In 2017, actress Nicole Kidman vowed to collaborate with a woman filmmaker every 18 months; now, in 2025, Kidman has exceeded that goal immensely by working as a producer and/or actor with 19 women directors over the last eight years. In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Kidman explained that she finds that “women behind the camera often offer a support reminiscent of how her sister cared for her in those early days after childbirth.”

Another reason why Kidman made this promise was the double standard in the industry that female filmmakers constantly face. She explains that there is a “pressure to ‘be perfect’ on the first [release],” and if they don’t complete a “perfect” film, their chance of a rebound is a lot harder to come by than, say, if a male director was in the same position. Kidman continues, “It can be changed, but it can only be changed by actually being in the films of women.”

Just last year, Kidman partnered with Halina Reijn when she starred as a businesswoman caught in a steamy affair with a subordinate in 2024’s Babygirl. She collaborated with female directors in her television work when she led Lulu Wang’s Expats, which is available on Amazon Prime Video, and Susanne Bier’s The Perfect Couple, released on Netflix. Kidman even has an upcoming release where she worked with a female director; Mimi Cave’s suburban-set thriller Holland is set to release on March 27 with Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, and Gelo García Bernal.

The secret as to how Kidman can work with female directors so often is the fact that she never stops working. And why does she never stop working? Kidman revealed it is because “there are so many opportunities in terms of being able to be of service to people who are coming up [in the film industry] and using what I have and can do for people.” But Kidman does not seem to get sick of it as she concludes, “This is what I dreamed of since I was a little girl. I love what I do, so I’m going to just give it my all.”