Nicole Kidman may be one of the biggest movie stars in history, but even she got made fun of as a kid—and it impacted her career early on.
In a recent interview on British entertainment magazine Radio Times' podcast, Kidman revealed that she was mercilessly mocked as a child for her height.
Kidman said that she was nearly six feet tall by the time she was 13, and it led to an unkind nickname at school, "storky," that haunted her well into adulthood.
Kidman told the podcast's hosts Jane Garvey and Rhianna Dhillon:
“I was called ‘storky.’ [People would say], ‘How’s the air up there?!'"
It seems silly now, of course. But when you're a kid, and especially a pubescent one, you feel awkward enough as it is, let alone when everyone has noticed how different you are.
But the awkwardness surrounding Kidman's height didn't stop when she left school. It followed her into her career as she began auditioning in her teens, and she was warned that her height was ruining her chances.
Kidman said:
“I was told, 'You won’t have a career. You’re too tall.'"
Kidman went on to say the comments led to her often lying about her height in auditions and distracting casting agents from measuring her.
And she said she's still sensitive about her height to this day, especially when picking red carpet outfits. She told Garvey and Dhillon that high heels still make her feel anxious.
“Whenever you go on the red carpet, they send the shoes, and the shoes are always so high."
"And I’m like, ‘Do they have a kitten heel? ... I’m just gonna be the tallest person — the giraffe!’”
Be that as it may, those people who made her feel sensitive about her height were, of course, all very misguided. Kidman is an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy winner and one of the biggest stars on the planet.
On social media, people loved how Kidman had proven those who mocked her so very wrong.
so thankful this queen didn't listen to the haters
— Slurpee Canada (@SlurpeeCanada) January 17, 2024
The demands of the industry are absurd, same as many other branches.
Nicole has it all !
— Adriaan van Gennep (@AdriaanGennep) January 16, 2024
I’ve lied about my real age for castings for a good few years now. It’s part and parcel of this industry.
— GerJonimo (@GerJonnimo) January 16, 2024
In a case of "never quite right" discrimination against women, Nicole Kidman was told she was too tall (at 5' 11") to have an acting career. https://t.co/HTuPnZKRoJ
— Amy Diehl, Ph.D. (@amydiehl) January 17, 2024
Thank goodness she didn't listen to the criticism.
