Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant go way back.
Having met around the traps in the early 90s, the two actors have occupied the same Hollywood orbit for some time, enjoying successful careers that have run almost exactly parallel to one another.
Considering this, it might be surprising to learn that their new show, The Undoing, marks the first on-screen collaboration for the pair. But it’s true.
“I’ve known Hugh since my early 20s, and he’s fantastic,” Kidman reveals to marie claire Australia in the November issue (out now). “I’ve crossed paths with him over the years, but this is the first time we’ve ever worked together.”
The 53-year-old actor, who also serves as executive producer on the series, goes on to recount a particularly glamorous – and very 90s – run-in her and Grant shared early on. “My sister and I remember going to dinner with Hugh and Liz Hurley at The Ivy in London,” Kidman remembers. “And she and I would talk in our secret sister language. Hugh was always like, “What the hell are you saying?””
She adds with a wry laugh, “He’s so great to hang out with. He’s just so naughty; he has a wicked sense of humour.”
Based on the Jean Hanff Korelitz novel You Should Have Known and created by David E. Kelley (of Big Little Lies fame), The Undoing features Kidman as Grace Foster, a high-profile psychotherapist whose life is sent into free-fall when her husband, Jonathan (played by Grant) is accused of murder. It’s a heady series, anchored by the chemistry between Kidman and Grant.
According to Kidman, navigating the intensity of the series with Grant as her on-screen husband was aided by their personal bond. “We just get along,” she says simply. “I think having that British-Australian connection helped, and I already knew his wit and how to tap into that, so we have had an ease which is great for an on-screen marriage.”
“And then we had to go on this intense journey together. There were days when he’d just go, “I’m just buggered, I’m wrecked. Are you?” And I’d go, “I’m wrecked, too. This is harrowing.”
See the full story and our exclusive Sydney shoot in the November issue of marie claire, out now!
The Undoing airs every Monday on Foxtel Showcase and is streaming on Binge now.
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