James Wan always knew he wanted Nicole Kidman to star as Queen Atlanna in ‘Aquaman’.
The 51-year-old Australian actress plays the warrior mother of Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry in the DC fantasy thriller, and she has revealed the director – who she has been friends with for a long time – drew the character based on the ‘Big Little Lies’ star.
On why she decided to take on a superhero movie late on in her career, Kidman told Variety: "I knew (director) James Wan was going to do something really interesting and really fun and I’ve wanted to work with him since he started out in Australia in low-budget horror, and I’ve followed his career.
"I do this with directors, I follow certain directors. So I’ve been following James.
"And then he showed me some of the drawings (he was) doing, and he said, ‘See this is why you have to be in the movie, because I’ve drawn her to look like you.’"
Wan recently hailed Kidman’s attitude during the shoot for the new movie.
The filmmaker admitted the ‘Lion’ star was forced to endure some particularly punishing times on set, likening one scene to "being pelted with rocks".
Recalling his experience of working with the award-winning actress, he shared: "Nicole was a trooper, because really, we were pummelling her with this massive water tank that shoots rainstorms, just coming down on her. When you get hit with those, it’s like being pelted with rocks."
Meanwhile, Kidman recently urged moviegoers to throw their support behind lower-budget productions.
The Academy Award-winning actress recognises that the movie business is facing increased competition from the TV industry, and Kidman has therefore stressed the importance of looking beyond the blockbuster productions.
The actress – who stars in the Joel Edgerton-directed drama ‘Boy Erased’ – said: "These films are hard right now. They’re hard to get audiences for. They’re hard to get made."
She explained that a production like ‘Boy Erased’ needs more support compared to ‘Aquaman’.
The ‘Days of Thunder’ star said: "You know, I’m also in ‘Aquaman’. That is not hard to get made. It’s a whole different thing and it’s nice to be fun.
"But this is where you go ‘please go and see these movies’ because otherwise we won’t have the chance to make them anymore."
James Wan always wanted Nicole Kidman for Aquaman role
