USA: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman attend New York premiere of their latest film, "Australia"

Record ID: 220114

  • Title: USA: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman attend New York premiere of their latest film, "Australia"
  • Date: 26th November 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS NICOLE KIDMAN, SAYING: "This is like, this is a film, so this is entertaining, I would hope, and I hope it's romantic, but I hope also that people see the landscape and, you know, fall in love with it the way that I'm in love with it." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR HUGH JACKMAN, SAYING: "Well without a doubt the country looks beautiful and I think it captures the spirit of the country, but really 'Australia,' even though its called 'Australia,' it's no more about Australia then its about, 'Casablanca' is about Casablanca. It's a metaphor for the far away, I think a lot of people know about Australia, a lot of people haven't been there. A lot of Australians haven't been to the place where we shot, and yet what the movie shows is this particular part of the world, and I think even if you go to the movie you have an experience that you don't normally get."
  • Embargoed: 11th December 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA7AKEONUKKI7IUP0RD3Q4SGTDX
  • Story Text: Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, two of the most famous exports from the land down under, attend the red carpet premiere of their newest film "Australia."
    Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were on hand in New York City on Monday (November 24) to premiere their latest film, "Australia," a two-hour and forty minute epic set in the Australian outback during the 1940s.
    Several famous Australians graced the red carpet, including actress Naomi Watts, Kidman's husband Singer Keith Urban, Olivia Newton-John, billionaire businessman Rupert Murdoch, and the film's director Baz Luhrmann.
    Kidman and Jackman, considered two of the most recognizable exports from the land down under, hope to give audiences the chance to visit their homeland and to appreciate its abundant natural beauty.
    "This is like, this is a film, so this is entertaining, I would hope, and I hope it's romantic, but I hope also that people see the landscape and, you know, fall in love with it the way that I'm in love with it,"
    says Nicole Kidman.
    Adds Hugh Jackman, "It's a metaphor for the far away, I think a lot of people know about Australia, a lot of people haven't been there. A lot of Australians haven't been to the place where we shot, and yet what the movie shows is this particular part of the world, and I think even if you go to the movie you have an experience that you don't normally get."
    "Australia" tells the tale of an English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who inherits a sprawling Outback property, falls in love with a rugged "drover" or cowboy, played by Jackman, and fights to adopt Nullah, a mixed-race boy. They join forces to drive 1,500 head of cattle hundreds of miles across stunning yet brutal landscape in a bid to save her property and find themselves caught in the Japanese wartime bombing of Australia's tropical northern city of Darwin.
    Given the economic hardships facing the world this year, the stars of the film hope that audiences can let go of their worries and immerse themselves in the romantic and rugged landscape of the Australian outback.
    "I mean it's a celebration of life, its a celebration of love, and I think that's a nice thing to put out in the world right now," says Kidman.
    "And I've made a lot of dark films in my time so its lovely to make something that is warmer. I'd say it's a very warm film."
    "As you know we're in a time of a lot of uncertainty. There's a lot of people hurting, and there's a lot of people unsure of what's ahead. And that's kind of what the movie's about, that even in the most uncertain, dangerous, confronting times, the most important thing is to be with the people you love," says Jackman.
    At $130 Million (USD), the film is the most expensive ever made in Australia, and it is director Baz Luhrmann's first film since he dazzled audiences with "Moulin Rouge!" seven years ago. Luhrmann, who grew up in the country town of Herons Creek, north of Sydney, spent four years working on "Australia" and said the scale of it had made it a struggle every day.
    "It was a challenge to make, and a lot of people giving so much to it, but seeing people respond, it's good to see that, you know, people being uplifted by that. You know, the whole of America coming to Australia for Thanksgiving, it's a nice feeling," says Luhrmann.
    "Australia" opens in theaters on November 26.
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