Nicole Kidman is embarking upon a surprising career change.
The beloved actress, best known for her compelling performances in films such as the splashy musical “Moulin Rouge!,” period drama “The Hours” and HBO hit series “Big Little Lies,” recently told an assembly of students at the University of San Francisco that she was training to become a death doula.
Most know the term “doula” in the obstetric context – individuals who guide patients through their pregnancies, deliveries and postpartum periods. Death doulas, or end-of-life doulas, similarly guide individuals and families, but through the process of dying, rather than giving birth.
Kidman, 58, explained to the students gathered this past weekend that she was drawn to the work following the loss of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, in September 2024. “As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide,” she shared.
In order to become a death doula, one must train through organizations such as the International End-of-Life Doula Association. It’s a lesser-known career path, to be sure – less than 2,000 people have signed on for the job, as of last August.
But it’s helpful work, the IEOLDA says – providing “psychosocial, emotional, spiritual and practical care to empower dignity throughout the dying process.” Yes, Kidman admitted, the work may strike some as “a little weird,” but her lived experience taught her that it’s also critical.
“Between my sister and I, we have so many children and our careers and our work, and wanting to take care of her because my father [also] wasn’t in the world anymore,” she recalled. “That’s when I went, ‘I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care.’”
That, Kidman continued, is “one of the things I will be learning” to be.
