“Film is forever.”
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, took the Dolby Theater stage on Saturday, April 27, to speak about the filmmakers who have shaped her career — and her love of films and storytelling. .
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by her “Big Little Lies” co-star Reese Witherspoon and former AFI recipient Meryl Streep, who presented Kidman with the honor at the end of the night. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I do not know what is this. You are the epitome of excellence, warmth, and generosity, and you have been my guide. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a 15-minute speech dedicated to her colleagues. She is “friends for life” with Jane Campion, one of her early champions and the director who cast her in “The Portrait of a Lady”.
“You go where there is work and where you can earn a living. You try out and you get a role, and you hope that someone is going to cast you in their movie. I was lucky, I was incredibly lucky. I came to America,” said Kidman, who was born in Honolulu but has always seen herself as an Australian.
She convinced Australian filmmaker Philip Noyce, who cast her in her breakout role in 1989’s “Dead Calm.” He also cast Gus Van Sant as a weather reporter narrating mysteries in 1995’s “To Die For.” She said, “You were amazing because you gave me that role when I showed absolutely no skills that would make you believe I could do it.”
Then, she said, “Stephen Daldry, you were with me at the most vulnerable time of my life. You held my hand, you led me, and you got me an Oscar.” Daldry directed Kidman as Virginia Woolf in 2002’s “The Hours,” a role that came during her divorce from Tom Cruise.
He praised “Lars von Trier, Alejandro Amenábar, Jonathan Glazer, Noah Bomback, Mimi Leder, John Cameron Mitchell, Rob Marshall, Lee Daniels, Jonathan Levine, Philip Kaufman, director Park (Chan-wook) … thrilling, wild wonderful people. Also thanked.” This list. Yorgos Lanthimos, Werner Herzog, Garth Davis, Susanne Bier, I mean come on. Sofia Coppola, Karyn Kusama, Ryan Murphy, and Aaron Sorkin, thank you.
Kidman also honored filmmakers she worked with who have passed away: Tony Scott, Joel Schumacher, Sydney Pollack, Nora Ephron and Anthony Minghella.
She said, “Making films is a privilege,” and continued to thank the storytellers who allowed me to run wild, be free, and play all these unconventional women. Thank you for making me better at my art and giving me a place in this world, even if it is temporary. Thank you for inviting me into your film families and making my childhood dream come true. And to the viewers who have stuck with me through everything, I just want to say thank you. I’ve done a lot of little weird movies, and I know there are people out there… who have stuck with my weird choices, and I’m very grateful for that.
Kidman, who is working with a number of promising young filmmakers now in her career, concluded by saying, “I feel like I’m a beginner, but that’s not true, because, really, let’s Let’s just hope I’m in the middle. There are so many exciting young directors and writers and voices that need to be heard, and they have a lot to say. …I’m here and ready to roll up my sleeves.
