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Nicole Kidman recalls being alone in Venice the night she learned her mother had died
By Lori Bashian
Published April 18, 2026
Nicole Kidman is opening up about the day she found out her mother had died.
The 58-year-old actress spoke at the live speaker series, HISTORYTalks 2026, which is organized by the History Channel, on Saturday about a number of things, including learning of her mother's death just prior to accepting the best actress award for "Babygirl" at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024.
"I’d won best actress at Venice Film Festival. This seems to be such a common theme through my life," she said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "I was about to go on stage, and I found out my mother had died. I went right back to the room in Venice, got into bed and was completely devastated."
She recalled feeling as if she didn't know how she would be able to continue on without her mom, saying, she "was so much a part of my existence. The idea of being there at that particular moment was harrowing."
Kidman recalled learning of her mother's death right before accepting an award at the Venice Film Festival. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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The "Big Little Lies" star went on to say that "the idea of being there at that particular moment was harrowing," and she began to take steps to leave Venice as soon as possible.
"I remember getting into a boat in the canal, and literally at night trying to find my way to the airport, and then turning around and going, I can’t even do this," she said. "And then went back into the bed, and I was alone. My husband wasn’t there. My children weren’t there. I’d gone to win an award. What should have been a beautiful thing, ended up with that. But there is the contrast of life."
Having gone through this tragic experience alone, Kidman says she now tells people "that’s when I know I’m resilient," and "can survive pretty much anything."
Kidman's mother, Janelle, died in September 2024 at the age of 84.
Nicole Kidman at the New York premiere of "Scarpetta" in March 2026, wearing a black suit jacket with sheer tuelle at the bottom. (Michael Loccisano/WireImage)
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Two years after her mother's death, the Academy Award-winning actress shared with investigative journalist, Vicky Nguyen, as part of the private school's Silk Speaker Series, that she has plans to become a death doula.
"As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide," Kidman said per the San Francisco Chronicle. "Between my sister and I, we have so many children and our careers and our work, and wanting to take care of her because my father wasn’t in the world anymore, and that’s when I went, ‘I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care.’"
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Kidman shares two daughters — Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15 — with her ex-husband, Keith Urban, while her sister, Antonia, has six kids.
The actress has spoken about her close bond with her mother many times over the years, telling the Sydney Morning Herald about how her mom always pushed her to pursue her dreams, saying, "she carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths."
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, left, Nicole Kidman and Faith Margaret Kidman-Urban attend the Chanel Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France. (Dominique Charriau/Getty Images)
"Mom didn’t necessarily get the career that she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have opportunities that were equal," Kidman added. "That’s given me my life. And she gave me my life, she and my dad."
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Kidman is following in her mother's footsteps as a supportive mom, as she is supporting her daughter, Sunday Rose, in her budding modeling career.
She made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2025, walking for Miu Miu.
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