VENICE, Italy (AP) — “Babygirl,” an erotic thriller about a female CEO who begins an affair with a younger, male intern, is about sex, certainly. But that’s just part of the story. It’s also about desire, secrets, marriage, truth, power and consent, star Nicole Kidman said Friday at the Venice Film Festival.
And it’s bound to inspire conversations for months to come. From filmmaker Halina Reijn, “Babygirl” is having its world premiere Friday evening on the Lido, where it’s playing in competition before A24 releases it in theaters in December. Antonio Banderas plays the husband of Kidman’s character and Harris Dickinson is the intern.
Both her personal life and career are jeopardized through the ripples of the affair. “I hope it’s a very liberating story,” Kidman said. “It was told by a woman through her gaze .
.. that’s what to me what made it so unique.
” Arriving at the festival by water taxi, Kidman posed for photographers on the dock in the blazing sun before making her way to a news conference. She wore a black Bottega Veneta midi dress with short sleeves and a deep V-neck. Kidman came to Venice 25 years ago with another risqué film: Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.
” But even with a resume full of boundary-pushing, sexy and challenging work, she still has some anxiety about this one. During a news conference, she said she was nervous. “I hope my hands aren’t shaking,” Kidman said.
She said that as an actor she’s always inte.