"Not my strong suit"— Nicole Kidman reasons why she would be a "terrible director" at AFI Life Achievement tribute

Moulin Rouge star Nicole Kidman was honored with the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala held at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on Saturday, April 27. Kidman was joined on the red carpet by her husband and country star Keith Urban, and the couple's two daughters, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban and Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.

Despite having a bunch of credits as a producer, the Australian-American actress revealed whilst on the AFI red carpet that she had no interest in directing. Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday:

"I feel like I would be a terrible director because I always have so many ideas. A director has to make choices, and that’s not my strong suit"

Nicole Kidman was bestowed with the prestigious AFI Life achievement award on Saturday (Image via AFI)

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"I love shining the light on other people": Nicole Kidman on not being a director

Saturday's 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala honored veteran actress Nicole Kidman and also saw a rare red-carpet appearance from Kidman and her husband Keith Urban's two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. The 56-year-old became the first ever Australian actor to receive the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award.

As aforementioned, Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter whilst on the AFI red carpet that she would be a "terrible director" due to having too many ideas and not being good at making choices. However, Kidman's interests aligned with the role of a producer.

Kidman was joined by her daughters at the ceremony (Image via YouTube/ @American Film Institute)

Nicole Kidman has produced a plethora of films including Love & Death, Expats, The Undoing, Big Little Lies, and more under her Blossom Films banner. The actress further elaborated to The Hollywood Reporter:

"I’m very good at being passionate and supporting the voices and reading a script and going ‘I love this script,’ or seeing somebody and going, ‘I love this actor, I love this director, how do I support them?’ And they maybe have done nothing [before], but I want to get behind them."

She added:

"That’s what I love doing; it excites me, and it really makes me happy. I love shining the light on other people or helping to do that."

Kidman repeated the same sentiments to the Dolby Theatre crowd when she talked about completely original "exciting young directors and voices" who had a lot to say that needed to be heard. The actress stated that people needed to give them a chance to say what they needed to say and hear them. She told the star-studded audience:

"I am ready to roll up my sleeves. I am here always to support those voices"

During her acceptance speech, Nicole Kidman said that it was a "privilege" to make films and "glorious" to have made them with storytellers who allowed her to run wild, be free, and portray all kinds of "unconventional women". The actress extended her gratitude towards these storytellers. Kidman stated

"Thank you for making me better at my craft and giving me a place, however temporary, in this world."

Kidman also named and thanked a plethora of directors she's worked with during a Hollywood career that spanned decades. Some of the names mentioned by Kidman included Stanley Kubrick, Jane Campion, Lulu Wang, Sofia Coppola, and Nora Ephron.

The guest list for Saturday's was nothing short of star-studded. Some of the celebrities who showed up at the event to honor Nicole Kidman included Meryl Streep, Miles Teller, Zac Efron, Reese Witherspoon, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Sorkin, Joey King, Mike Myers, Naomi Watts, and Zoe Saldaña.

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The ceremony to honor Kidman was initially scheduled for June 9, 2023, but it had to be postponed to 2024 due to the Writers Guild of America strike. Previously in 2022, Dame Julie Andrews DBE, was bestowed with the honor.