Nicole Kidman writes emotional letter asking her 'strong and beautiful sisters' to unite against domestic violence
Nicole Kidman is asking her “3.5 billion strong and beautiful sisters” to support each other in the fight against domestic violence.
The 50-year-old actress, who won an Emmy for her role as Celeste Wright, a lawyer who is physically and emotionally abused by her husband, in HBO’s series Big Little Lies, penned an open letter in Porter magazine’s Winter issue addressing the inequalities faced by women.
The letter read in part, “My feminist roots have also led me to UN Women and my work as its Goodwill Ambassador. It is in this role that I come to fully understand the barriers that women around the world are facing. I have focused on lending my voice to women who are survivors of violence. The stories I have heard from them have shaken me to the core and changed me forever.”
She continued, “First and foremost because of the suffering and abuse the women who spoke to me endured and because I am aware of the devastating fact that one in three women and girls globally will be subjected to violence. But very much also because of their resilience. And because I saw firsthand how crucial the support of others was for them to be able to reclaim their lives.”
The Oscar winner, who’s married to country singer Keith Urban, also highlighted the issue at the Sept. 17th Emmy awards. During her acceptance speech, Kidman called domestic abuse a “complicated insidious disease. It exists far more than we allow ourselves to know. It is filled with shame and secrecy, and by you acknowledging me with this award, it shines a light on it even more.”
Kidman has served as a United Nations ambassador for two decades, one of which has been with the organization’s Development Fund for Women, even testifying before the United States House of Representatives Committee in 2009 to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of women as sex objects and to support the passing of the International Violence Against Women Act.
Filming the intense violent scenes between her character and that of Alexander Skarsgard in Big Little Lies, took a toll on Kidman, who told Yahoo Lifestyle that she stayed in character while learning to cover her bruises.
“I had to learn how to do it on camera. It felt sad,” she said. “At the same time, it’s her survival. It’s covering them from the world and her children. It’s her trying to keep some sort of semblance of normalcy.”
Kidman ended her letter by writing, “….More than ever, I am aware of the need to support and celebrate each other. I like to believe that I am part of a global network of 3.5 billion — half of humanity — who stand up for the rights of every human being to live a life free from discrimination, injustice, and violence…imagine: if you can fall back on 3.5. billion sisters, and the many good men who are with us, what could be possibly not achieve? It’s a thought that I carry with me wherever I go and try to be true to. Join me?”
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