Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman candidly opened up about how she maintains a balance between her busy work life and her family at home—just weeks before she filed for divorce from Keith Urban amid claims that their hectic careers had caused a major rift in their marriage.
Kidman, 58, officially filed for divorce from Urban, 57, on Sept. 30, hours after reports first surfaced that the estranged couple had “separated” and were “living apart,” with TMZ claiming that the country music star had moved out of the family’s longtime Nashville home and into a nearby rental.
Sources alleged that “Babygirl” star Kidman had been fighting to save the marriage, crediting her with “holding the family together” amid the separation.
Others claimed that the split had come as a result of Kidman and Urban’s work schedules—something that the actress actually detailed in a Vogue interview that took place before news of her divorce broke, but has only just been published.
The writer noted that Kidman, who was in London at the time, where she was finishing filming for “Practical Magic 2,” had just returned from Nashville where she was “settling two teenage daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, into a new school year.
Kidman also revealed that she and her “Practical Magic 2” costar, Sandra Bullock, had scheduled filming for the project in July and August so that their children could travel to the U.K. to spend time with them, although she did not mention whether Urban—who is currently on tour—had made the trip.
“Going to Hyde Park and concerts, Glastonbury and Salisbury—so much summer fun—’Evita,’ seeing theater, walking Hampstead Heath, swimming there,” she recalled of their experiences. Went to Portugal, went to Greece, had my nieces and nephews around, lots of family: my sister, my best friend since I was four, and her three children. A very tight group.”
She added that her upcoming project, TV series “Scarpetta,” in which she stars and executive produces, was shot in Nashville, where she and Urban own a $3.5 million estate, which allowed her to act like “I almost have a normal job.”
Kidman also opened up about the “ride-or-die friendships” that she has formed in Nashvhille, where she lives just steps away from her close friend and former co-star, Reese Witherspoon, explaining how much they support her during times of need.
It is unclear what the state of her marriage was when she conducted the interview, although Vogue writer Wendell Steavenson said that she was not surprised when news of the divorce broke, revealing: “During our conversations I had guessed as much, but I didn’t want to pry.”
The actress did not mention the divorce—or any rumors of a rift in her relationship—however, she did discuss how she handles adversity in her life, discussing her determination to “get back up and try again” when times get tough.
When asked about how her 50s have treated her, Kidman replied, “How many times do you have to be taught that you think you know where your life is going and then it isn’t going in that direction?”
She also emphasized that she does not like to rest, telling the outlet, “Taking a risk is what I’ve always done.
“You get back up and you try again and you learn. I still go back to shoestring indie filmmaking because it was where I was born, but then I can move into a big studio [movie] like ‘Practical Magic,’ where you go, ‘Okay!’ But that has an enormous amount of pressure and responsibility, and how do you carry that load?”
As her Vogue interview was published, a source close to the family claimed that Kidman was using her work to take her mind off any personal turmoil, telling People that she was “happy to be at work” and that she was very much taking the view that “life goes on.”
“She’s had a good attitude about everything and life goes on. She was in Texas this weekend and is happy to be back at work,” the insider said.
The source also commented on Kidman’s recent appearance at a Dallas auction, where Taylor Sheridan, presented her with the night’s Award of Inspiration.
“[Nicole’s] known Taylor for a couple of years. She considers him a dear friend. She enjoyed seeing him again,” the insider added.
While her travel schedule still appears to be stacked, Kidman is understood to be determined to remain in the Nashville mansion that she and Urban bought together at the start of their marriage—with sources claiming she believes the home will be a “source of stability” for her family amid her ongoing divorce.
According to their divorce filing, which was obtained by the New York Post, Kidman has requested to be named as the “primary residential parent” to Sunday and Faith.
As per the “Permanent Parenting Plan” that was included in the documents, which cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the divorce, Kidman stated that the girls will spend 306 days of the year with her, while the 59 remaining days will be spent with their father.
Urban will have custody of Sunday and Faith every other weekend, the filing notes, and he and Kidman have agreed to split major holidays—with the stipulation that, if the holiday falls on a Monday, the parent who had the child the previous weekend will keep them until 6 p.m. local time on that Monday.
This likely means that, should Kidman decide to remain in her palatial Nashville mansion, the girls will also continue to live there—with one insider telling the Post that the actress is aiming to stay in the property until both of her children have gone to college.
“I’m not sure that Nicole will want to remain in Tennessee full time after her children go off to college,” the unnamed source said. “But for now, the home will be a source of stability for them while navigating this separation.”
It is currently unclear how Kidman and Urban plan to divide their many impressive assets, which include multiple homes around the world, as well as their individual fortunes.
“Babygirl” star Kidman—who has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows in the past year, and currently has six projects in production, according to IMDB—is said to have amassed an estimated net worth of $250 million, while Urban has a fortune worth an estimated $75 million.
Though they bought their property in Nashville for the comparatively low sum of $3.47 million, they are said to have invested plenty of money into turning the palatial dwelling into their dream home.
Kidman and Urban purchased the sprawling estate—which included two adjacent parcels of land—in 2008, according to records, having relocated their family to Nashville the previous year.
Located inside a gated community in Northumberland, the property, which is known as the “Queen of Northumberland,” boasts 2 acres, part of which is occupied by a dazzling swimming pool and a large professional tennis court.
The main residence on the property features seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, providing more than enough space for Kidman and her daughters.
Other amenities inside the home include a theater, elegant living spaces, and even a “hobby room.”
Interestingly, reports about the apparent breakdown of the couple’s marriage come just two months after it was revealed that Kidman had applied for residency in Portugal—but had not listed Urban’s name on the paperwork.
According to local media outlet SIC Notícias, the “Practical Magic” star submitted her application to the country’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, with sources telling the publication that she had been looking for a dwelling in the European country for some time.
At the time, sources insisted that all was well in the marriage, telling the New York Post that Urban’s name was not included in the application because his tour dates would have prevented him from attending the necessary in-person appointments to secure his visa.
“Keith was unable to be in Portugal for this appointment as he is currently on tour in the U.S. and it is mandatory for applicants to be physically present in order to apply for the visa,” the insider said.
“He is scheduled to submit his application at a later date that works with his tour schedule. While Nicole and Keith own a home in Portugal, their primary residence will continue to be in Nashville.”
In addition to their property in Portugal and their main residence in Tennessee, Kidman and Urban have an expansive international real estate portfolio, which includes homes in New York City, Beverly Hills, and Kidman’s native Australia.
Their Beverly Hills abode has long been used by the duo as their primary California residence, which serves as a private sanctuary whenever they need to travel to Los Angeles for work—or fun.
The actress and the singer purchased the dwelling for $4.7 million in 2008, according to records. Realtor.com® estimates that it is now worth upward of $9 million.
That property was broken into earlier this year in a Valentine’s Day incident, with TMZ reporting at the time that a burglar had gained access to the dwelling by smashing a window.
Kidman and Urban were not at their seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom property when it was targeted, with a source adding that “one of their employees” arrived at the home while the intruder was there and “scared them off.”
