Nicole Kidman opens up about the childhood stutter that shaped the way she speaks (EXCLUSIVE)
The actor discussed her speech with Attitude while promoting Practical Magic 2, her upcoming film with Sandra Bullock
By Callum Wells
Nicole Kidman has opened up about her experience with stuttering, revealing that she still occasionally experiences it after struggling with the condition as a child.
The actor discussed her speech with Attitude while promoting Practical Magic 2, her upcoming film with Sandra Bullock almost three decades after the original film.
Kidman was asked whether her own experience of stuttering had informed her performance as Gillian Owens, particularly during the character’s more vulnerable moments.
What has Nicole Kidman said about stuttering?
“Not so much that,” she said, before recalling her experience growing up.
“I used to stutter when I was little,” Kidman explained.
The actor remembered being told to stop and pause before speaking.
“Everyone would always say, ‘Stop, pause, think about what you want to say and then say it,’” she recalled. “So I’d always… because I would try to speak and then it wouldn’t come out.”
“Sometimes I’ll have like a second or two of it” – Kidman on living with a stutter
Kidman was then asked whether she ever experiences moments of stuttering now.
“Sometimes I’ll have like a second or two of it,” she revealed. “But I’ve learned a technique and I’ve learned how to manage it.”
She suggested that her experience may also have influenced her softly spoken voice.
“And it is probably why I speak softly,” Kidman said.
Kidman has previously spoken publicly about having a stutter as a child. In an account published by the Stuttering Foundation, she described being “very shy” as a youngster and recalled knowing exactly what she wanted to say but struggling to get the words out.
“I remember when I was little just being so excited to get it out and I couldn’t get it out,” she previously said.
She also previously recalled being told to “calm down” and think about what she wanted to say.
When is Practical Magic 2 hitting UK cinemas?
Kidman’s comments come as she prepares to return to one of her most beloved roles, with Practical Magic 2 seeing her reunite with Bullock as sisters Gillian and Sally Owens.
The sequel arrives 28 years after the original 1998 film and once again follows the Owens family and its magical legacy. Bullock and Kidman also serve as producers on the film.
Practical Magic 2 hits UK cinemas on 11 September 2026.