Top 10 Nicole Kidman Performances

Kicking off our list is the film that stars Nicole Kidman as a poor city girl who has a steamy affair with a handsome soldier. After he’s whisked off to serve in the American Civil War, she is left to farm her land by herself. Though her screen time with Jude Law is minimal, Kidman’s believable portrayal of a woman yearning to see her loved one again and her chemistry with Renee Zellweger really help make this movie so enjoyable to watch.

Kidman sure knows how to play them dark. In this mystery-thriller, she adds to the film’s tension and bleakness as the cold and distant Evie Stoker. We also can’t help but watch anxiously as she warms up to Uncle Charlie, a man of questionable character that totally creeps us out. We don’t know whether to pity her or hate her, and that’s thanks to the magic of Kidman’s acting.

This was the film that became Kidman’s big breakthrough as a leading actress. Her inspired performance as a fame-obsessed housewife who dreams of being on TV, no matter what it takes, helped her take home a Golden Globe and several critics’ awards. From the way she talks to the way she walks, everything about Suzanne Stone reeks of egotism and vanity – also of note is the way Kidman adds deadly comic timing to the crime-drama.

Receiving Academy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actress in a movie that she also produced, “Rabbit Hole” is definitely Kidman’s triumph from the last decade. Playing opposite Aaron Eckhart as the pair copes with the tragic death of their 4-year-old, Kidman’s acting is an emotional tour-de-force; showcasing the journey of a troubled and disturbed mother who learns how to cope with her grief in a compelling and realistic manner.

In a role that could have made lesser actresses squeamish, Kidman is brilliant and both compelling and heartbreaking at the same time. Here she plays Anna, a woman that’s finally moved on 10 years after the death of her husband, only to encounter a 10-year-old who claims to be her reincarnated spouse. First doubtful, and gradually more and more uncertain, Kidman goes all the way to show the full range of her acting ability in “Birth” and that’s why it lands here.

In probably the most daring move of her career, Kidman agreed to take on the role of Alice Harford. This allowed her to play opposite her then-husband Tom Cruise in a secretive shoot that lasted well over a year and the result is a sexy, mysterious and visually appealing drama. From the moment a Hungarian man tries to charm her at a Christmas party at the film’s beginning, Kidman really seems to relish her controversial role as a fantasizing doctor’s wife in Stanley Kubrick’s erotic thriller.

Although she shares the screen with quite the cast, Kidman proves that she can hold her own in “The Hours,” even winning an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her work as real-life author Virginia Woolf. Chronicling the character’s increasing desperation and discontentment with her life and how her novel influences the lives of two women who come after her, the drama allows Kidman to deliver an impeccable performance that also packs an emotional punch.

In another brave performance, Kidman not only plays but also becomes Grace Mulligan. This woman with a past is both on the run and desperate for the acceptance of the townsfolk in Dogville, Colorado. A dark and brooding turn from Lars von Trier, this Danish drama wouldn’t have been the same without Kidman, who grippingly shows how far a woman can go before she reaches the end of her rope.

Gloomy and atmospheric, this supernatural thriller showcases Kidman at her finest. As a mother who receives domestic help to care for her isolated mansion and her two children, who are both deathly allergic to sunlight, the actress is convincing and captivating. Every drawn curtain, every creaking sound, every visual is geared to heighten the sense of terror, and Kidman rounds off the well-chosen cast in her critically acclaimed performance.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Dr. Julia Kelly
“The Peacemaker” (1997)
- Isabel Archer
“The Portrait of a Lady” (1996)
- Rae Ingram
“Dead Calm” (1989)
- Shannon Christie
“Far and Away” (1992)
- Nicola Radcliffe
“Flirting” (1991)

In one of the most engaging, musical, tragic, and romantic movies of 2001, Kidman proves she can do it all. Playing a flashy star of the famed cabaret in Paris, who also happens to be dying of tuberculosis, she sings, she dances, and she shines. In short, we can see exactly why Ewan McGregor’s character is crazy about her. Nominated for an Oscar and winning countless awards for the role, Kidman truly is unforgettable as the fiery Satine.

Do you agree with our list? Which Nicole Kidman performance is your favorite? For more great Top 10s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.