Nicole Kidman breaks silence on her 'ridiculous' Vanity Fair cover

Fans slammed the styling and "really bad Photoshop". Photo / Supplied

Nicole Kidman has broken her silence on her controversial cover shoot for Vanity Fair magazine earlier this year, admitting she asked herself "what was I thinking?" after the shoot wrapped.

The Aussie actress appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue, released in February at the height of awards season. It's traditionally a cover that depicts that year's award show darlings dressed in ball gowns and tuxes, as if ready to walk the Oscars red carpet.

Instead, the 2022 issue showed Kidman, 54, wearing a tiny Miu Miu mini skirt and crop-top, her impressive abs on full display as she stood between two golden gates, one leg cocked.

The cover was met with instant criticism online, with some fans calling out Vanity Fair for what they alleged was excessive Photoshopping of the stunning star.

Others questioned Kidman's styling, particularly for such a prestigious issue. One critic wondered "why she's styled like an early 90s teen pop star", and another asked why she was dressed like a "teenager in Euphoria".

Nicole Kidman Vanity Fair cover - 2022 Hollywood Issue. Photo / Supplied

But in a new conversation with director Baz Luhrmann published by Vogue Australia, Kidman gives insight into what was going on behind the scenes of the shoot – and reveals the controversial finished product was not the result of some pushy stylist forcing her into an outfit she wasn't comfortable with.

Quite the opposite – she confessed she "begged" Vanity Fair stylist Katie Grand to wear the revealing outfit, insisting on wearing it in favour of another ensemble that had been picked out for her.

"I was like, 'No, no, I like this one! Am I allowed to wear that?'" she said, revealing Grand had to check whether she was joking.

"Katie was like, 'You're willing to wear that?!' And I said, 'Wear it?! I'm begging you to wear it!'"

Luhrmann praised his former Moulin Rouge leading lady for the bold cover, sharing what he thought when he first laid eyes on it: "I just went like, 'Ah, she's always got it! She can always turn it on!'"

But Kidman did admit to some second thoughts after she'd wrapped the shoot.

"I did walk away thinking, 'What was I thinking?! That was ridiculous! What were you doing, Nicole?!' And then I went, 'Eh, oh well!'" she said.

Kidman revealed she "begged" Vanity Fair's stylist to let her wear the outfit. Photo / Getty Images

"Cause you know that part about me where I'm like, 'I'm just going to do what I want to do, ultimately!' And just have some fun. And just commit, like really commit when I show up, do it. But there's got to be some fun. And sometimes it's going to work, and sometimes it isn't. But I love the idea of being bold and not fitting into a box."

Kidman and Luhrmann's conversation features in the June issue of Vogue Australia, guest-edited by the iconic filmmaker as he gears up for the imminent release of his new movie, the musical biopic Elvis, which is to be released on June 23.