Nicole Kidman’s red carpet date travelled for 35 hours to join her in Cannes.
The actress’s husband – musician Keith Urban – made the trip from Sydney, where’s he’s been filming “The Voice,” to escort her up the famous Palais stairs.
And Kidman says his effort meant “everything” to her.
“As long as he’s there, he’s my rock, everything’s fine. I feel a little out to sea if he’s not there.”
Not that she didn’t know what she was doing.
It’s the star’s fifth time in Cannes, so she’s used to the huge photocalls, press conferences and international interviews that take place in the French palm tree scattered coastal resort.
This time Kidman has two movies showing – “The Paperboy,” which is competing for the Palme d’Or, and, outside of competition, HBO movie “Hemmingway & Gellhorn.”
Her red carpet moment was for the former, directed by Lee Daniels, where she stars alongside Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey.
A steamy Southern noir, it’s about a journalist who returns to his Florida roots to investigate a murder.
“The Paperboy” received mixed reactions at press screenings before the premiere – so the cast were delighted when the audience took to their feet to clap for 15 minutes after seeing it.
But while a teary Efron described the ovation as one of the most profound moments of his life, Kidman remained dry-eyed
“We got an amazing standing ovation, which was great. This is my fifth time so I’ve had many, many, many different reactions,” she said. “That’s the longest standing `O’ I’ve ever gotten at Cannes.”
Daniels and the rest of the cast, however, were overwhelmed.
“Lee was crying, but I wasn’t crying. I cry at my kids, I cry with my family, I don’t really cry outside of that – that’s the stuff that brings me to tears!” Kidman said. “All of this other stuff, the glitter, and those sort of things, I’m more sort of immune to at this stage. It’s probably because I’ve been doing it for so long.”
She also credits this sense of perspective – one that puts showbiz further down her list of priorities – with keeping her relationship on an even keel, even if it does involve a lot of international travel.
“Keith and I have been at this for a long time. We know where it all stands, so there’s kind of a practicality in a sense,” she explained.
While that doesn’t sound very romantic, Kidman says travelling around is essential in keeping their relationship alive and enjoyable.
“We can have a really cool life together because that’s what matters. In terms of romance, for us, that’s so much more important than any of this,” she says, gesturing to the lights and the cameras pointing at her.
The 65th Cannes Film Festival runs to Sunday 27th when the jury sits down to choose its prizewinners.
