Many actors are known for fully immersing themselves in the roles they’re playing.
Allowing one’s self to become completely enveloped in a character, particularly those who are troubled or embroiled in drama, can take its toll.
Following on from her most recent drama The Undoing, 53-year-old Oscar winner Nicole Kidman has revealed playing the character of Grace had the same “disturbing” impact, going as far as to rattle her personality.
“Suddenly, I was in this place. There was sort of a disquietness to my personality where I was uneasy, and there was duress on who I was,” Nicole explained on an episode of the WTF With Marc Maron podcast.
Nicole played Grace in the new drama.
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The role also then took a toll on her physical well-being.
“I actually got really sick [in the middle of filming],” she revealed. “I think this is a big thing that happens to actors. I went down for a week, because your immune system doesn’t know the difference between acting and truth when you’re doing those [draining roles].”
Despite trying her best to compartmentalise her real life at home with husband Keith Urban and their two kids, from the one she was playing at work Nicole failed to find the separation she needed.
“I haven’t learned to clean that out. It doesn’t really work for me.
“I go home and I don’t sleep well, and I’m not well. … It’s that disturbing for me.”
Grace learns her husband (played by Grant) isn’t who she thought he was.
(Supplied)The actress went on to add that it was her family who got her through the “taxing” filming.
“Keith provides an enormous amount of that and hopefully we provide that for him when he’s on tour because that’s the benefit of having a family that’s tight.”
Keith helped keep Nicole grounded.
(Getty)Speaking exclusively to TV WEEK about the character, whose life falls apart when she discovers that everything she thought she knew about her husband was a lie, touched on the importance of trust in her marriage.
“I’d be devastated, that would be it; my life would be over,” she revealed when asked how she would respond if faced with a similar revelation.
“I believe trust is a huge part of our culture. Do you trust when people tell you things? Who do you believe? What is belief in someone anyway? And should you just offer trust unconditionally or should it be conditional? And should someone have to prove they’re trustworthy? All those are really interesting questions and a big part of what’s on everyone’s minds today, because I now have to also trust that you’ve taken precautions and are social distancing too!”
