?” I was like, “No, I’d really like to be able to watch her in an interview.”
Actually, the producer sat with her for hours — he’s a very good friend of hers — and taped her and sent me the tapes. I basically had access to her whole life, stories about her, her mannerisms and behavior, like I was a fly on the wall.
Nicole Kidman was then quizzed about what it is she likes so much about Colin Firth, with whom she is featuring in various roles. She responded:
I just enjoy him. I really enjoy his brain and his talent, but he has a really great sense of humor. Me and millions of other women in the world go, “Wow! Colin Firth!” My mom adores him. My sister adores him. I’ve just got so many friends who go, “Oh my gosh. Colin Firth.” I now know him in a different way, but I have such respect for him as an actor.
At one point the interview turned to more personal matters as Kidman was asked how she balanced her busy working career with her family responsibilities. She was asked specifically about her relationship with Keith:
Every time when we’re not working, we spend together. That’s it. It’s that simple. We’re not off. We have a very simple life but an extraordinary creative life, if that makes sense. I’m lucky that I’ve got a partner that’s totally committed to making it work.
We have two little girls that we adore, and we’re very blessed, in the sense of having a family. We certainly talk about everything. We make the decisions together.
Nicole Kidman has indeed been very busy and seems to be making her comeback with a real splash. She has several films debuting this year including, Paddington, Grace of Monaco and Before I Go to Sleep.
