Nicole Kidman has been around in the industry for decades, and her performances have always left her audiences mesmerized. Whether it comes to portraying a romantic lead or vulnerable characters, she has always maintained a great deal of authenticity in her characters, transporting viewers to the story itself.
While portraying the stay-at-home and vulnerable wife to Alexander Skarsgard, Kidman refused to use a body double and insisted on performing all ‘disturbing’ and ‘violent’ scenes herself. While her dedication was lauded by the audience, her co-star Skarsgard was left disturbed and tortured.
Nicole Kidman’s Co-Star Was Disturbed By Her Dedication During Violent Scenes
Based on the novel of the same name, Big Little Lies is a poignant tale revolving around the themes of domestic violence, friendship, and the complexities of motherhood. The story follows three women, each struggling in her personal life, and as their relationship grows, their life becomes more entangled and complex.
Nicole Kidman plays Celeste Wright, a stay-at-home mom married to Perry aka Alexander Skarsgard. The central character of the moving tale, Wright’s life is marked by her husband’s abusive and manipulative nature. As disturbing as it seems for viewers to witness the scenes, it is even more disturbing for Skarsgard to be the one inflicting the violence.
In an interview, the actor stated how hard it was for him during those intense s*x and violent scenes since Kidman refused to use a body double.
“I mean, it was extraordinary to work with Nicole. She’s not only an incredible actress but she’s also like the most lovely and generous and sweet woman. So of course, shooting those scenes were horrible. Absolutely horrible.”
While both earned critical acclaim for their portrayal, shooting the scenes required a lot of preparation and they both had to build up immense trust in each other.
Nicole Kidman And Alexander Skarsgard’s Preparation For Their Roles
Playing a manipulative and abusive character is tough, but playing a character who is subjected to daily abuse is even more so. Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman thus had their own sets of challenges and overcoming them was a crucial aspect. To prepare for their role of being the perpetrator and victim, they had to make sure that they had a deep bond based on mutual trust.
“Nicole and I had some time together to build up that trust before shooting those scenes which was crucial to have,” Skarsgård continued. “Because again, some of them are very violent and very physical and very psychologically draining. She is incredibly committed and we did have a body double, like a stunt double on set, for you know, when I throw her over chairs and stuff and when it gets really violent, and Nicole wanted to do it herself.”
Despite the challenges, both Skarsgard and Kidman were perfect in the portrayal of their respective characters.
Big Little Lies can be rented on Amazon Video.
Source: The Things
