There was a lot of talk about Nicole Kidman after Sunday's Emmy Awards. Not only was the actress among the best dressed, she took home her first Emmy, and delivered a powerful and much-talked about acceptance speech.
The actress's poignant portrayal of Celeste Wright, a woman who is abused by her husband, in HBO's Big Little Lies, earned her the award for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie. While receiving the award, Kidman made sure to use her time on stage to shine a light on a very important topic.
Kidman started her acceptance speech thanking her husband Keith Urban and her children.
"I have a huge artistic family who supported me throughout all my ups and downs," she said. "You have been so loyal to me throughout my whole life thank you for that."
"So this is yours. I just want my two little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go, "˜Every time my mumma didn't put me to bed it's because of this "” (at least) I got something!'"
While the first part of her speech was sentimental, it was the second part that stuck out the most.
After playing the role of a woman caught up in a cycle of domestic abuse, Kidman wanted to use her voice to raise more awareness for the issue.
"I want [my daughters] to know that sometimes when you're acting, you get a chance to bring a bigger message. And this is their contribution and your contribution. We shone a light on domestic abuse," she said.
"It is complicated, insidious, and it exists far more than we allow ourselves to know."
She added: "It is filled with shame and secrecy. And by you acknowledging me with this award, it shines a light on it even more. So thank you, thank you, thank you."
The actress has not only earned praise for her stellar acting in the acclaimed series, she's also been getting kudos for starting a conversation about a topic that is difficult for those affected by it to talk about.
You can watch her speech in the video below:
Later that night, Kidman and co-star and co-producer Reese Witherspoon picked up the award for Best Limited Series for the show. During their speech, the stars advocated for more important roles to be given to women so they can tell their own little stories. They also said due to lack of satisfaction with the roles women are usually given in Hollywood, they created their own show, which turned out to be successful.
"Can I just say, bring women to the front of their own stories, and make them the hero of their own stories," Witherspoon said. "And thank you for that opportunity and for audiences to wrap their arms around us.
"This is a friendship that then created opportunities," Kidman added. "It created opportunities out of our frustration because we weren't getting offered great roles, so now, more great roles for women, please. Thank you."
What do you think of Kidman's speech?
