With a career spanning over three decades, you would think that Nicole Kidman would have already hit every milestone and taken home every award there is to win for actors. And while she has taken home quite a few of them, in 2018 there were still some stones unturned. Tonight, after 10 nominations, Kidman finally won her first SAG award. Her fellow actors honoured her performance in the HBO not-so-limited series, Big Little Lies.
A teary-eyed Kidman, apparently sick with the flu, used her acceptance speech to talk about how lucky she is to have even made it this far in her career. After naming a number of actresses over the age of 40 including Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda, Kidman praised them: “I want to thank you all for your trail blazing performances you have given over your career and how wonderful it is that our careers today can go beyond 40 years old. Twenty years ago, we were pretty washed up by this stage in our lives, so that's not the case now. We have proven and these actresses and so many more are proving that we are potent and powerful and viable.” And she’s right. Ageism is just one of the many issues plaguing entertainment. Despite an industry that still prioritises youth and beauty in big casting decisions, Kidman is among the female actors breaking ground in their forties and beyond.
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Kidman, who has also been a passionate advocate for women since playing a domestic violence survivor on Big Little Lies, kept it real about how progress is made in Hollywood. “We can continue to do this but only with the support of the industry and that money and passion.” With such a long resume beneath her belt, Kidman isn’t suffering a shortage of either.
Congratulations to her. Watch her speech and get inspired.