Question: There’s been Oscar buzz about your performance already, how much do you pay attention to that?
Nicole Kidman: I just concentrate on trying to do good work, that’s basically what’s at the forefront of my mind. I’m interested in working with complex, solid directors, which sometimes results in great films and sometimes results in films that were aiming high and didn’t quite get there. That’s all part of my body of work and obviously this film was something that, after seeing The Squid and the Whale, I was excited about because I thought Noah (Baumbach) was an original voice in American cinema and I was very honored to be asked to be a part of this group.  

Q: In the film, your character is accused of changing her mind a lot, popping pills and being emotionally unbalanced. How did you reference what she was going through?
NK: I think Margot’s having a breakdown, I think she’s in crises and trying to cope with that in various self-destructive ways. The way in which she’s reacting and behaving is due to her inner turmoil. I think what’s wonderful about Noah’s writing is that he’s wickedly funny when dealing with disturbing aspects of family life. I’ve always been attracted in finding humor in dark situations. I remember I was in a film called To Die For, written by Buck Henry, and I loved the way he handled the dark material with a sense of humor, I think both Henry and Baumbach are really great writers.

NK: Pretty much we shot what Noah had set up in the script because it was so well thought out. Everything is constructed layer upon layer and by the time we actually got to shoot, the script had been broken down to such a degree that there wasn’t any adding lines or changing scenes. There was one scene that we added during the shoot, it’s the scene where my character and her sister are lying in bed together, and I’m really happy he put that in.

Q: How was it playing in an intense mother/son relationship with newcomer Zane Pais?
NK: He was at that wonderful age where he was stepping from a boy into a man and he’s trying to find his path in the world and it’s very beautiful when you see somebody with such grace. He was very easy to be around, very available and open. His mother is an actress so he had an understanding of the work just from growing up with it. I like being around children that age, my own children are thirteen and fifteen so I can communicate well with them. Zane was very willing to focus and to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. I don’t know whether he wants to be an actor for the rest of his life, but he certainly has a wonderful personality.
Q: What really helped you find the characterization of how you were going to play Margot?
NK: I think Noah’s really strong understanding of what he’d written. But I also think Anne Roth; the costume designer who I’d worked with before on The Hours and Cold Mountain, works very well with me. She’s able to find pieces of clothing and help me with my movements to really bring out all the things you need to transform yourself. I remember she gave me a pair of wool socks and a cardigan, which I slopped around in while we were rehearsing, which really triggered the feeling of the whole movie for me. Just being able to walk around in socks with no shoes, in the house, gave me a very casual feel. Then I worked with the dialect coach to get me to sound like a seasoned New Yorker, which, even though I’ve lived in New York on and off, still intimidated me. Portraying a writer/intellectual is very intimidating even for the best actors. Noah, Ross and producer Scott Rudin were all, fortunately, incredibly supportive. 

Q: Did Ms. Roth pick out that pink hat for you?
NK: She certainly did and I grabbed it and said: “Perfect!” I like to work with the same people, in fact, I just flew in from Australia where I’m doing a film with Baz Luhrmann, who I worked with in Moulin Rouge called Australia. A lot of the crew on that is the same crew who worked with me when I was a kid, so most of these people I’m working with have known me since I was sixteen years old. I realize now that I’ve been around awhile.

Q: How is it working in Australia again?
NK: I’m very happy to be there actually, I’ve been there since April making this film and it’s the film I’ve dreamed of making since I was a little girl. I hope it lives up to my expectations because I wanted to make a film that’s deeply romantic, yet has this magical quality, but still remains a sweeping drama sprinkled with some comedy. So if we can pull that off I’ll be very pleased. It’s also nice to stand by a director who you’ve worked with before and to be next to them again trying to do something unusual and special. We’re working hard to put something magical on screen.

Q: As an A-list actress, how much pressure do you feel for box-office success?
NK: I think, especially as a woman, it’s lovely to be paid well for what you do and then when you feel ok not paid that on other projects, I mean for Margot at the Wedding I didn’t make anything. Primarily I’m here for the long haul so I’ll do theater, I’ll do small films, occasionally I’ll do a big film, but I suppose my heart is concerned with the artistic path and that’s what satiates me ultimately. It’s wonderful to have financial rewards and at the same time I’m in a place where I can just now work as a woman in the things that I want to do and that’s hard-earned. I’m very pleased to have my home, my marriage and I’m able to embark on an artistic path and still take care of myself.

Q: What actors served as an inspiration for your career?
NK: I don’t think its just necessarily actors, I think there’s people in all walks of life who influence you. I have to say I think what’s lacking in our society is respect for our elders, which I know sounds old-fashioned, but I think there’s so much wisdom to be gained from them. I’m working with some great older actors on my new film; I’m working with Jack Thompson who’s a wonderful man with a big spirit. My inspiration comes from people who’ve devoted their lives to art and at the same time people who were able share that life with others. So much that I love about life is the sharing, that’s why I loved Into the Wild, when the main character has his last epiphany and realizes that it's those moments that you share that make life worth living. I love my work, but at the same time I don’t want to do it without somebody else in my life to share it.

Q: Baumbach said he drew a lot of the character Margot from himself; did you draw anything from your own life?
NK: I don’t want to do things that I know, I'm interested in the psychology that I don’t know, I’m interested in learning and exploring the maze of the human mind and looking into other people’s natures and the way that plays out in life. That’s what continues to fascinate me, human beings fascinate me, and so my own references are less interesting to me. My relationship with my sister is very joined I’d say, we’re twin-like and she’s a huge part of my life. There’s an enormous amount of support there and I wouldn’t have gotten through parts of my life without her. So the combativeness of Margot’s relationship with her sister is what interested me, because I think it’s fascinating that you have this familial expectation that you should be getting along, but I think there are a lot of people in this world who don’t get along with their families. Just because people have the same blood running through doesn’t mean they have good chemistry together. That’s what's interesting to me and I love being a part of storytelling that explores human psychology.

Q: Do you see any resolution or redemption for Margot?
NK: I think that’s a very simplistic way of looking at filmmaking. In so much of storytelling now people expect there to be a concrete beginning, middle and end. I think that when you play with that structure and don’t necessarily deliver what people expect, it’s a good thing. I mean life doesn’t give you an ending, it’s just the moments, in particular with this film, there’s no grand beginning, middle and end. I don’t think this film deals with endings, I think if anything, it’s a beginning.

Q: A collaboration between yourself and Chinese auter Wong Kar-Wai has been rumored for awhile, are you planning on filming this in the near future?
NK: I’m not willing to move to China and live there for a year on end right now. I suppose my life is just a little too complex for that, I’m recently married and that’s my priority, so I’m not going to be flying off and filming The Lady From Shanghai, it’s just not right for my life right now.

Q: Are there any directors you haven’t worked with that you would like to?
NK: I seek out directors whom I’m curious about, who I think are strong voices. Difficult directors do not frighten me, in fact I’m drawn to that and I love working internationally. Generally I don’t do much of the looking, directors send me scripts and I read them all with an open mind, which is a lovely place to be in as an actor. I suppose I’d really like to work with Scorsese, I’d love him to construct a film around a woman, I ask him all the time, beg him actually, because I’d be really interested in seeing that movie. I’d like to work with Spielberg and he’s been a friend for a long time so that would be special. Internationally if Kar-Wai would film something closer to home I’d be interested and I’d be willing to go back into Von-Trier territory at some stage. So there’s a number of directors I’m curious about and could name a huge list but whether our paths will cross, I don’t know. 

Paramount Vantage releases Margot at the Wedding in theaters November 16th. Look for a wider release in the weeks to come.