Nicole Kidman accepted the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Big Little Lies at this evening's Emmys, and made a powerful statement about domestic violence.
Kidman's devastating portrayal of Celeste, a successful and vibrant woman whose seemingly perfect life belies the domestic abuse she suffers at the hands of her husband (Alexander Skarsgård) made her the MVP of a near-flawless series. "Sometimes when you're acting, you get a chance to bring a bigger message," Kidman said this evening. "We shone a light on domestic abuse. It is a complicated, insidious disease, and 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."
Read the full transcript of Kidman's speech below:
Wow, thank you, thank you so much. Reese, I share this with you, without you I would not be standing up here. So Bruno and-- the greatest collaborators, you make this happen, thank you. Thank you to the television academy for recognizing our show, for recognizing this performance. Thank you to HBO for never wavering in your belief in us. Thank you to the extraordinary cast and crew that we had, to Laura, to Zoe, to Shay, to Alex and robin who were my intimate acting partners. It all started with Liane Moriarty in Sydney, when she entrusted us with her book. Then David E Kelley came along and shaped it with his brilliant storytelling. And Jean-Marc Vallee, this is yours, your vision. You imbued this series with your passion, with your artistry. Thank you. I have a huge artistic family who have supported me through all of my ups and downs. I can't name all of them but Kevin, Susan and Chris, Wendy, Miranda, Katie, Michelle, Leslie, Angie, Liz, all of you, you have been so loyal to me, through my whole life. Thank you for that. I also am a mother and a wife. I have two little girls, Sunny and Faith, and my darling Keith. Who I ask to help me pursue this artistic path and they have to sacrifice so much for it. So this is yours. I want my little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go 'every time my momma didn't put me to bed it is because of this. I got something'. But also I want them to know that sometimes when you are 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. It is 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. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I bow down to you.
