Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson star in the new erotic thriller Babygirl, and come Christmas Day, they will have plenty of people talking about those steamy scenes. There was one key to their onscreen chemistry.
In the film, Kidman plays a married, high-powered CEO who begins an affair with a much younger intern, played by Dickinson, putting her family and career at risk. The power dynamics constantly shift, because unlike at the office, Kidman’s character plays a more submissive role in the bedroom. One crucial element to making it work onscreen was that Dickinson and Kidman didn’t want to form any kind of friendship off-camera.
“We didn’t really get to know each other very well before or during [filming],” Dickinson told Yahoo Entertainment.
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“Both of you didn’t want that,” director Halina Reijn added, “which I really loved.”
“We didn’t want it, which I think was good. We didn’t need to because the world of the film was what we were in. And I think it kind of benefited the material to kind of just stay a bit more present with the characters,” Dickinson continued.
Reijn, who also wrote the film, got Kidman onboard right away. (The Oscar winner had no reservations about the film’s many sensual scenes.)
Nicole Kidman, director Halina Reijn and Harris Dickinson attend a screening of “Babygirl.” (Photo: Eric Charbonneau/A24 via Getty Images)
“The next question was, ‘Oh God, who are we gonna find, a young man, that actually can hold his ground, that can dominate her in these scenes?” Reijn recalled about casting Samuel, the actress’s onscreen paramour. Reijn saw Dickinson’s film Triangle of Sadness and knew immediately he was the perfect person for the role.
“I became obsessed with getting him, and then it took me two conversations, actually, to convince him to do it,” Reijn said.
The filmmaker never had Dickinson or Kidman do a chemistry test, which is somewhat unusual for a film of this nature.
“If you have two great actors, the chemistry will be there because they will just do their job and they’re amazing. So I didn’t worry about that at all, actually,” she said. “Intuitively, I just knew.”
After Dickinson agreed to do the film, he approached Kidman at the Met Gala to share the news.
“I went up to Nicole and I was like, ‘Hey, I think we’re gonna be doing this film together.’ And she was like, ‘Harris,’ and then gave me a big hug. We got to meet before the film, but it wasn’t loads,” he said.
Dickinson, Kidman and Reijn all did one Zoom call together before production started in December 2023.
“I was nervous for that Zoom,” Dickinson admitted.
“Me too,” Reijn agreed.
“I was like, ‘What am I supposed to say here?’” Dickinson recalled.
“You were amazing,” Reijn said.
“It’s like speed dating but with someone there watching you,” Dickinson said.
“I think we were all a little bit nervous because [they didn’t] do a chemistry reading. So that was the moment for me to witness it, because they had met and I had texted them both, like, ‘What do you think?’ You know, and they were both super happy when they had spoken to each other at the Met Gala,” Reijn concluded. “But then the Zoom, I just knew after, like, a couple of minutes [Dickinson] seemed so relaxed. And she did too, I thought it was amazing.”
Babygirl is in theaters Dec. 25.
