Nicole Kidman misses Venice best actress win after mom’s death: ‘I’m in shock’

Nicole Kidman received a major honor at this year’s Venice Film Festival, but she couldn’t accept it in person after suffering a personal loss.

The “Big Little Lies” star, 57, was awarded the prestigious Volpi Cup for best actress for her new movie “Babygirl” on Saturday. During the awards ceremony, the film’s director, Halina Reijn, shared that Kidman couldn’t be there after learning her mother had died.

Kidman said she found out about the death of her “beautiful, brave” mom, Janelle Ann Kidman, 84, shortly after arriving in Venice that day, according to a statement read by Reijn.

“I’m in shock and I have to go to my family,” the statement said. “But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me and she made me.”

The “Eyes Wide Shut” star added, “My heart is broken.” Reijn expressed condolences after reading Kidman’s remarks. “We love you all, Nicole,” the filmmaker said.

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Kidman’s parents were both Australian, and her father, a psychologist, died in 2014. In 2022, she shared in an interview with NPR’s “Fresh Air” that she was in Australia to take care of her mom, who was dealing with health issues. The Oscar winner noted that “because of how close we are,” her mother was “giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman’s eyes.”

“That is so beneficial right now because she’s so cognizant,” Kidman said. “She has every brain faculty available. So she hasn’t lost anything. She hasn’t lost any memory, which is fascinating, and she’s extremely bright. She’s also very direct and very honest.”

The actress also said at the time that her mom, who was a nurse educator, identified as a feminist and would talk to her about women’s issues growing up “to the point where we were like, ‘Shut up, Mom.’ “

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In August 2020, Kidman shared a photo on Instagram of herself hugging her mom after they reunited for the first time in eight months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I missed her 80th birthday but I’m here now,” Kidman wrote at the time. “Love you Mumma.” The following year, she shared a photo from her mom’s birthday party, writing, “We couldn’t give you a party last year, but we made up for it last night.”

In a 2018 birthday tribute, Kidman said her mom “loved me, guided me and taught me and I am so blessed to have you,” and she told People last year that her mother is still “so involved in what I wear.”

Venice jury president Isabelle Huppert sent Kidman condolences during a news conference on Saturday, according to a video shared by Deadline. “I just want to tell her that we really miss her and we love her,” she said.