Nicole Kidman touched down in Italy for the Venice Film Festival but had to depart shortly after arriving due to the sudden passing of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman.
Kidman, who was awarded Best Actress for her role in Babygirl, was not present to collect the accolade. Instead, her director, Halina Reijn, accepted the award on her behalf.
Reijn, visibly emotional, addressed the audience: “I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”
During his acceptance speech for the Silver Lion for Best Director, Brady Corbet extended his heartfelt condolences to Kidman.
Earlier this year, Kidman had hinted at her mother’s declining health but provided few details. “We’re down here [in Australia] primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,” Kidman shared on NPR’s Fresh Air. “So luckily, last—yesterday, even though [COVID-19 strain] Omicron is raging through this country, we were able to take her into the gallery after hours and show her the Matisse exhibit, which, coming from a mother who’s raised me in the arts, was very soothing.”
In previous interviews, Kidman highlighted the significant role her mother played in her career. “She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her,” Kidman revealed in a 2020 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald. “But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths.”
Kidman continued, “Mum didn’t necessarily get the career that she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have opportunities that were equal. That’s given me my life. And she gave me my life, she and my dad.”
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