Nicole Kidman admits she's often insecure about 5'11" figure, says she feels like 'giraffe' on red carpet
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After over five decades in the industry, 72 movies, 22 TV series, and an overwhelming amount of accolades, it's fair to think Nicole Kidman must be at peace with her undeniable success.
However, the 56-year-old Australian diva, who is gearing up for the premiere of her Amazon Prime series 'Expats', admits that she still struggles with insecurity as she is told time and time again that her height prevented her from becoming a great actor.
Nicole Kidman faked her height to succeed in Hollywood
The actress, who has starred in movies such as 'Moulin Rouge', 'Cold Mountain', and 'Australia', confessed that her height occasionally "bothers" her when she performs and that this causes issues for her knees.
The Oscar-winning actress admitted that, although standing at 180 cm (5 feet 11 inches), she tells other she is 179 cm (5 feet 10 1/2 inches) tall.
Speaking to the 'Radio Times' podcast, Kidman said, "I was told, 'You won’t have a career. You’re too tall.' I had to talk my way in to the audition because they were measuring you. I was over the mark! You had to be under 5ft 2in and I was 5ft 4in!"
"And they let me in. But I didn’t get the part. I didn’t even get a call back – but at least I got to sing four lines of a chorus," she added, per Daily Mail.
While growing up in the suburbs in Australia's east coast, Melbourne and Sydney, Kidman—whose height had already risen to 5 feet 9 inches when she was 13 years old— was constantly made fun of for her magnificent build.
Kidman continued in the Radio Times podcast by saying, "I was teased and called Stalky. People would say, 'How’s the air up there?' Now, I get, 'You’re so much taller than I thought', or men grappling with how high my heels should be."
"Whenever I go on the red carpet, I get sent shoes that are always so high. I’m like, 'Do they have a kitten heel? I’m going to be the tallest person – a giraffe!'" Kidman added.
The Australian actress noted, though, that there were occasions when she may have benefited from it professionally and that she is just "grateful."
Although height has not placed any restrictions on her career, the actress acknowledges that she still gets irritated by the possibility of its constraints.
"It will bother me when I’m acting and I want to be small – but then there are times when I appreciate it and can use it in my work," Kidman said.
She added, "I’m incredibly grateful to be healthy and walking around. Having said that, I’ve had knee issues and all sorts of things partly because of my height!"
Nicole Kidman earlier claimed she had 'fears and insecurities' due to height
Though it may not have been her best attribute, Nicole Kidman's height makes her stand out in the entertainment industry. The Oscar winner previously discussed overcoming concerns from childhood in the cover story for Glamour UK.
"I was a teenager who wouldn’t conform, but I had a lot of fears and insecurities because I was very tall. I was 5ft 10in by the time I was 13 years old," Kidman recalled at the time.
However, Kidman went against the grain and wore a quirky prom dress, playing to her talents.
She said at the time, "I wore a 1920s flapper dress, which goes along with my ‘not conforming’ sensibility. I bought it in a vintage store and I just loved the idea of a flapper dress, it was black and white beading – it was definitely not tulle and big skirts. I think I remember getting a little drunk too, which is probably a lot of people’s experiences at their prom or formal."
The mother of four has been married to country musician Keith Urban for almost 20 years. They have two teenage daughters - Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. Kidman also adopted two children with her ex-husband Tom Cruise: Isaella and Connor.
