Nicole Kidman and Halina Reijn Talk Sizzling Chemistry + Creative Freedom in ‘Babygirl’

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Photo Source: Niko Tavernise

Centered on a middle-aged female CEO (Romy Mathis, portrayed by Nicole Kidman) who engages in a torrid affair with a much younger male intern (Samuel, portrayed by Harris Dickinson), “Babygirl” is a darkly seductive examination of power, performance, and multivalent desires. Much of the film’s potency comes from the dynamic partnership between writer-director Halina Reijn and costars Kidman and Dickinson. In a special ScreenCraft conversation moderated by Variety’s Jenelle Riley, Reijn and Kidman discuss their unique process of making movie magic—and what it can teach aspiring actors and filmmakers.

Trust is a vital component of the actor-director relationship.

“Babygirl,” out Dec. 25, explores “the humanity and the vulnerability of being human,” according to Reijn, and creating the film necessitated a kind of naked trust—which she largely credits to Kidman’s openness. “It’s magical,” the filmmaker says. “I have somebody here in front of me that I can ask any detail, any emotion…. I look into her eyes, and she already gets it.”

“The two of us together would make the performance,” Kidman explains. “Because she’s written it, she’s directing it, and I’m doing it. So it requires this kind of melding of spirits in a weird way.”

Organic connection and emotional commitment create chemistry.

To forge their characters’ convoluted (and oh-so-steamy!) relationship, Kidman and Dickinson took the time to ask each other personal questions and connect offscreen. Doing so allowed them to “immediately go to intimacy,” Kidman notes, adding that her emotionally complex role required total immersion. “It was tempestuous inside me. It was penetrating my psyche, my dreamscape…. I expanded as a person by playing the role.”

A particularly (pardon the pun) climactic hotel room scene became what Reijn calls “the core of the movie,” due to this very connection and commitment. “It really helps that they knew each other at that point,” she says of the scene, which was the last one they filmed. “That gave all the different layers and enabled them to play and make these really quick shifts and emotions.”

Set your intention, be curious, and stay open.

Reijn recommends that aspiring actors and filmmakers come up with a “question that scares you, that makes you nervous, but you’re really curious to know.” When you write it down, she explains, it becomes your intention. “It’s all about our spiritual intention, no matter what other people will think of our movie, [or] how many people will buy a ticket. We hope, of course, for the best, but in the end all we can do is have a pure intention that aligns with [our] soul.”

Kidman agrees: “When people talk about bravery, it’s not bravery—it’s just curiosity and staying completely open.”