‘Holland’ star Nicole Kidman: I don’t consider myself a movie star; I love creating characters |

Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman returns to the screen in Holland, a gripping new thriller that premieres today on streaming platforms. The film, directed by Mimi Cave, blends suspense with unexpected humour—something Kidman found particularly appealing.
At the Holland Global press conference attended by ETimes, Nicole described her character, Nancy, as “someone that has the idea of what it means to be in a very idyllic, white-picket-fence type life.”
She went on to add, “But there is a restlessness to her and a desire underneath, and I think that’s where we find her at the beginning.”Set against the seemingly tranquil backdrop of Holland, Michigan, the film subverts expectations from the start. Kidman joked about the location’s surprising cinematic appeal saying, “I wanna point out that when you say windmills and tulips, you don’t necessarily think of Holland, Michigan,” she laughed. “Which was part of the appeal—because as Mimi will explain, it’s set against a backdrop that is kind of idyllic and fantastical at the same time. Which creates a great place to start a thriller, you know?”
Starring alongside Kidman is Gael García Bernal, who plays Dave—a mysterious figure drawn into Nancy’s world. “There’s something mysterious and mesmerizing [about her], and at the same time, this immediate trust and simplicity,” Bernal shared. “Dave is a little bit lonely at the beginning… and Nancy seems to be the only person who really looks at him—and then looks into him in a way.”

While Holland delivers the tension expected of a thriller, Kidman also promises plenty of surprises. “There’s a fun aspect to it,” she said. “As much as it’s got these twists and turns, you’re also meant to laugh and have fun. About halfway through, you really start to see the caper and the sleuthing side of it—and then slowly, things start to unravel. Everything you think is what it seems is not at all.”
Known for her fearless approach to complex roles Kidman shared that her choice to join Holland came from the same desire to challenge herself. Addressing questions from the media, she said, “I call myself a character actress. I don’t consider myself a lead act, movie star kind of thing. I love creating characters,” she explained. “The accent was a huge part of it as well, and I found an innocence and a sense of wonder in Nancy that I hadn’t really had the chance to do before.”
Reflecting on role choices over the years, she added, “And I think so much of what we do now is we’re very lucky if we have the ability to try things. And I’m in a position where I get to try things and also get to support other people who wanna be on that similar path of exploring and trying things artistically and finding the same people behind the camera
that do that as people in front of the camera.”
“And I never forget how glorious that is because there’s so many people that don’t get to do that in their lives and we do. I never take it for granted,” she concluded.
Holland makes its digital debut on Prime Video, today, March 27. In this unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman stars as Nancy Vandergroot—a meticulous teacher and homemaker living an idyllic life in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan, with her devoted husband (Matthew Macfadyen) and their son (Jude Hill). But when Nancy and her charming colleague (Gael García Bernal) grow suspicious of a hidden secret, their seemingly perfect world unravels into a web of deception where nothing is as it appears.