Photo credit: www.foxnews.com
Halina Reijn Defends Age Gap in Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl”
Halina Reijn, the director of the forthcoming erotic thriller “Babygirl,” recently spoke about the noteworthy age difference between her lead actors, Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, during an interview. Kidman, 57, and Dickinson, 28, star in the film, which explores complex relational dynamics.
Reijn expressed her thoughts on societal perceptions of age gaps in relationships, particularly those involving older women and younger men. “If we see a movie where the male actor is the same age as the female actor, we find that odd. Which is insane. It should completely be normalized that the age gaps switch and that women have different relationships,” she stated in an interview with W Magazine.
The Empowerment of Aging
Nicole Kidman portrays Romy, a powerful CEO, who engages in an affair with her younger intern, Samuel (Dickinson). In discussing her role, Kidman mentioned that she finds it empowering to be seen as a “sexual being” in her late 50s. “A lot of times, women are discarded at a certain period of their career as a sexual being. So, it was really beautiful to be seen in this way,” Kidman revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to Reijn, the film aims to depict sexuality in a more realistic manner. “I wanted the sex scenes to feel incredibly hot and steamy and fun, but I also wanted them to be real,” she explained. “Sexuality is stop-and-go. It’s never like a glamour scene from a Hollywood movie in the ’90s. That’s just not how it works,” she added, highlighting her commitment to authenticity in storytelling.
A Relatable Character Journey
Kidman described her character as relatable, stating, “From the minute I read it, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is a voice I haven’t seen, this is a place that I haven’t been, I don’t think audiences have been.’ My character has reached a stage where she’s got all this power, but she’s not sure who she is, what she wants, what she desires, even though she seems to have it all.”
This isn’t Kidman’s first foray into exploring the narrative of older women with younger partners. Earlier this year, she starred in Netflix’s “A Family Affair,” where Zac Efron, 37, plays her love interest. As 2024 approaches, Kidman’s schedule remains packed with projects, including roles in “The Perfect Couple” and the Paramount+ series “Lioness.”
The Changing Landscape of Film
Reijn’s comments reflect a broader conversation about gender and age dynamics in film, emphasizing a need for more diverse representations of relationships in cinema. As societal norms evolve, the portrayal of older women in complex roles offers a refreshing shift in narrative focus, challenging traditional stereotypes and celebrating women’s sexual agency at any age.
Source
www.foxnews.com