Nicole Kidman Opened Up About The Cosmetic Procedure She Regrets
Sometimes, a cosmetic procedure doesn't work out the way you'd expect. Plenty of celebrities have lamented about the procedures they've had done, such as Jessica Simpson regretting tummy tucks and lip fillers. Nicole Kidman is another glamorous A-lister who had some cosmetic work done that she wasn't happy with in the end. But, before telling the world about that tough experience, the actor claimed that she'd never had Botox.
After the 2007 Oscars, people speculated that Kidman had had Botox injections. In an interview with Marie Claire conducted later that same year, she said, regarding gossipy stories, "I actually don't read them. To be honest, I am completely natural. I have nothing in my face or anything. I wear sunscreen, and I don't smoke. I take care of myself. And I'm very proud to say that." Kidman didn't judge anyone else for partaking but it wasn't for her.
As the Aussie native reasoned, "I personally believe in physical health because of the way I was raised." Not everyone believed her statements about abstaining from Botox. After that interview, Radar created a crass fake cover with Kidman's face on a Barbie-type body for an article on celebrity plastic surgery (via HuffPost). A few years later, the actor confirmed that she had eventually tried Botox, but it didn't have the desired effect.
Kidman didn't like Botox because she couldn't move her face
In an interview with TV Movie, a German magazine, Nicole Kidman was asked about how she avoids wrinkles. The actor shared, "I've tried a lot of things, but aside from sports and good nutrition, most things don't make a difference" (via People). Then she mentioned her brief dalliance with Botox injections, admitting, "I didn't like how my face looked afterwards. Now I don't use it anymore — I can move my forehead again!"
A couple of years later, during a chat with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Kidman reiterated that her stunning transformation didn't involve going under the knife. "No surgery for me; I did try Botox, unfortunately, but I got out of it and now I can finally move my face again," she informed the outlet (via British Vogue). The Oscar winner even described trying the face-freezing injections as an "unfortunate move" on her part.
Despite Kidman's vocal dislike of Botox, it's unclear whether she's stuck to her word and avoided cosmetic procedures since. In 2022, the actor took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes photo from the making of her Amazon Prime show "Expats." Commenters on the post seemed to think Kidman had had some work done over the years, with one urging her, "You are so beautiful! Please don't do anything else to your face for it needs no more work." Another person more bluntly said, "Oh my God you were so pretty why are you doing this? HORRIBLE."
Several plastic surgeons maintain that she's had work done
The New York Post interviewed plastic surgeons (who notably haven't had Nicole Kidman as a patient) for their professional opinion on her "Expats" photo. Dr. Dara Liotta opined, "There is little doubt that these photos make it look like she's had [a] facelift and neck lift surgery." Liotta thought she spotted plastic surgery scars and even drew arrows on the pictures to show where potential procedures might have occurred. She felt Kidman's features looked too young to be natural (or unedited, if the photo was altered after the fact).
Elsewhere, Dr. David Shafer acknowledged that plastic surgery is the conclusion people typically jump to if someone doesn't look the same, but that photos can be tweaked. "What someone looks like in a static picture online can be completely different from how they look in person or in real life," he pointed out. Still, Shafer felt that she still could've had surgery, acknowledging Kidman's flawless skin and adding, "This could be filters, Botox or dermal fillers such as Juvéderm to help smooth wrinkles and replace lost volume in her cheeks."
However, a sort of bias could be at play here too. Shafer added, "With celebrities, we get used to how they looked at their height of fame or their most memorable scene in a movie, but celebrities age just like the rest of us and change over time." If you'd like the "Moulin Rouge" star's advice on aging gracefully, check out Kidman's lifestyle secrets that keep her beautiful.