How Nicole Kidman Broke Her Rib While Filming Moulin Rouge
There's no doubt that Nicole Kidman is one of the most famous stars in Hollywood, and when fans hear her name, they frequently think of many aspects of her personal life, including her marriage to Tom Cruise. Of course, her sweet romance with current hubby Keith Urban also comes to mind, and fans simply cannot get enough of the duo. In her professional life, Kidman has starred in several blockbusters, like "Eyes Wide Shut," "The Hours," and of course, "Moulin Rouge!"
In the 2001 film, Kidman played the role of Satine, and she showcased her singing, dancing, and acting skills, proving she's a triple threat. When the movie came out, Kidman was going through a divorce from Cruise, and she spoke with People (via Daily Mail) about how it was tough to go through such a public split while doing press for the film. "I was catapulted into huge fame — it all sort of coincided in the sense of that, it was a lot. It was a lot," she confessed to the outlet. "But I'm so glad I did and at the same time pushing through that stuff — one, it was a great thing to do because [as] people who have gone through things a lot of the time will tell you 'just day by day' and you push through it.'"
Aside from her personal life, the film proved tough on her body, as she suffered broken ribs — twice.
Nicole KIdman broke her rib with her corset
Being a Hollywood star isn't always easy... just ask Nicole Kidman. A lot of the time, celebrities are forced to transform their bodies for roles, and that was true with her role as Satine in "Moulin Rouge!" The star spoke about the incident in an interview with "The Graham Norton Show," sharing how she broke her rib not once, but twice when filming the hit movie. "I hurt myself dancing in heels at three in the morning, and I fell downstairs," Kidman told Norton. "I then re-broke my rib getting into a corset." The reason? The star explained that she wanted to trim her waist down, which is why she suffered the injury. "I had this thing that I wanted to get my waist down to 18 inches, which Vivien Leigh had on 'Gone with the Wind,' and I was just like, 'tighter, tighter!'" she shared. Ouch!
Kidman also said that there were other challenging parts of the role, especially because singing isn't something that came "naturally" to her and she would get "terrified" to sing in front of a crowd. But Kidman still does not seem to have regrets about taking the role. In an interview with Variety, she and co-star Ewan McGregor spoke about the film and how much it brought them together with the cast. "It's something we all created together, and it bonds you in a very particular way, doesn't it?" she said. It was a special cast, indeed.
Why Nicole Kidman almost chose another musical over Moulin Rouge
There's no doubt that "Moulin Rouge!" is one of the most famous roles of Nicole Kidmans' career, but in an interview with Thirstory, she said the role almost didn't happen because she was also in talks to star in "Chicago" as Roxie Hart. Ultimately, Kidman turned down the role, and it went to Renée Zellweger. "I remember finishing [Moulin Rouge!] and being more exhausted than I've ever been in my life," she confessed to the outlet, adding that she pushed herself "beyond what I'd probably be willing to ever do again because it was so much fun and because we believed in it." It's safe to say that Kidman's decision worked out for the best and we couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role aside from her, and the same with Zellweger's role in "Chicago."
There are a few more of her more-famous roles that Kidman confessed almost-weren't, including her portrayal of Lucille Ball in "The Ricardos." Kidman talked about the gig in an interview on "Live With Kelly and Ryan" (via Yahoo! Finance), noting that she faced backlash when she was chosen to play Ball. "Everyone thinks I'm not right, so I'm going to try to sidestep this." But her director Aaron Sorkin and her producer Todd Black convinced her to see it through — and she's happy she did. "Thank God, because then I was so grateful because I got to fall in love with her," she told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. We hear you!