Nicole Kidman has opened up about the loneliness she felt after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003.
The actress looked back on the career-defining moment during an appearance on Jake Shane's Therapuss podcast. Kidman won the Oscar for her performance as Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry's The Hours at the 75th Academy Awards.
Despite reaching the pinnacle of her professional career, Kidman said she felt deeply lonely after the ceremony.
'I had the pinnacle of my success, and I went home and was so lonely,' she said.
Kidman appeared on the podcast alongside her Practical Magic 2 co-star Sandra Bullock, released on 10 September 2026.
Nicole Kidman Felt Lonely at the Height of Her Career
Kidman won the Academy Award on 23 March 2003, becoming the winner of the Actress in a Leading Role category for The Hours. At the time, she had been divorced from Tom Cruise for two years. The couple married in 1990 and divorced in 2001.
Looking back, Kidman said the contrast between her professional success and personal life was difficult to handle. Her parents were with her that night, but she still wanted a partner with whom she could share the achievement.
'I had my mom with me and my dad, but I was like, "Where's my partner, someone that I can share this with?",' she recalled.
Kidman described the experience as 'beyond lonely' and said it made her realise, 'I've got to get a life.' She later summed up how she felt at the time with one word: 'Weird.'
Kidman had previously discussed the same night in Dave Karger's 2024 book 50 Oscar Nights. In that account, she said she had been struggling with issues in her personal life while her professional career was going well.
She also recalled feeling uncomfortable about attending the Vanity Fair Oscars party. Kidman initially wanted to skip the event but was encouraged to go while carrying her new Academy Award.
She said the idea made her feel as though she was 'gloating'. After attending, she found the experience overwhelming.
'I literally walked in, carried it around, was completely overwhelmed, emotional, shaking, and I didn't enjoy it,' she recalled.
'I Need To Find My Love'
Kidman later recalled returning to the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she ordered takeaway and ate with her family. The quiet end to the evening gave her time to reflect on what she wanted from her personal life.
'That's when it hit me,' she recalled. 'I went, "I need to find my love—I need a love in my life".'
Kidman said she wanted someone with whom she could share moments such as winning an Oscar. She eventually went to bed alone before midnight.
Her recollections offer a different perspective on an evening that appeared, from the outside, to represent the height of Hollywood success.
Nicole Kidman's Busy 2026 Slate
In Practical Magic 2, Kidman reunites with Bullock nearly three decades after the original 1998 film. The sequel began its international release on 9 September, with its North American release following on 11 September. Kidman is also a producer on the film.
She also starred in Apple TV+'s Margo's Got Money Troubles, which premiered on 15 April 2026. Kidman plays Lace and serves as an executive producer on the eight-episode series.
