Dressed in basic black with her hair swept back, Nicole Kidman yesterday began what many believe will be her latest campaign for an Oscar.
Arriving at the New York premiere of the film Hours, The (2002), in which she plays author Virginia Woolf, Kidman was in fine company.

Co-stars Meryl Streep, a two-time Academy Award winner and 12-time nominee, and Julianne Moore, who is another leading Oscar contender, were also there.

Kidman is almost unrecognisable in The Hours, wearing a fake nose and dowdy clothing for the role.

The movie, directed by Billy Elliott director Stephen Daldry, tells the story of three different women and how their lives intertwine.

To prepare for the movie – which she described as "cathartic . . . in a wonderful way" – Kidman researched the character by reading Woolf's biographies and some of her letters and even learned how to roll cigarettes.

"Virginia Woolf seemed to come to me at a time when I really needed her," Kidman said. "She gave me a gift in a certain sense, because I very much needed to play her."

Two weeks ago, Kidman finished eighth on a list of the highest-paid female actors in Hollywood, earning up to $28 million per movie ahead of stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Renée Zellweger.

The Daily Telegraph

Source: Press Release