Nicole Kidman is looking back on some of the biggest turning points of her life as she begins a new chapter — but one decision she made at just 22 came with a warning she was determined to ignore. Now, after another major change in her personal life, the actress is revealing what it feels like to face a future she never expected.
From a whirlwind marriage to Tom Cruise to her painful split from Keith Urban, the actress has plenty to look back on. Nicole Kidman is stepping into a new chapter with her heart open, but her latest interview shows just how much of her past still informs the woman she is today.
The 59-year-old actress is the cover star of British Vogue’s September 2026 issue, where she sat down with Giles Hattersley in London for a wide-ranging conversation about her career, family, fashion and the changes in her personal life.
Nicole Kidman poses inside an elegant room for her British Vogue September 2026 cover story, as the actress reflects on her 43-year career, her changing personal life and her decision to face the future with hope. | Source: Instagram/britishvogue
Kidman Is Entering a Very Different Chapter
In the British Vogue interview, Kidman comes across as remarkably relaxed despite the enormous attention that has followed her for decades. At one point, she jokingly describes herself as “stealth,” explaining that she has become good at moving through cities without attracting too much attention.
That has not stopped her from enjoying an unusually busy summer. Kidman revealed that she had been traveling between London, Ibiza, Paris and Portofino, calling it her “Euro summer.”
Nicole Kidman poses in a delicate white dress for her British Vogue September 2026 cover story, reflecting on her low-key approach to fame while enjoying a “Euro summer” filled with trips to London, Ibiza, Paris and Portofino. | Source: Instagram/britishvogue
She even found herself unexpectedly onstage with a band in Portofino, tambourine in hand, while also making time for Wimbledon and London theater outings.
Her connection to fashion is deeply rooted in her upbringing, with the actress crediting her mother and grandmother — both skilled seamstresses and embroiderers — for showing her that a love of beautiful clothes could exist alongside an intellectual life.
Nicole Kidman attends Wimbledon in an elegant Ralph Lauren suit, one of several high-profile outings during her busy summer in London. The actress has long had a passion for fashion, crediting her mother and grandmother — both skilled seamstresses and embroiderers — for nurturing that interest. | Source: Getty Images
That lifelong passion was on full display at the Chanel Cruise show in Biarritz in April, where she turned heads in a black column dress and tiny sunglasses.
But when Hattersley asked how she manages to appear so at ease when all eyes are on her, Kidman traced that confidence back to something that happened when she was barely out of her teens.
“Strangely enough, I feel comfortable. Is that weird? That’s so weird,” she said, laughing. “But you have to remember, literally, because of who I married at such a young age, I was thrust into it since I was 22.”
Nicole Kidman attends the Chanel Cruise Show in Biarritz alongside A$AP Rocky, Michaela Coel and Tilda Swinton in April 2026. The actress later told British Vogue that she feels surprisingly comfortable in the spotlight, a confidence she traces back to being thrust into the world of cameras and fashion at just 22. | Source: Getty Images
Suddenly, cameras, flashbulbs, and fashion were unavoidable parts of her life, and the actress was constantly aware that people were watching her.
Although Kidman said she is naturally shy, years of living in that environment have made stepping into the spotlight feel almost instinctive. “[My life has been] more time like that than not. My memory of it not being that is quite blurry, because I was really young.”
Nicole Kidman attends the First Annual Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards in Los Angeles in 1996, early in the period when cameras, flashbulbs and intense public attention became a constant part of her life. Looking back, Kidman said the experience began so young that she can barely remember what life was like before the spotlight. | Source: Getty Images
She Was Only 22 When Everything Changed
That transformation in Kidman’s life began around the same time she married Cruise, whom she met while establishing herself in Hollywood.
“Yeah, I got married so young,” she recalled. “Suddenly I was 22, 23 years old and I had this huge movie star husband. But it just seemed completely natural. We just fell madly in love, and it was that simple.”
The marriage lasted a decade, and Kidman said the experience changed not only her personal life but also the way the public viewed her career. That is where a piece of advice she received at the time becomes particularly interesting.
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