#SAGAwards: Nicole Kidman begs Hollywood to support female stories

Nicole Kidman, winner of the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series for 'Big Little Lies', poses in the press room at the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Hall. Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Nicole Kidman, winner of the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or limited series for 'Big Little Lies', poses in the press room at the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Hall. Picture: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Published Jan 22, 2018

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New York - Nicole Kidman’s string of award-show victories continued Sunday when she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” She had already won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the part.

A sniffly Kidman, who said she was fighting the flu, used her speech at the SAG-AFTRA ceremony to champion shows and films that include prominent roles for women “beyond 40 years old,” urging studios and financiers to continue supporting age diversity for female actors.

“I’m incredibly grateful. To receive this at this stage of my life is extraordinary — and at this time in the industry, when these things are going on, and for this role. I would like to acknowledge the other actresses in this category: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern — my girlfriends, first and foremost, but my beyond-talented acting partners — I share this with you. And also I want to say, Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, I revere you, I’ve watched you, and I’ve learned from you. And there’s others: Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Judy Davis, Isabelle Huppert, Shirley MacLaine, Judi Dench. The list is so long and I’d love to say so many more names, but I can’t right now. But I want to thank you all for your trailblazing performances you’ve given over your career."

“And how wonderful it is that our careers today can go beyond 40 years old. Because 20 years ago, we were pretty washed up by this stage in our lives. So, that’s not the case now. We’ve proven — and these actresses and so many more are proving — that we are potent and powerful and viable. I just beg that the industry stays behind us, because our stories are finally being told. It’s only the beginning. And I’m so proud to be a part of a community that is instigating this change. But I implore the writers, directors, studios and financiers to put passion and money behind our stories. We have proven that we can do this — we can continue to do this, but only with the support of this industry and that money and passion.”

The New York Times

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