The Paperboy
Upcoming thriller The Paperboy is the latest film featuring our favourite Aussie and Academy award winning actress Nicole Kidman.
From on screen performances in TV series to many major motion pictures, Nicole Kidman has become an on screen star since her start as Petra in the 1983 TV movie Chase Through the Night.
The Paperboy leads as the first BIG cult film of the year to hit the UK. In celebration of its upcoming release, we take a look back at Kidman’s most notable performances throughout her career, winning her critical acclaim and an international fan base.
Dead Calm (1989)
An early major motion picture for Kidman comes with the 1989 Australian thriller film Dead Calm.
Based on the novel of the same title, Dead Calm entices viewers as a mass-murderer (Billy Zane) hijacks the yacht of Rae Ingram (Kidman) and her husband (Sam Neill) while sailing on the Pacific.
The film was well received as a whole, with many noting in particular the full frontal sex scene between Zane and Kidman. In a desperate attempt of seduction, Dead Calm is recognized as a thriller for more reasons than one.
Click here to buy Dead Calm on DVD
To Die For (1995)
One of Kidman’s most awarded performances in her silver screen career came in her role in the dark comedy film, To Die For. Aspiring TV broadcaster Suzanne Stone (Kidman) is willing to do anything to gain fame in the spotlight, even if that means killing her husband with the help of three teenagers.
Although a mockumentary, To Die For features crime, comedy and drama, all while being inspired by real life events.
Kidman’s performance was award winning, receiving numerous honours across the globe, including her first Empire and Golden Globe.
Click here to buy To Die For on DVD
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Ten years later viewers see Kidman once again amidst a sexual film adaptation as sexual relations run high in the drama film Eyes Wide Shut.
Adapted from the 1926 novella Dream Story, Eyes Wide Shut follows the sexual adventures of Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) as he learns that his wife Alice (Kidman) just about had an affair.
The doctor, shocked by his wife’s revelation, goes on a binder around New York City, in which he encounters a local underground cult engaging in a group orgy.
Click here to buy Eyes Wide Shut on DVD
The Others (2001)
Marking her second appearance in a novella inspired film, Kidman stars alongside Christopher Eccleston in the 2001 psychological horror film The Others.
Kidman plays Grace Stewart, a woman who is convinced her house, in which she resides with her two children is haunted. Written and directed by Spaniard Alejandro Amenábar, The Others received much praise, being awarded eight Goya Awards, including ‘‘Best Film’’ as well as earning three Saturn Awards.
Additionally, Kidman’s performance landed her nominations for ‘‘Best Actress in Drama’’ at both the Golden Globes and BAFTAS.
Click here to buy The Others on DVD
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Perhaps her most recognized film by name thus far, Kidman stars in the celebrated romantic musical, Moulin Rouge!
Kidman dazzles on stage literally as Satine, the beautiful star of cabaret show Moulin Rouge, while winning the heart of a young English writer named Christian.
Moulin Rouge! was nominated for eight Oscars, including the first musical to be nominated for ‘‘Best Picture’’ in ten years. Kidman was named ‘‘Actress of the Year’’ at the 2002 London Critics Circle Film Awards in addition to earning her second Golden Globe and Empire Awards.
Click here to buy Moulin Rouge! on DVD
The Hours (2002)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, The Hours examines the story of Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway.
The Hours illustrates the novel’s effect on three generations of women who have each had personal experiences with suicide in their lives.
Kidman portrays Virginia Woolf herself, as the author struggles to write her novel in 1920s England while suffering from depression.
Click here to buy The Hours on DVD
Cold Mountain (2003)
Viewers get to see a more serious side of Kidman as she leads next to British sweetheart Jude Law, Renée Zellweger, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Natalie Portman, in war drama film Cold Mountain.
Set during the American Civil War, this film romanticizes the journey of a wounded Confederate soldier as he returns back home to North Carolina, in hopes of being reunited with his soulmate.
Click here to buy Cold Mountain on DVD
The Golden Compass (2007)
For the first time on the big screen, audiences experience Kidman in the family friendly genre, as she stars in fantasy film, The Golden Compass.
As the main antagonist, Kidman plays Mrs. Coulter, the mother of Lyra Belacqua. Lyra travels to the North to rescue her best friend and other children, kidnapped by an unknown organization in a parallel universe.
The fantasy adventure is based on the novel Northern Lights, the first in His Dark Materials, the trilogy written by Philip Pullman. The Golden Compass was widely praised for its visual effects, deeming it both an Academy Award and BAFTA.
Although Kidman originally rejected the role stating she did not want to play a villain, she accepted after a personal letter from the director himself.
Click here to buy The Golden Compass on DVD
Rabbit Hole (2010)
Premiering at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, drama Rabbit Hole features Kidman as actress and producer for the first time.
Kidman produced the film with her company, Blossom Films, as an adaptation of the 2005 play of the same title. The world of Becca (Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart) is turned upside down following the death of their young son who is killed in a car accident.
Once again, Kidman’s performance was critically acclaimed as she earned several nominations including an Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.
Click here to buy Rabbit Hole on DVD
The Paperboy (2013)
Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels of Precious, brings audiences into the deep south of 1960s Florida in upcoming film The Paperboy.
The film tells the story of Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) as he comes back to his small town home to investigate a case involving a death row inmate Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack).
With the help of his younger brother Jack (Zac Efron) and sexy death-row groupie Charlotte (Nicole Kidman), Ward and his partner Yardley (David Oyelowo) chase the story of the career as they try to set Van Wetter free, under the belief that he was framed for the murder of a local sheriff.
Kidman has already been nominated for a SAG and Golden Globe for her much anticipated performance.
Be sure to catch the first BIG cult film of 2013 when The Paperboy hits cinemas 15 March.
Tagged in Nicole Kidman