Nicole Kidman says films like ‘Batman Forever’ aren’t ‘about the check’

Nicole Kidman has an easy answer to the question of why a serious actress like herself would appear in superhero fare like 1995’s Batman Forever, in which Val Kilmer played the Caped crusader.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Why are you doing that?'” the Australian actress said in an interview published Tuesday on L’Officiel. “I’m like, ‘Because I get to kiss Batman!'”

The actress played Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian, in Batman Forever. The film followed director Tim Burton’s colorful iterations of the Batman saga, with him producing this one, while Joel Schumacher directed. Kidman and Kilmer’s costars included Jim Carrey as Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent, Drew Barrymore as Sugar, Debi Mazar as Spice, and Chris O’Donnell as Robin. Future Iron Man director Jon Favreau had a small part as an assistant.

Kidman explained that “the thing people don’t understand is, it’s not about the check. A lot of the mainstream big blockbusters that I do are hopefully different.”

Kidman, who is perhaps best known for her work in quieter films, such as her Oscar-winning role in 2002 drama The Hours and her lead part in 2003 Civil War drama Cold Mountain, joined another high-profile superhero franchise two decades later: In the 2018 movie Aquaman, which starred Jason Momoa as the titular character, Kidman played the part of his mother. She returned for the 2023 sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

But the star’s work is wide-ranging, from those superhero flicks to musicals like Moulin Rouge and comedies such as To Die For. More recently, the actress has turned up in acclaimed television series, including Big Little Lies — for which she won an Emmy Award — Top of the Lake, and The Undoing.

Kidman next stars opposite Liev Schreiber in Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple, a murder-mystery set at a lavish wedding in Nantucket, Mass. Kidman plays famous novelist Greer Garrison Winbury, the groom’s mother. The series also stars Eve Hewson and Dakota Fanning. The Perfect Couple starts streaming on September 5.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.