Nicole Kidman And Ewan McGregor On Their Wild Hollywood Parties: ‘I Remember Absinthe Being Passed Out’

Brought together for a new Actors on Actors segment, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor reunited in a rare moment, possibly for the first time since the two stars worked together in 2001’s Moulin Rouge! While McGregor and Kidman talked seriously about the filmmaking business and their experiences in Hollywood, it didn’t take long for the stars to begin reminiscing. Nicole and Ewan shared laughs over their Moulin Rouge! past, giving fans of the film an inside look into what filming that legendary hit was like for the cast.

Moulin Rouge! Was As Much Fun Off Set As It Was On The Screen

Baz Luhrmann, writer and director for Moulin Rouge!, hosted a number of parties for his cast and crew at his private villa, and as Metro reports, some of them were unforgettable. Others, as Nicole Kidman shares, were so good that parts of them were difficult to recall. Reuniting with her co-star of that 16-year-old hit, Ewan and Nicole reminisced about the parties, which typically ran through the weekends, beginning on Fridays and lasting well into Saturday evenings.

While McGregor remembers less than Kidman, both Moulin Rouge! stars seemed to agree that table dancing and shots of absinthe were par for the course.

“Anyway we had some pretty wild nights,” said Kidman. “I remember absinthe being passed out at some point and me going, ‘Is this safe?’ I was so, sort of, naive.”

The concern over absinthe’s reputation didn’t last long, as the actress revealed seconds later.

“Then going, ‘I ‘spose it is’,” Nicole added, making a gesture to mimic taking the drink.

Ms. Kidman also recalled thinking that she was envious of McGregor’s singing voice, particularly because she had difficulty hitting the notes in songs sung for Moulin Rouge!

Ewan recollected joining Kidman for dancing lessons during a two-week workshop, though the lessons were largely wasted. McGregor pointed out that the specific dancing styles weren’t used for the film.

Ewan McGregor And Nicole Kidman Compare Television To Film

Streaming services and premium cable networks have changed the face of television, so, in their Actors on Actors segment for Variety, Kidman and McGregor are asked to compare working in TV to acting in feature films. As both Hollywood stars have experience in the full range of entertainment mediums, they were each asked whether there’s a difference in acting for the smaller screen.

Ewan doesn’t see a difference, though he does find TV work more satisfying now, after having spent a lifetime performing for the big screen and on stage. McGregor, who has had a recurring role on FX’s Fargo, does admit that there is one difference in that there’s less waiting on the set of a television series, as opposed to having to stay on a film set until one’s scenes come up.

“I find that the waiting to work is just intolerable nowadays,” said McGregor. “And in television, you don’t wait very much because you have to do so much in a day. And I like that. I like the pace of it very much.”

When asked for her thoughts, Nicole Kidman says she doesn’t see any differences, comparing her HBO series Big Little Lies to her recent films, Lion and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

Kidman does love television better for one reason. Nicole says she feels a deeper connection to her fans with an ongoing series, as opposed to a one-shot feature film.

“The thing I love about television is that you are in people’s lives regularly. And the connection that way is intense, and it makes me feel very much a part of the world — far more connected to the world than in a film.”

Both Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor do agree that the face of television has changed, creating greater opportunities for Hollywood A-listers to commit to exciting new projects for the small screen. The actors added that the storytelling on television has improved over the past decade as well, drawing greater interest to scripted television.

Nicole reveals that many of her own friends are looking at television with fresh eyes, hoping to follow her into the medium, following the success of Big Little Lies.

[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]