Nichole Kidman is among that diminishing list of actors who never go out of style, despite a full 40 years’ worth of releases decorating her resume.
Kidman first broke onto the scene in 1983, when she appeared in three separate projects: television’s Chase Through the Night as well as Bush Christmas and BMX Bandits. The next few years showcased just how well Kidman’s breakout was received, and she really hasn’t slowed down since. Kidman’s graced nearly every major franchise out there, from DC to Paddington, and her genre-crossing talents have won her more than 100 awards over the years. These days, we see her most frequently during those AMC outings to catch the latest film. As the company’s spokeswoman, Kidman christens each fresh viewing with her heavily-memed AMC intro — complete with bedazzled suit — and through it, she’s uncovered a whole new kind of popularity.
Long before she was captivating us with that timeless, piercing gaze, Kidman was enthralling a different generation of moviegoers. She appeared in some of the most popular films of the ’90s, after all (and 2000s, and 2010s, and she’ll likely be a defining force in the 2020s, as well), and her performances continue to populate throwback movie nights and themed gatherings. One of her most enduringly popular films came out when Kidman was still establishing herself as a staple of the industry, but it never lost its fan-favorite status.
How old was Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic?
After largely watching them grow up on screen, audiences feel a particular connection with stars they’ve known since their childhoods. Child stars obviously get the brunt of this almost familial fandom, but stars like Kidman — who’ve been acting since their teenage years — tend to likewise get swept up in the phenomenon.
Kidman was only 16 when she first broke onto the scene, and the following years saw her appear in several dozen projects. Among them is Practical Magic, a cult classic that remains a staple of every spooky season. The film stars Kidman alongside Sandra Bullock, who play a pair of sisters who use ancient family magic to manage a longstanding curse. Kidman looks absolutely adolescent in the 1998 classic, and — as Halloween lovers’ favorite season comes knocking — fans are back to admiring Bullock and Kidman’s work in the film.
The pair’s youth is always a standout topic among Practical Magic viewers, but as it turns out neither Kidman nor Bullock were all that young in the film. They may look like fresh-faced 20-somethings, but Kidman was actually in her early 30s during filming. Bullock was even older — right around 34 during production — but that won’t stop audiences from viewing the duo as little more than teens in the film.
