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Nicole Kidman Told Her Emmy-Winning Co-Star to Put the Falafel Down
Playing a passionate couple on screen is one thing. Doing it after your co-star's tucked into a chickpea wrap is quite another.
Nicole Kidman has lifted the lid on one of the more pungent behind-the-scenes moments from Big Little Lies, revealing she gave Alexander Skarsgård a very firm talking-to over his lunch choices during filming.
Speaking on the Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Kidman was refreshingly blunt about her one absolute rule on set: no bad breath. Full stop. "You could be the most gorgeous guy, and if you came at me with bad breath, I'm like, no," she said. "You could not offer me enough money."
Which brings us to the falafel incident. Midway through filming the HBO hit — in which the pair played the volatile married couple Celeste and Perry Wright, roles that won them both Emmys — Skarsgård apparently turned up to a romantic scene having just eaten a falafel sandwich. Kidman wasted no time. The snack was put away. Scene saved.
Kidman also revealed that her sensitivity to smell runs deep. She admitted feeling oddly relieved when she lost her sense of smell during a bout of Covid, grateful for a temporary break from the "pongs" of everyday life. But once it came back, so did her nose for quality — and she was happy to confirm one of showbiz's most persistent rumours: that Rihanna smells absolutely incredible. Kidman called the singer's scent "intoxicating" and said she'd quite happily trail behind her just to catch another whiff.
It's a funny reminder that even the most glamorous on-screen romances rely on something very unglamorous indeed — good old-fashioned dental hygiene, and a strict pre-shoot ban on street food.