The X-rated career pivot that’s been blamed for ending Nicole Kidman’s marriage: How actress’ series of ‘liberating’ racy roles left Keith Urban ‘not seeing her as his wife’

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She’s become known for appearing in daring scenes, notably in her early role in the 1989 film Dead Calm, where she first gained attention.

Lately, Nicole Kidman has been appearing in increasingly explicit roles. Last year, she starred in three particularly sensual projects: A Family Affair, Babygirl, and The Perfect Couple, which have all garnered attention for their intimate content.

It came out this week that the 58-year-old actress is separating from her husband, Keith Urban, 57, after being married for 19 years.

Sources said the split happened because of their hectic work lives and a growing distance between them. Apparently, Nicole was completely surprised when Keith filed for divorce – she was reportedly ‘blindsided’ by the news.

However, problems in the marriage seemed to surface in July – particularly when Keith suddenly stopped an interview after being asked about Nicole’s recent intimate scenes. This suggested he might have been finding it difficult to cope with that part of her work.

The interview took place several months after the debut of her most sensual film yet, the erotic thriller Babygirl. In Babygirl, she portrayed a successful CEO who begins a passionate relationship with Harris Dickinson, 29.

The role called for Nicole to film several intimate scenes with her younger co-star, Harris. The actress described the experience as ‘liberating’.

However, people said Keith reacted differently to watching her perform intimate scenes. He reportedly found it difficult to see her as his wife while she was filming racy scenes with other actors, needing to create some distance during those moments.

According to a source who spoke with Daily Mail last year: ‘He’s stopped viewing her as his wife but continues to support her and appreciates their working relationship.‘

You know, I’ve been hearing a lot about how Keith views Nicole’s work, and it’s really fascinating. Apparently, when he watches her perform, he doesn’t see Nicole Kidman at all. He sees the character she’s embodying – it’s truly about the art for him. He’s not watching a celebrity; he’s witnessing a transformation, and she’s completely lost in the role.

‘Keith isn’t wincing during these types of scenes, he knows it is just part of the story.

Although Nicole was praised for her performance, her husband wasn’t at any of the movie premieres. He stayed in Australia to focus on his job instead.

The part Nicole played in the movie held a special significance for Keith, as he used to lovingly refer to her as ‘babygirl‘ before she accepted the provocative role.

Nicole shared last year that her husband has the nickname “babygirl” tattooed on the back of his neck. She jokingly added that Keith isn’t permitted to use that term of endearment with anyone else. 

However, the movie has given the phrase a new interpretation. So he’s asserting, “No, I still completely own the rights to babygirl!”

Babygirl was one of many provocative roles for Nicole, following her recent appearance in the steamy romantic comedy A Family Affair, where she acted alongside Zac Efron, 37.

The two actors came together again in a Netflix film, after initially playing a couple 12 years prior in the acclaimed crime drama, The Paperboy.

She also surprised viewers with a steamy scene featuring Liev Schreiber, 57, in the Netflix mystery drama The Perfect Couple.

While promoting the show, she confessed that a truly ‘perfect’ marriage doesn’t exist, explaining: ‘There’s no such thing as perfection. If something is shown as perfect… don’t believe it.’

When questioned about the media portraying her marriage to Keith as “perfect”, she replied: ‘I don’t think that’s accurate at all. No, I really don’t.‘

However, it’s worth remembering that when Nicole and Keith got married in 2006, the Australian actress was already well-known for performing in risqué scenes.

Actually, many believe her breakthrough role came from a provocative scene with Billy Zane in the 1989 film Dead Calm. This performance is often cited as the moment she gained widespread recognition.

She’s well-known for her intimate scenes with her then-husband, Tom Cruise, in the 1999 film Eyes Wide Shut, and was also featured in passionate moments with Matt Dillon in the 1995 movie To Die For.

However, Nicole then shifted away from more provocative roles during the 2000s, receiving back-to-back Oscar nominations for Moulin Rouge! and The Hours. She then starred in commercially successful films like The Others, Australia and The Golden Compass.

However, in 2012 – six years after marrying Keith and two years after their second child was born – she revisited more provocative roles with the film The Paperboy. In it, she had an intimate scene – and even pretended to urinate – with her younger co-star, Zac Efron.

Also in that year, she appeared with Clive Owen in Hemingway & Gellhorn, a movie based on the true story of the romance between author Ernest Hemingway and journalist Martha Gellhorn.

