Different sexual dynamics might be the major theme of Nicole Kidman’s new movie Babygirl, but that doesn’t mean she finds it an easy subject to talk about.
Nicole stars opposite Harris Dickinson in the upcoming erotic thriller, which centres around a married CEO who enters into a BDSM-centric affair with a younger intern.
Earlier this year, the Oscar winner admitted she wasn’t even sure she was “brave” enough to sit through the film herself ahead of its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and it seems there are certain parts of the movie she’s still uncomfortable discussing.
Asked by British GQ about the opening sequence of Babygirl in which her character fakes an orgasm during sex with her husband, before masturbating while watching S&M-themed porn in the other room, Nicole admitted: “I can’t even talk about that!”
Later in the interview, Nicole elaborated further on Babygirl’s sexual content, explaining: “Yes [it’s difficult to talk about! Can you tell? I don’t know what to say. But I love it.
“I love the film, so I don’t want to deny it or put it down. There’s times where you’re like, ‘I don’t love this film. We tried and it didn’t quite get there and I don’t love it.’ I love [Babygirl].”
“I made it because in my body of work, I needed to do this,” she continued. “It’s part of what I do. I’ve never shied away from sexuality on screen, ever… [Reijn] wanted to make a film about liberation, female pleasure.
“And I wanted to do that! I wanted to do that, ’cause I’ve done a lot of films where [the character has] been punished. I’ve done those films where you really don’t get the pleasure from it.”
The Australian star added: “A lot of times these films are very punishing. The woman gets discarded in the end or she gets turned around and she has to beg on her knees.”
Nicole has previously made no secret of the physical impact making Babygirl had on her.
“There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more. Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life! I’m over it’,” she recently admitted to The Sun. “It was so present all the time for me that it was almost like a burnout.”
Babygirl hits UK cinemas in January 2025. Read Nicole’s full interview in British GQ here.