Nicole Kidman says she’s been turned down for film roles because of her age.
Nicole Kidman at the Golden Globe Awards
The 54-year-old actress has insisted older actresses often get turned away from movies because of their age, and while no-one has ever told her that she’s “past her due date”, she does feel that Hollywood has an ageism problem.
She told Dujour magazine: "There's a consensus in the industry that as a female actor, at about 40, you're done. I never sat in a chair and heard someone say, 'You're past your due date,' but I've had times where you're turned down and the door is shut on you. It's definitely changing and moving.”
The ‘Being the Ricardos’ star also said “you've got to have a thick skin” as an actress.
Nicole has been vocal about ageism in Hollywood for several years, as she said during her acceptance speech at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards that the industry was doing a good job of becoming more accepting of women over 40.
She said at the time: "I want to thank you all for your trailblazing performances you're given over your career and how wonderful it is that our careers today can go beyond 40 years old. Twenty years ago, we were pretty washed up by this stage in our lives, so that's not the case now.
"We've proven, and these actresses and so many more, are proving that we are potent and powerful and viable.”
Meanwhile, Nicole also told Dujour magazine that her stage fright has become even more "intense" over recent years.
She explained: "I almost had a heart attack doing that play. The stage fright gets more intense as you get old. Everyone said it would get less scary. It did not."
The Oscar-winning star – who has Sunday, 13, and Faith, 10, with Keith Urban, as well as Isabella, 29, and Connor, 26, with her ex-husband Tom Cruise – prefers to spend time in Nashville, Tennessee, with her young daughters than put herself through the stress of a live performance.
She added: "I have this huge desire to be there for them. I don’t want to miss their bedtimes. That bedtime is so deeply important for me. We talk. We try to have some consistency.
"The biggest consistency is ‘I’m here and I love you and that will never change.’ It’s a constant balance."
Tagged in Tom Cruise Keith Urban Nicole Kidman