Nicole Kidman is speaking out about a time she was told she wouldn’t “have a career” due to her height. The Oscar winner recalled in an interview on the Radio Times Podcast that, early in her acting days, she was told, “You won’t have a career. You’re too tall.”
The Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom actress, who is five ft. 11 in., had already reached five ft. ten in. by the time she was 13. She shared, “I was called ‘storky.’ People would say, ‘How’s the air up there?!’ Now I get, ‘You’re so much taller than I thought,’ and then I have to decide how high my heels should be. Whenever you go on the red carpet, they send the shoes, which are always so high. And I’m like, ‘Do they have a kitten heel? I’m just going to be the tallest person — the giraffe!'”
She specifically remembers lying about her height, saying she was 5 ft—10½ in. instead of 5 ft. 11 in. Kidman also recalled auditioning for Annie as part of a large open call and worrying she would be cut early for being too tall. “I had to talk my way through the door because they were measuring you before you went in,” said Kidman, 56. “I was mortified.”
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The Academy Award winner admitted that her height bothers her when she’s acting and wants to be small. However, there are times when she appreciates it, especially when it relates to her work. “I’m incredibly grateful to be healthy and walking around,” Kidman said, but added that she has “had knee issues and all sorts of things — partly because of my height!”
Kidman puts her insecurity into perspective when she thinks about her children. She is the mother to her son, Connor Cruise, who is 29, and her daughters, Bella Kidman Cruise, who is 31, Sunday, 15, and Faith, 13. “I tell my daughters none of it matters,” said the Big Little Lies star. “What matters is how you allow others to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to you and whether you accept that. As a human being — that inner resilience is the superpower.”
In a November 2020 digital cover interview for Glamour U.K., Kidman discussed her “fears and insecurities” over her height as a teenager. Still, the Prom actress played to her strengths and chose an unconventional dress for her prom. “I wore a 1920s flapper dress, which accompanies my ‘not conforming’ sensibility,” she recalled. “I bought it in a vintage store, and I just loved the idea of a flapper dress. It was black and white beading, not tulle and big skirts.”
Kidman added with a laugh, “I think I remember getting a little drunk too, which is probably a lot of people’s experiences at their prom or formal.”
