The Early-Morning Ritual Nicole Kidman Relies On

Nicole Kidman shared a personal ritual that helps fuel her creativity — and it happens when most people are fast asleep. The actress spoke candidly about her process during a conversation at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Nicole Kidman shared that some of her most meaningful moments happen long before the sun comes up. What she revealed about those early hours might surprise fans.

Nicole Kidman has a morning routine that doesn’t exactly involve green juice or sunrise yoga. Instead, it starts somewhere around 3 a.m., when most people are sound asleep.

While speaking at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival as part of Kering’s Women in Motion series, Kidman shared that she often wakes up in the middle of the night to write. “I do it at 3 a.m., writing sessions. I wake up and I’ll write something, be it a dream or something circulating in my head and my life and my heart at that time,” she said during a conversation moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson.

For Kidman, those early hours offer something uniquely creative. “I think 2 and 3 a.m. is a very, very ripe time for things to happen because you’re in that slightly removed state from reality, but your dreams and your psyche are very, very there and very present,” she explained.

Even though she writes regularly, Kidman said she isn’t currently working on a screenplay. But she left the door open. “I always say no and turn around and change my mind,” she added

In a separate piece from Vulture, Kidman elaborated on her habit. “I write stuff down a lot. I have ideas that I either share with a director and go, ‘You should go create something in this vein.’ And that just comes through decades and decades of life. And observing and working with some of the greatest minds,” she said. “But I don’t quite have the time [to write my own screenplay]. But I do it secretly.”

The Cannes appearance wasn’t just about writing habits, though. Kidman was also there to receive Kering’s 10th Women in Motion Award and to speak about her long-time support for female filmmakers.

Eight years ago, she set a goal to work with a female director every 18 months — and she’s exceeded it, having collaborated with 27 in that time. “I was gonna make it possible,” she said. “We’ll take the risk. We’re going to mentor and support and help and then really protect them.”

Kidman also touched on what she’s looking for creatively these days. “I’m looking to experiment,” she said. “I don’t want to be contained. I don’t want to be safe.”

And when it comes to acting, she still views herself as a character actor. “If you’re employed to be a movie star, they say, ‘We just want you.’ I’ve never been employed for that,” she said. “I’ve always been chosen to create a character.”

As for whether she’ll ever turn those 3 a.m. writings into something more, she’s not making promises. But she’s also not ruling it out.