Nicole Kidman Thought She ‘Wasn’t Talented Enough’ to Star in ‘Notting Hill’
Nicole Kidman has been a staple presence in Hollywood for more than three decades. The effervescent actor is known for her red, curly hair and her ability to effortlessly transform into any character. Kidman’s personal life has often made headlines, most notably her high-profile marriage to Tom Cruise. But she herself has always kept her private life low-key, preferring to talk about her work. She’s also self-deprecating. In a 2020 joint interview with Hugh Grant, Kidman admitted that there’s one particular part that she was interested in but didn’t get because she thought she wasn’t “talented” enough.
What role in ‘Notting Hill’ was Nicole Kidman interested in?
Kidman was already a huge Hollywood star in 1999. She was well known for her roles in movies like Batman Forever, Far and Away, and Eyes Wide Shut. She had received acclaim for her work in dramatic films as well as romantic comedies. Still, there was one role that Kidman missed out on. In a 2020 interview with Hugh Grant, her co-star in The Undoing, Kidman revealed that she had her eyes on a role in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill, opposite Grant himself.
As reported by Marie Claire, both Grant and Kidman mused about some of the roles that they missed out on in the late ’90s. Kidman revealed she very nearly got a role in Grant’s romantic comedy Love, Actually. She noted they could have worked together another time. “I really wanted the role that Julia Roberts played in Notting Hill,” she shared. Kidman went on to note that she didn’t get the role, saying “I wasn’t well known enough, and I wasn’t talented enough.”
What is ‘Notting Hill’ about?
Notting Hill was released in 1999. It starred Julia Roberts as a famous American movie star named Anna Scott, and Hugh Grant as a charming but awkward bookseller named William Thacker. When Anna and William cross paths in London, the two embark on an unlikely but intense romance that results in true love for both of them.
Notting Hill was one of the runaway film hits of the year. It became one of the highest-grossing films of 1999 and won a slew of awards, including a British Comedy Award. It also scored a Golden Globe Award nomination and cemented Roberts’ reputation as the reigning queen of romantic comedies. Kidman would have undoubtedly excelled in the role of Anna Scott. But Notting Hill is considered one of Roberts’ seminal films, and one of the movies that helped her become known as America’s sweetheart.
Nicole Kidman recently portrayed Lucille Ball in ‘Being the Ricardos’
Even if Kidman didn’t get the role she wanted, she went into the 2000s sitting pretty, with parts in movies such as Moulin Rouge! and The Hours. For her work in the latter, Kidman walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actress. She later branched out to work in TV, with a high-profile role in the acclaimed miniseries Big Little Lies.
Kidman also found happiness in her personal life as well. She married singer Keith Urban in 2006 and welcomed two children with the country music icon. These days, Kidman is still hard at work on her career. Recently, she received universal praise for her portrayal of comedy legend Lucille Ball in the 2021 movie Being the Ricardos.
