Nicole Kidman was told she was "too tall" to make it in Hollywood
Kidman is starring in upcoming Prime Video drama Expats.
With a long list of films and TV shows under her belt, Nicole Kidman is definitely within the realm of the Hollywood A-list.
Known for her small screen roles in shows such as Big Little Lies, The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers, Kidman is set to lead the cast of new Prime Video series Expats.
The six-parter follows three American women whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy, and stars Kidman as one of the women, Margaret.
But, according to Kidman, the Oscar winner's acting career got off to a rocky start when she was told as a teenager that she was "too tall" to make it.
Speaking on the Radio Times Podcast this week, Kidman shared: "I was told, 'You won’t have a career. You’re too tall.'"
At the age of 13, Kidman was already 5ft 9in, and she said: "I say I’m 5ft 10 1/2in, but I’m really 5ft 11in."
Kidman continued: "It will bother me when I’m acting and I want to be small – but then there are times when I appreciate it and can use it in my work.
"Hey, I’m incredibly grateful to be healthy and walking around. Having said that, I’ve had knee issues and all sorts of things - partly because of my height!
"But what I tell my daughters is that none of it matters. What matters is how you allow other people to either say 'yes' or 'no' to you, and whether you accept that. Inner resilience as a human being, that’s the superpower, really."
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In the podcast episode, Kidman also unpacks her latest role and the importance of having more women behind the camera, which you can listen to below.
Kidman has scooped up plenty of awards in her time, including an Academy Award, BAFTA and six Golden Globes, and first made her mark in the industry in Dead Calm, where she starred opposite Sam Neill.
More recently, Kidman starred in Special Ops: Lioness, but will now feature in Expats, the new series from The Farewell's Lulu Wang.
Wang has not only written and created the series, but also serves as director and executive producer alongside Kidman and Daniele Tate Melia.
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Premiering on Prime Video later this month, Expats also stars Ji-young Yoo as Mercy and Sarayu Blue as Hilary Starr, with the show based on the internationally best-selling novel The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee.
The official series synopsis reads: "Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Expats centres on three American women – Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue) and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) – whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy.
"The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred. Brian Tee plays Margaret’s husband Clarke and Jack Huston plays Hilary’s husband David."
Expats premieres on Prime Video on Friday 26th January with the first two episodes. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.