The film contained unexpectedly explicit sexual content, including a two-minute scene where the actors disrobed and engaged in passionate sex while explosions occurred outside.

She subsequently appeared in several roles with more mature themes, such as 2017’s The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and Big Little Lies.

Problems in her marriage to Keith became apparent two months ago when the country music singer abruptly left an interview after being asked about her intimate scenes.

On July 1st, Keith phoned the Hayley & Max in the Morning radio show on Mix102.3 in Adelaide, Australia, to share details about some performances he has coming up.

The interview started casually, with Keith mentioning he’d always liked performing in Adelaide, but it soon became awkward when the singer participated in a radio game called Wall of Truth.

Keith suddenly ended his Zoom interviews after being asked about intimate scenes featuring his wife. He was questioned about her appearance in these scenes, which led to his abrupt departure.

Host Max Burford wondered, “What goes through Keith Urban’s mind when he watches his stunning wife share romantic scenes with handsome, younger actors like Zac Efron?”

Keith did not reply and it was revealed he had gone.

A program producer explained that they believed the other team ended the call because they didn’t want to address our question,

I have to admit, I was a little shocked when Max asked, ‘Does Keith Urban hate us? Do we have beef with Keith Urban?’ Honestly, it was a funny moment, and Hayley Pearson immediately joked, ‘He hates us – I knew that was going to happen.’ It seems like they’re playfully suggesting a bit of a rivalry with Keith!

She also mentioned she felt the questioning could have been less blunt, wondering aloud: ‘I have this sense… that the people being asked really aren’t comfortable with such personal inquiries.’

‘He doesn’t like the personal stuff… he doesn’t like talking about his wife… it’s private.’

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve heard all sorts of stories, and in this case, a source close to the situation was adamant. They insisted that Keith was completely innocent regarding the call being disconnected. Their exact words were that he ‘did not hang up, period.’ It was a firm denial, and they really wanted to make that clear. It’s all about understanding the full story, and they felt it was crucial to set the record straight.

They added: ‘He doesn’t host his Zoom interviews. This is a complete nothingburger.’

However, this was just the newest in a growing number of indications that their relationship was facing difficulties. These included an awkward final public appearance as a couple, the actress’ noticeable weight loss, and a surprising decision she made while traveling in Europe.

It was clear that the couple seemed emotionally separated during what turned out to be their last public appearance together, shortly before reports of their breakup surfaced.

The couple went to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 football game in June, watching US Los Angeles FC play against Esperance Sportive de Tunis. However, they appeared distant and didn’t seem to interact much while seated in the stands.

The next month, Nicole went to the final day of the Wimbledon 2025 Championships by herself, without her husband.

Instead of being on the court, the celebrity sat next to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in the Royal Box at Centre Court.

Keith was still travelling the US with his High And Alive World Tour at the time. 

They have spent much time apart in recent months, with Keith kickstarting his tour in May. 

Okay, so while he was touring all over the country, my absolute favorite person, Nicole and their amazing daughters, Sunday, who’s 17, and Faith, who’s 14, were just chilling in Nashville! Can you believe it? They’ve got this incredible $4 million place there – a whole compound! Seriously, it’s like a dream. I’m so jealous they get to call that home!

TMZ reported on Monday that Keith has bought a place of his own in Nashville and has moved out of the house he shared with his family.

It recently became known that Nicole was spending a significant amount of money each month to maintain a grand London residence, separate from Keith.

The actress traveled to England to film the follow-up to Practical Magic, and she was staying in a lavish home in Hampstead that previously belonged to singer Boy George.

While the London move was for work, it certainly raised eyebrows back in Nicole’s native Australia.

According to a source who spoke with Woman’s Day earlier this month, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban try to talk daily when they are separated. However, the source noted it’s surprising how much time they’ve spent apart since Nicole’s mother passed away last September.

‘It’s like they both went their separate ways.’

Sources then suggested it was a lack of intimacy that ultimately led to the split.

There’s a lack of closeness between them; they’re simply going through the motions of marriage. The source added that if this time apart helps them reconcile, that would be wonderful, but Keith needed to tell her he was unhappy.

She was completely surprised, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens over the holidays and around his birthday [next month]. They still need to resolve some issues and work on their relationship.

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2025-09-30 14:51