Nicole Kidman revealed that she stayed in character for five months while filming Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers. The upcoming Hulu limited series is based on a novel by Liane Moriarty of the same name. Moriarty is renowned for the best-selling novel Big Little Lies, which has also received a TV adaption. Nine Perfect Strangers is a nail-biting novel that follows nine strangers as they partake in an experimental wellness retreat lead by Masha (Kidman). While these strangers think they are in for a relaxing break from life, they have no idea what Masha has in store for them.
Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers is set to hit the streaming platform on August 18. In addition to Kidman, the film's A-list cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Samara Weaving, and Regina Hall. These actors will all play the strangers who are guests at Masha's health and wellness retreat. The trailers for the upcoming series have captured the eerie nature of the books. While the retreat's environment is atmospheric and peaceful, guests are seen performing extreme exercises like digging their own graves, slinging samurai swords and dancing in front of a large bonfire.
Deadline reported that Kidman stayed in character as Masha during the whole five months of filming. She addressed the matter during a Television Critics Association panel. Kidman jokingly called herself "batshit crazy," in reference to a line from the novel, as she revealed that she would only respond to her character's name Masha. She also responded in her character's aura which she described as "a very calm, healing energy." She even stated that she would ignore anyone who called her "Nicole" or talked to her out of character.
I’d only respond as Masha. I wanted a very calm healing energy to emanate all the time so I remember going over to people and sort of putting my hand on their heart, holding their hand, they would talk to me or use my name Nicole when I would completely ignore them.
The only way I could actually relate to people was that way because I felt like otherwise I would be doing a performance and I didn’t want to feel that way.
As to why Kidman always remained in character, she felt it was the only way to truly connect to that character and her energy. She shared that if she broke character in between takes, it would feel too performative and inorganic. While this form of acting is borderline method and may seem extreme to some, Kidman has numerous intense roles from dramas under her belt so it's safe to say she knows what she's doing. One of these roles includes Celeste, a domestic abuse victim, in HBO's Big Little Lies.
Nine Perfect Stranger certainly has the right all-star cast to draw in the masses. All that's left to be seen is if the miniseries will stay true enough to the book to appease those fans. The novel itself reads like a thriller that would do exceedingly well on screen. Even though there are moments of silence, due to Masha's silence mandate for the retreat, there are enough twists and turns as well as emotional moments to make it an engaging watch. Viewers will just have to wait until August 18 to see for themselves.
Source: Deadline