Nicole Kidman has been reflecting deeply on mortality and the passage of time following the recent death of her mother, Janelle, who passed away in September at the age of 84.
The 57-year-old actress, who also lost her father, Anthony, in 2014, shared in a candid interview with GQ that the experience of losing loved ones has made her more emotionally aware of her own life’s journey.
In the interview, Kidman explained how she has been grappling with intense feelings about life, connection, and mortality.
She acknowledged that with age, these reflections have become even more profound, describing how the weight of life’s challenges – from raising children to dealing with loss – can feel overwhelming. “I’m in all of those places. So life is, whew. It’s definitely a journey,” she said, opening up about how these thoughts have left her more vulnerable to emotional moments.
The actress admitted that the grief of losing her parents has caused her to experience deep emotional moments, sometimes in the middle of the night. “It hits you as you get older how… it’s a wake up at 3 a.m. crying and gasping kind of thing,” Kidman revealed.
“If you’re in it and not numbing yourself to it. And I’m in it. Fully in it.” This raw vulnerability has led Kidman to embrace her emotions rather than avoid them, acknowledging that grief is part of life’s natural course.
When her mother passed, Kidman immediately left the Venice Film Festival and returned home to Australia, where she could be with her family. At the festival, director Halina Reijn read a heartfelt statement on Kidman’s behalf during what would have been her acceptance speech for Best Actress.
Reijn conveyed Kidman’s shock at the loss, saying, “She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”
Kidman also reflected on how her daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, were with her when her father passed away. At the time, Sunday was just four years old, while Faith was six. She realized how difficult it can be for children to see their parents in grief, as they don’t want to witness sadness in the household.
Despite her own pain, Kidman found strength in pushing through for her family. “Before you know it, you’re pushing through,” she said. “And by pushing through for them, you’re getting better. Because it goes on. That natural line of how it’s meant to go. The parents, then you, then the children. That’s the natural course. So, if that happens, that’s a blessing.”
The actress also shared that it was her mother who encouraged her to pursue acting, emphasizing how her mother’s belief in her potential shaped her career.
