It is the night of September 25, 2025, at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. This venue, which now houses the most ambitious exhibition about Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s famous film, hosts the gala dinner in which Nicole Kidman (born in Hawaii, 1967) is introduced as the new global ambassador of the luxury cosmetics brand Clé de Peau Beauté, belonging to the Japanese group Shiseido.
Everything is prepared for an unforgettable night. The live orchestra plays, performing classics such as Smile, by Bobby Darin, or At Last, by Etta James, both soundtracks that transport us to that Hollywood that was still glamorous and golden. The tables are laid out with exquisite taste and decorated with cream roses and white peonies. They wear tuxedos; she, a long dress. Suddenly, Nicole appears. It’s impressive. She wears no guards or agents: she goes natural, like a star, but down-to-earth. She resembles the woman we’ve seen before in dozens of productions, such as Eyes Wide Shut or The Hours, the film that earned her an Oscar.
Then, all the attending journalists, a small list of professionals mostly from Europe, crowd around her. She gifts us that so kind smile which, thanks to her gift for acting, can be, in a moment, quite unsettling. She appears approachable and extends her hand to anyone who wishes to greet her.
She does not refuse selfies or photos. Her mysterious and piercing gaze now fixes on us. Kidman presents herself as a radiant, exuberant woman. In fact, we could say she is at her best. But far from it. That starry night in the big city, nothing foretold the media storm that, five days later, would see her file for divorce from her husband of the last 19 years, country singer Keith Urban, father of their two young daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. The first is stepping into modeling and has walked for Dior at the latest Paris Fashion Week. The second has accompanied her mother on the shoot for the Clé de Peau Beauté ad.
Nicole now dominates the headlines of newspapers and magazines around the world. Truth be told, gauging her expression a meter away, no one benefited more from a divorce. “Oh, Spain, welcome to Los Angeles. Although it may seem surprising, my favorite city in your country is Santander,” says the star of The Others, by Alejandro Amenábar, whose filming took place at El Palacio de los Hornillos, located in Arenas de Iguña, forty minutes from the Cantabrian capital, which explains her fondness for that city.
Then, in 2001, another divorce was also being forged: that of her first husband, the actor Tom Cruise, from whom she separated in the same year in which the Spanish film, which won 8 of the 15 Goyas it was nominated for, including Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Film, was released and achieved global success. The most sensationalist press found in her the perfect target to talk about the strains of her marriage caused by the extricities of her now ex-husband, a member of Scientology.
Nicole Kidman, new global ambassador of Clé de Peau Beauté
But let us return to the party. On the stage, the actress explained the reason why she had agreed to become part of Clé de Peau Beauté, whose name in French means “the key to the skin.” “My makeup artist [Noriko Watanabe] is Japanese and already used the products with me. So I thought: ‘It’s crazy that they found me. I have to do it!’. They asked if I wanted them to send me the cosmetics to see if I liked them, but I replied: ‘I love them and, therefore, I am already in a position to say yes!’. Being able to say I use them in my real life is very important to me. Everything feels more real. I love them; they are very luxurious, high-end, but worth it,” Kidman recounts, who selects, among her favorites, La Crème, which she always uses when traveling, and the eye makeup remover. “In the case of the latter, it removes waterproof mascara. And when you’re filming, there are times you cry, but you don’t want the mascara to smudge or, sometimes, you do, depending on the scene. So taking it off is very easy thanks to it,” she explains. Nicole meticulously selects her commercial projects.
Mizuki Hashimoti, Director of Clé de Peau Beauté.
For Mizuki Hashimoti, director of this luxury cosmetics firm, our protagonist perfectly embodies Clé de Peau Beauté’s philosophy. “It represents the commitment to our value: the importance of luminosity. Shine with your own light. She has demonstrated great professionalism through her achievements in her work. So I think these are some of the reasons we chose her as our ambassador,” she comments. “Our DNA consists of intelligence, exquisiteness, and, again, luminosity. These are the three pillars that support the brand,” Hashimoti confesses about the firm that was founded in 1982 as the most premium cosmetic from Shiseido, combining the exclusive, innovative Japanese science with a luxurious aesthetic inspired by French elegance.
But Nicole, who, the following day, will welcome us at The Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel to answer our questions for a precisely timed interview, does not only take care of her body but also her mind. “I meditate. I do yoga. I only drink coffee in the morning. Therefore, after twelve, I drink herbal infusions, because I have a lot of trouble sleeping. I travel a lot and work hard. In short, I have a very stressful life. So I juggle a lot to stay well. I have to have a routine. Oh, I also love cold baths!”, Kidman confesses, whose father, Antony Kidman, was a clinical psychologist and biochemist.
