Six months after her 19-year marriage to country singer Keith Urban came to an end, Nicole Kidman seems to be in a stronger place, even opening up about the one thing she says she’s “grateful” for as she navigates major changes at home.
The pair separated in September, with the 58-year-old citing “irreconcilable differences” in divorce paperwork. Despite the public profile of their relationship, neither has spoken openly about what led to the split — a partnership that lasted far longer than her earlier marriage to Tom Cruise.
Professionally, Kidman has stayed busy since the separation, landing several high-profile projects, including Prime’s upcoming Scarpetta crime thriller and Practical Magic 2, which will reunite her with Sandra Bullock three decades after their first film together.
In a recent Variety interview, when the idea of every year being “the year of Nicole Kidman” was raised, she suggested that wasn’t how she experienced the past year, saying: “Well, not last year. I was quiet. I had other things going on. I was in my shell.”
Kidman and Urban share two children — 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 15-year-old Faith Margaret. In a recent Elle interview, Sunday Rose became emotional while discussing her mother’s influence as she begins building her own career in modeling.
“My mum is someone who has always been so creative and my biggest inspiration in life. She’s a key part of everything I do,” she said, without referencing her father.
Kidman echoed that family-first theme when Variety asked directly about how she’s been coping since the breakup: “You mentioned earlier that last year was a rough one. I think a lot of people would ask, are you doing all right since your separation?”
Her response emphasized forward momentum and what she’s choosing to hold onto, with the Moulin Rouge actor saying: “I am, because I’m always going to be moving toward what’s good. What I’m grateful for is my family and keeping them as is and moving forward. That’s that.”
While it marked one of the first times she has addressed the separation publicly, she also drew a clear boundary around how much she’s willing to share.
Kidman added: “Everything else I don’t discuss out of respect. I’m staying in a place of, ‘We are a family,’ and that’s what we’ll continue to be.
“My beautiful girls, my darlings, who are suddenly women.”
She also spoke to Variety about how she spends her time away from sets, explaining that she still feels rooted in Nashville, where she has lived on and off for the past two decades.
And when she does get downtime, she said she likes to “go away” and see her Australian journalist sister, Antonia.
Kidman said: “I’m very close to my sister in Sydney, and all my nieces and nephews. My sister and I are a bit like the aunts in Practical Magic.”