Nicole Kidman’s dramatic change in appearance – and how it brought her an Oscar

Nicole Kidman has often been considered one of the best actresses of her generation since she entered the mainstream with such ’90s classics as Days of Thunder, Batman ForeverAnd Die for.

In 2002, the 56-year-old star got her first chance at recognition when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in Moulin rougeand only next year won for Watch.

However, while much of the discussion surrounding her nomination and eventual win focused on her talent, much of the discussion centered on one major transformation: her nose.

Costume designer Ann Roth made the decision to give Nicole a prosthetic nose to not only transform her into the English writer Virginia Woolf for Stephen Daldry’s 2002 film, but also to perform a sort of de-glamour.

At the time, the process of “deglamorizing” a traditionally beautiful actress was a major trend permeating the Hollywood machine and the Oscar race, starting with Charlize Theron and ending with the Oscar race. Monster to Hilary Swank Boys don’t cry.

In a June interview with The New York Times, Anne said of the prosthesis, “I had her nose done by a nose maker in England, and it took them hours every morning to put the damn thing on.”

The decision to change her appearance in a way that was considered “unnatural” was met with criticism behind the scenes: Michael Cunningham, author of the novel on which the film was based, told Vanity Fair: “Pretty much everyone was nervous. about the nose – the idea of ​​sabotaging Nicole’s beauty.”

One of the biggest critics was disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, who helped finance the film through Miramax. Oscar-winning costume designer Anne said Time that she recalled Harvey abruptly saying, “I paid a million dollars for this girl and no one knows who she is.”

When the film was first released, critics and audiences were also divided over the choice of prosthetics. Reviewing for TIME, Richard Schickel wrote of the film: “Watching Watchone finds oneself overly focused on the unfortunate effects of Kidman’s prosthetic nose in order to sound more like a novelist.”

Nicole, for her part, was clearly uncomfortable discussing this topic in the press, once telling Oprah Winfrey during a promotional interview: “I hate talking about the nose.”

However, many saw the change in appearance as a dual internal and external transformation that solidified Nicole’s position as a top-tier actress who was already on the rise thanks to Moulin rouge And Otheralso since 2001.

A.O. Scott then wrote for The New York Times: “Ms. Kidman’s physical transformation into Virginia Woolf seemed so impressive – and was so extravagantly praised – in part because it seemed so unlikely because she had never hit anyone before.” like one of those actresses who could completely disappear on the screen.”

The plot was that Nicole would take home the top prize on March 23, 2003, at the 75th Academy Awards, facing off against Salma Hayek in FridaRenee Zellweger ChicagoDiane Lane in IncorrectAnd Watch co-star Julianne Moore in Far from paradise.

While Salma and Renee were also (sadly, in retrospect) part of the Miramax machine that Oscar season, all eyes were on Nicole, especially with rumors about whether her controversial appearance change would bear fruit.

Indeed, when Denzel Washington read out the results, he joked: “Damn Nicole Kidman!” Since then, Nicole has been nominated for an Oscar three more times, all without a “nose.” The rest remains the prosthetic magic of cinema!

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