Her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, died last year when the actress had to collect in Venice the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for Baby Girl, a story in which she plays an executive who has an affair with a trainee and which has broken box-office records. With her divorce, Nicole adds a painful grief for her mother’s passing, which she spoke about when accepting the International Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2025. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say that this is for my mom. My entire career has been for my mom and my dad, and they are no longer here,” she said, tearful.
Nicole Kidman, Nicole Kidman, the Bright Present
Nevertheless, the past year has proven to be a good harvest for the actress. Looking at her long list of projects, it’s easy to understand her stress. In addition to Baby Girl, she has starred in the psychological thriller Holland, the musical Spellbound, and the second season of Perfect Strangers. She has upcoming the series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, about a young woman who makes money on an adult platform; the series Scarpetta, based on a Patricia Cornwell novel, the new season of Big Little Lies, and the sequel to Practically Magic, in which, again, she will inhabit the role of a witch, alongside Sandra Bullock. In it, she will once again explore her comic timing after a long time without doing so. “I used to read Mad Magazine with my father, which was a very funny magazine. I grew up with satire and watched many comedies. I loved hearing my father laugh. So part of my own sense of humor was to be a bit of a clown to make him laugh.”
Although she sits among the Hollywood elite, Nicole explains that she does not live in Hollywood but in Nashville, Tennessee. “I suppose part of my authenticity is that I’m not a Los Angeles girl. I love nature and horses. So I live in a more rural place. I need, you know, to take hikes in a forest, bathe in the ocean… I’m not happy if I’m in a city environment too long,” she says.
In her view, there is no cruelty toward women in the industry she works in. “No, I don’t think so. From a very early age, they told me to choose a place of love. ‘Don’t seek out those who aren’t kind and choose people who are loving,’ they told me. So I grew up in a Catholic environment, in a very warm home with a huge amount of empathy. My father was a psychologist, and my mother was a nurse, though she later became a nursing professor. I grew up with caregivers. They were part of society and dedicated to caring for people. So I have a strong connection with people and I love them in all their different facets. I think, perhaps, that’s why I’m an actress, because I can always see the other side of people. I look into their eyes and I can tell if they are smiling, if they have warm eyes or, on the contrary, if their eyes are dead. ‘Why do you have dead eyes? What’s going on inside?’ you ask.”
Since 2006, Nicole has been a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Thanks to this appointment, she has advocated for years essential causes such as girls’ education, gender equality, and the eradication of violence against women. A philanthropy she also shares with Clé de Peau Beauté, as the brand is known for initiatives like the Power of Radiance Awards, which recognize women who create social impact, and its partnership with UNICEF to support girls in vulnerable contexts.
Kidman has sometimes shed a tear due to the challenges she has faced. “Sometimes they tell me I’m not pretty enough, that I’m too tall or too old, that time has passed. You know? There’s always a reason for you not to do something. There are many walls built, but if you give up too quickly, you’ll never get anywhere. They’ve told me that many times.” But despite everything, she remains here, transformed into a legend, connected with others.
“There was a time when I was thrilled to meet Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren, Isabelle Huppert, Meryl Streep. I love being surrounded by actresses who have defied all odds. They are bold and kind. They have managed to have families and careers too. Without losing their strength. Jane Fonda, who has weathered many storms, has admirable resilience. All of them are beacons of light for me,” sums up Nicole, who confesses she is a lover of our country. “I want to return to Spain and make a film. I went to Madrid and remember we went out to dinner at ten at night. That’s wonderful. I love art, people, spirit, tapas, and dancing. Then I shot in the north with Alejandro Amenábar, which is why I like Santander,” she says. Nicole only needs to make a film with Almodóvar. “Go ahead, he is the king. If he calls me, I bow to him.”
The products that form part of Key Radiance Care, the brand’s star beauty ritual.
The Art of the Skin
The Key Radiance of Clé de Peau Beauté is a “unique three-step ritual that improves skin tone, texture, and contours.” These products, which seduced Nicole Kidman before she was named global ambassador of the brand, regenerate the skin’s dermal intelligence and increase the proteins responsible for capturing negative stimuli.
The first of them is Le Serum, which is “able to activate the skin’s regenerative power and stimulate its capacity to boost luminosity every day.” The second are Hydro-Softening Lotion or Hydro-Clarifying Lotion, “moisturizing and radiant lotions designed to cover the different needs.” Finally, Protective Fortifying Emulsion or Protective Fortifying Cream “restate hydration and help to strengthen and revitalize the skin to achieve a youthful luminosity.” Mizuki Hashimoto, director of the luxury cosmetics firm, believes that customers seek proven results grounded in science. And Clé de Peau Beauté delivers it.
