‘I am more of a character actor than a lead actor’

Nicole Kidman is known for taking on complex characters that explore different facets of human nature, and her role as Nancy Vandergroot in director Mimi Cave’s latest thriller Holland on Prime Video is no exception. Speaking about her role in the film and what drew her to it, the actor says, “I do not consider myself a lead actor or movie star. I am a character actor who loves the process of creating characters. For Holland, Mimi and I talked about how to create Nancy as a character. The accent was a huge part of it. And I think there is an innocence that I found really appealing. And then a sense of wonder, which I had not really had the chance to do.”

The film plunges viewers into a seemingly idyllic life in Holland, Michigan, where a meticulous teacher and homemaker, named Nancy, suspects that there are secrets that lie beneath the town’s picturesque facade of tulips and windmills. On the intriguing juxtaposition of the setting, Kidman states, “The film is set against a backdrop that is idyllic and fantastical at the same time. This creates a great place to start a thriller.”  This deliberate choice of location, as director Mimi elaborates, enhances the film’s narrative and adds an element of nostalgia to it. Mimi, who recently attended a screening of Holland in Michigan, shares, “I think that it is so similar to a lot of other suburbs in the United States, but it does have something special. Holland has these wonderful traditions, such as the Tulip Time Parade and an iconic windmill. It is a slice of the past that they have really upheld. And so it is a cinematic backdrop that visually enhances the storytelling.”