Nicole Kidman first Aussie to get American Film Institute top gong

Nicole Kidman’s two teenage daughters Faith Margaret, 13, and Sunday Rose, 15, looked right at home for their red carpet appearance to celebrate their mum, as she became the first Australian in history to receive an American Film Institute (AFI) Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 56-year-old superstar was born and raised in Sydney and shares Sunday and Faith with her husband, fellow Australian and country music star Keith Urban.

Kidman glittered in a shimmering gold Balenciaga* gown for the Los Angeles event, while her rarely pictured daughter Faith and her cousin Sybella dazzled in scarlet and vermilion* Monique Lhuillier gowns. Kidman’s sister Antonia wore a Rebecca Vallance* dress.

While the guest list was packed with A-list stars, family clearly came first for Kidman, who was surrounded by her closest relatives, including Antonia, brother-in-law Craig Marran and their family.

Accepting the 49th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, Kidman joined the ranks of just 11 women to ever receive the honour since it was established in 1973.

Grammy winner Urban, 56, took to Instagram to praise his actor-producer wife: “I’m so proud of you, and as much as I could come off sounding like the biased* husband, I’ll let the list of previous honorees* do all of the talking for me. What a list!”

Urban then posted every winner of the award since its inception*, a list that included some true titans* of the screen such as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep and many more.

On her own Instagram account Kidman wrote: “Deeply moved by all of the support around the world that I’ve been seeing and hearing,” thanking everyone and the AFI for including her in the “illustrious* group of honorees – now let’s have some fun!”

Fellow stars that joined the tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles included Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep, Zac Efron, Joey King, Jane Seymour and Mike Myers.

Earlier this week Kidman posted a clip of her appearing in her first role, in the 1983 Australian film Bush Christmas.

“This 14-year-old girl could have never predicted all the talented people she would get to work with and the many different characters she would get to play,” she wrote on Instagram.

“So excited to celebrate with so many friends and peers on Saturday.”

It is another accolade* for one of Australia’s greatest film exports.

Kidman was also the first Australian woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003 and has been nominated five times.

She has also won six Golden Globe awards (17 nominations), one British Academy of Film and Television award (five nominations), two Primetime Emmy Awards (three nominations), and one Screen Actors Guild award (15 nominations).

In 2003 Kidman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the film industry, and in 2006 was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia*.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• Balenciaga: Spanish couture house and the surname of its founder Cristóbal, who started the fashion label in 1919
• vermilion: very bright, vivid reddish orange colour
• Monique Lhuillier: eponymous luxury label by the Filipino fashion designer
• Rebecca Vallance: leading Australian designer brand
• biased: preferring one person or group at the expense of others
• honorees: people receiving an honour
• titans: people who are very important, powerful, strong, big or clever
• Orson Welles: influential American director, actor, writer and producer remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre (1915 – 1985)
• Alfred Hitchcock: English film director who directed over 50 feature films and is best known for classic thrillers that earned him the nickname the “master of suspense” (1899 – 1980)
• Elizabeth Taylor: British American actor went from child star to being one of the biggest stars in the golden age of Hollywood (1932 – 2011)
• Steven Spielberg: American film director, producer and screenwriter, Spielberg is one of the most successful directors in cinema history (born 1946)
• Martin Scorsese: one of the major American directors of the New Hollywood era who showed a darker, edgier side to American culture in his films (born 1942)
• Meryl Streep: American award-winning actor famed for her versatility and considered among the world’s greatest living actors (born 1949)
• illustrious: famous, well respected, admired and renowned
• accolade: praise and approval
• Companion of the Order of Australia: awarded for eminent achievement and merit – in the Australian honours system, appointments to the Order of Australia confer the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service

EXTRA READING

Aussie wins gold at art Olympics

Kidman grieves over Hawaii fire

‘Kenergy’ wins hearts at Oscars

QUICK QUIZ

1. In 49 years since its inception, how many females have received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award?
2. How many Australians have received this honour previously?
3. What was the name of Kidman’s first film and in what year was it released?
4. As well as an Academy Award for Best Actress, what other special honour did Kidman receive in 2003?
5. Who is Kidman’s husband and in what industry has he distinguished himself in his own right?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. “Makes movies better”
Famous actor Morgan Freeman said in his speech about Nicole Kidman that she just “makes movies better”. What do you think it is about Nicole Kidman and her acting career that has made her the success that she is?

Write your own paragraph about Nicole Kidman as if you were presenting her the lifetime achievement award.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What do you think the next step in Nicole’s career might be?

What other awards or recognition might she aspire to next?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.

Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.