Nicole Kidman’s dangerous choices

Kidman doesn’t see the point of playing it safe. “I want excitement, danger, and uncertainty," she says.

Nicole Kidman doesn’t mind if her films are flops, says Jonathan Heaf in British GQ. The 42-year-old actress certainly has been in many hit films, from To Die For to The Hours. But she hasn’t made a commercial hit since Moulin Rouge, in 2001, and some of her recent outings, such as The Golden Compass (2007) and Australia (2008), have been brutally panned. Critical and audience approval “has never been important to me,’’ she says. “That’s why I’m no businesswoman. I’ve never cultivated that side. I have very avant-garde tastes.” Kidman says she rates her success by the honesty and creativity of her work. And she doesn’t see the point of playing it safe. “I want excitement, danger, and uncertainty. People can believe this or not, but in the end I hope my life will be a mix of extreme love and bold artistic choices.” The risk-taking goes beyond her art. “I’ve never chosen safe relationships,” she says, alluding to her husband, country star Keith Urban, who has struggled with drug and alcohol problems. “And I’ve never chosen safe films. I would have had a much easier life if I did.”

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