Fed: Kidman philosophical about response to Golden Compass

AAP General News (Australia)
12-16-2007
Fed: Kidman philosophical about response to Golden Compass

By Kim Christian

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP - Nicole Kidman is philosophical about how her fans will judge her
new film, The Golden Compass, which premiered in Sydney tonight.

Nearly a thousand devoted fans braved heavy rain and stormy conditions to catch a glimpse
of the Australian superstar before the film's local premiere at the State Theatre.

Traffic was closed on Market St and parts of Pitt St in central Sydney as Kidman and
her entourage took centre stage.

The Hollywood actress, wearing a striking metallic silver pant suit with black pumps,
chatted freely with fans and the press following mixed reviews of her film in the US.

Kidman plays a supporting role as scholar and explorer Marisa Coulter in the fantasy
adventure based on the novel of the same name, the first tale in author Philip Pullman's
trilogy.

Kidman said she would leave it up to the audience to decide.

"I don't know, I just make films, you know, some of them work, some of them don't,
and I guess I don't think about whether something is going to be liked or disliked. My
instinct tells me it's the right thing to do," Kidman told AAP.

"You win some, you lose some.

"But I love what I do.

"Hopefully, that bleeds into it over the course of a career."

The Oscar winner said she was happy to make a film in which a little girl was the protagonist.

And she said her decision to star in the fantasy film came after Pullman wrote her a letter.

"I mean, my decisions are so erratic. I just choose off the cuff a lot of times, but
primarily this was because Philip Pullman wrote me an amazing letter telling me that when
he was writing the novels he had me in mind," Kidman said.

"So that's hard to turn down. He's such a good novelist.

"I thought it was a really intelligent piece of cinema."

Kidman is equally happy to be spending Christmas with her family in Australia - and
not to be working.

Her latest project, the Baz Luhrmann-directed epic Australia, which also stars Hugh
Jackman, wraps up on Wednesday after nine months of filming.

"It will nice not to be working," she said.

She said Luhrmann, who arrived late for today's premiere, was her "creative soul mate"

and she felt comfortable working on the film.

"I love working with him and I feel very safe," she said.

"I've got to see my country in a way that I would never have been able to see it. You
know, camping out in Kununurra, going to Kakadu. And you sort of talk about it, but you
rarely do that stuff."

But she could not commit to moving back to her home country full time.

"I mean you have to have a sort of gypsy life when you're married to a musician (Keith
Urban), so I'll be traipsing around on a tour bus most of next year," Kidman said.

"I'm committed to coming back and doing another film here at some stage."

The Golden Compass opens on December 26 and stars Dakota Blue Richards, Eva Green and
Daniel Craig.

AAP krc/jl/de

KEYWORD: KIDMAN NIGHTLEAD

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