Nicole Kidman Will Always Be There for Her Kids! See the Actress’ Candid Quotes About Motherhood

On Explaining Her Tough Roles to Her Daughters

When Nicole was working on Big Little Lies, in which she plays the survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, she often came home from set with bruises. Revealing how she explained the injuries to her daughters during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar for the magazine’s October 2021 issue, Nicole explained why she accepted the role in the first place.

“I suppose the artist spirit, a lot of times, is saying, ‘I don’t care what it’s gonna cost me as a human being, because my thrust is deeply artistic,'” she shared. “And that’s probably just a massive push-pull in any person who’s a painter, a writer, you know? If you’re really dedicated to it over a lifetime, that push-pull will collide with your existence and your connections with your family and all the people in your life.”

Fortunately, Nicole had endless support from her husband, Keith. “We’re always working through stuff, but it’s very much love-based, so there’s an enormous amount of give and take,” she said of their romance. “I want him to have the best life he can have, and he responds the same way. We really love parenting together.”

On Risking It All for Her Kids

The Oscar-winning actress once opened up about being able to relate to her Boy Erased character, who ultimately risks everything in her life to support her gay son. “That’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love,” she told Entertainment Tonight on the 2018 Hollywood Film Awards red carpet in November 2018. “Everything is motivated by wanting to take care of your children and carve a path for them and leave them with a sense of morality, dignity, and accountability.”

On Being a Good Mom

Nicole always puts her children and Keith first. “I want to be a good wife and a good mother, so that requires giving up things I want sometimes,” she gushed to ET.

On Having Her Daughters’ Support

Even though Nicole’s career can be hectic, she’ll never lose the support of her two youngest daughters. “My kids are always like, ‘What is she doing now? Our crazy mama,'” she told Entertainment Tonight in September 2018. “But it’s also interesting for them, I think, because they see me creating characters and, you know, they have vivid imaginations themselves and they construct stories, and so that’s all they know.”

On Her Relationship With Bella and Connor

Although they stay out of the public eye, Nicole loves Connor and Isabella more than they could ever imagine. “They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions,” she told WHO magazine in November 2018 after it was reported she wasn’t that close to Connor and Bella due to their connection to the Church of Scientology. “They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them. And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe — that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here.”

Nicole added she may be “very private” when it comes to her adult kids, but that doesn’t mean she loves them any less. “I have to protect all those relationships,” she said. “I know 150 percent that I would give up my life for my children because it’s what my purpose is.”

On What Her Kids Think About Her Fame

Nicole may be a Hollywood superstar to her fans, but it seems like her daughters aren’t always impressed by her fame and fortune. “When I won the Emmy for Big Little Lies. I was like, ‘OK, I can put one on your shelf, Sunday, and one on your shelf, Faith, and they’re yours,'” she explained of the time she offered to give her daughters each an Emmy Award while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in December 2018.

However, the gift didn’t go quite as planned. “Sunday didn’t want it.’ She said, ‘Oh, I want to earn my own,’” Nicole revealed. “I’m like, ‘You go, girl!’”

On Being Teased By Her Kids

It seems like Sunday and Faith have no problem being brutally honest with their mama! The blonde beauty recalled showing her daughters her movie makeover for the film Destroyer with the L.A. Times in December 2018.

“They called me ‘granny,’” she hilariously revealed at the time. “They’re like, ‘You’re our granny now.’” Poor Nicole!

On Watching Her Kids In the Spotlight

She loves being at home with her husband and kids, but nothing makes Nicole giddier than bringing Keith and their daughters to work! “It was really fun because my kids are inside, and this is the first premiere they’ve ever been to,” she gushed about going to the L.A. premiere of Aquaman.

On Her Fears as a Mother

Nicole and Keith have created a stable and loving foundation for their beautiful family, but the Eyes Wide Shut actress admitted she still has fears when it comes to being a mom.

“The idea of not being able to protect my child — or have my child not have me there when she needs me — is devastating,” Nicole once said. “And on the flip side, there’s this incredible joy of having this little being who is so reliant on you and who looks up to you and who you are there in the world for.”

On Her Kids Following In Her Footsteps

Nicole opened up about being able to act alongside her youngest kiddos for season two of Big Little Lies. “You see them fleetingly in the classroom scenes,” the actress said of their roles as extras during an interview with Good Morning America.

The Moulin Rouge! star even gushed about how amazing it was to see her girls on set with her. “Yes, and I’ve always said this, there’s something wonderful about bringing your children to work, and them seeing what you do, and them being a part of it, and being interested and curious and feeling like it’s theirs as well,” she explained.

On Her Kids’ Sweet Personalities

When Nicole’s father died in 2014, Sunday and Faith tried to comfort her. “My 3-year-old said, ‘But you’re not going to be sad like this tomorrow, are you?’ That’s when you realize, you know, you have to be OK. Because they need to know that they’re safe, that their mother isn’t going to fall apart,'” she told Tatler.