Nicole Kidman's New Career Path May 'Sound a Little Weird'

Nicole Kidman says she's taking on a role far from the red carpet and focused entirely on death. During a talk at the University of San Francisco on Saturday, the 58-year-old actor said she was training to become a death doula—a non-medical companion who guides individuals through the end-of-life process—inspired by the 2024 death of her 84-year-old mother, coming a decade after the death of her father. "As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide" while juggling children and careers, Kidman recalled, adding that she wished for someone "impartial" who could simply "provide solace and care," per the San Francisco Chronicle.

That experience, she said, pushed her to explore end-of-life work, which she admitted can "sound a little weird," but is now "part of my expansion." Kidman isn't the only Hollywood figure exploring this path, Variety reports, noting Hamnet director Chloe Zhao also completed death doula training. In January, she told the New York Times that her decision was a choice "to develop a healthier relationship with [death]," which she has long feared. End-of-life doulas provide emotional, spiritual, and practical support to people facing death, as well as their families, "to empower dignity throughout the dying process," according to the International End of Life Doula Association.