Nicole Kidman‘s big moment at the 81st Venice Film Festival was snatched away by death. The Big Little Lies star was due to accept the Best Actress award at the prestigious film event. However, she couldn’t show up due to a devastating family loss.
Kidman’s painful departure was confirmed by director Halina Reijn, who received the award on her behalf for her excellent performance in Babygirl. While on stage, Reijn read out a written statement from the actress, per a clip shared by Deadline on X. “Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that my brave and beautiful mother, Janelle Anne Kidman, had just passed,” Kidman wrote. “I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her.” The message continued, with the actress opening up about her mother’s impact on her life.
“She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking. My heart is broken.”
In a separate statement issued to Page Six, the six-time Golden Globe winner said, “The family is heartbroken and asks for privacy at this time.”
Nicole Kidman Once Praised Her Mom For Her Fashion Influence
Nicole Kidman and her team are yet to share more details about Janelle Anne’s passing. The matriarch was 84 years old at the time of her death. She was a nursing instructor and a member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby, an Australian feminist group. The mother-daughter pair shared a close bond, with Janelle even having a hand in her daughter’s Hollywood career.
In a 2023 interview with People Magazine, the Moulin Rouge actress spoke about how her mother influenced her style. “I grew up as a little girl with a grandmother who loved fashion and could sew, and my mother the same. They loved beautiful clothes. They could make beautiful clothes,” she recalled. “I think when you grow up seeing the people in your household do that, then you love that. And my mother is still — she’s so involved in what I wear.” May she RIP.
