Nicole Kidman makes ‘very important’ decision sans acting

Nicole Kidman has shed light on her decision to become a death doula, describing the practice as “beautiful” and “very important” to her.

At the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall recently for part of a live speaker series produced by The History Channel, the Babygirl actress told the audience, “I did this talk recently where I said I’m expanding into learning to be a death doula, which seemed to have people confused or intrigued.”

After saying she wanted to help families navigate their final moments together, she described the work of a death doula as “really fascinating.”

A doula typically helps mothers during pregnancy and childbirth in a non-medical capacity, while death doulas, also referred to as “end-of-life” doulas, provide similar holistic services, offering support to dying individuals and their families.

“It’s very beautiful, and you have to be a certain personality to be able to do it,” Kidman said, adding, “But I found out that I’m actually that personality. It’s very important to me. There is always suffering, but if there are people there who can help with that, help those final stages be less painful — if you feel the connection in your heart, then that’s lovely. So that’s what I’m exploring.”

Kidman shared her thoughts on the practice after reflecting on her mother’s death, which coincided with her being honoured at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024. “This seems to be such a common theme through my life.”

“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.

Nicole Kidman went on to reveal not knowing how to function or move forward, because her mother “was so much a part of my existence, so the idea of being there at that particular moment was harrowing.”