Keith Urban And Nicole Kidman's Daughters Are Growing Up So Fast
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have spent years making memories in Nashville, where they keep a low profile. After the 2008 birth of their first daughter, Sunday Rose, Kidman told Parade that she went into mama bear mode. That protective instinct is why the "Big Little Lies" star refused to give in to pressure to release a picture of her baby girl. "For now, I'm still keeping her in a bubble," she said.
Perhaps the Oscar winner became uneasy about her daughter being exposed to the spotlight after witnessing the media furor that erupted after Suri Cruise's birth. Kidman had already endured the stress of her messy divorce from Tom Cruise playing out in the public arena, and her ex's decision to release photos of Suri didn't prevent his daughter from becoming a top paparazzi target. There are also signs that Suri might resent her celebrity life, so Kidman probably doesn't regret her decision.
Kidman's first pregnancy was a happy surprise, but her elation was a bit tempered by some sobering thoughts. "It's very bittersweet. Because, at 41, I think, 'I want to see her 21st birthday, and I want to see her get married,'" she said. Kidman was forced to confront her mortality in a profound way again when she and Urban welcomed their second daughter, Faith Margaret, via gestational carrier in 2010. Over time, the couple became a little less protective of their girls, allowing fans to watch them grow up and become beguiled by their parents' world.
Sunday Rose inherited traits from her mother and father
"Practical Magic" star Nicole Kidman believes that a little Aussie magic might have helped her get pregnant with Sunday Rose. When she returned to her native country to film the aptly titled epic "Australia," Kidman and several coworkers left with some incredible souvenirs. "Seven babies were conceived out of this film and only one was a boy," she told The Australian Women's Weekly (via BBC). "There is something up there in the Kununurra water because we all went swimming in the waterfalls, so we can call it the fertility waters now."
On "60 Minutes Australia," Kidman revealed that Sunday was a redhead like her mom when she was born but gradually became a blonde like her dad. Kidman believed that as a toddler, Sunday favored her country singer father, but Urban informed People, "She got my wife's legs, which is very lucky for her. She sure didn't deserve mine."
It seems that Sunday got a bit of the best of both worlds. By age 2, she was making her dad proud by showing an aptitude for music. "She sings incessantly. She has a repertoire of about 30 songs: 'The ABC Song,' 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light,' 'So Long, Farewell,'" Kidman told People. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via Us Weekly), Kidman also shared that Sunday's accent was a mixture of her parents' Aussie lilts and a Southern drawl that she picked up from living in Nashville — she was even saying "y'all."
Their parents made children's programming more magical for them
One perk of being a celebrity kid is getting to meet your famous heroes. Sunday Rose discovered this advantage when Nicole Kidman appeared on "Sesame Street" in 2011 and turned the occasion into "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." However, Sunday wasn't the biggest fan of the puppet that her mom shot scenes with: Oscar the Grouch. Kidman told "Access Hollywood" (via Taste of Country) that Sunday wanted to know whether Oscar was as stinky as you'd think, seeing as how he lives in a garbage can and all. Apparently, he really does smell unpleasant, which probably didn't help improve Sunday's opinion of him. "She thinks [the puppets are] all real. She loves Abby and Zoe — and Elmo. Sorry, Oscar," said Kidman.
Sunday gained a companion to watch "Sesame Street" with when Faith Margaret was born in 2010. Kidman broke the news of her arrival at the SAG Awards and explained the inspiration behind her name to E! News. "We needed to have that through the whole pregnancy. That's what it required — a lot of faith," she said (via Us Weekly).
By age 2, Faith was watching the animated series "Shaun the Sheep" with her older sister. This is when she learned that having a musician for a dad is pretty awesome. "There's this crazy theme [song] ... that they always have me play on the piano. I had to learn it," Keith Urban told ABC News.
Paddington raised Nicole Kidman in their esteem
So many of Nicole Kidman's movie roles are not appropriate for the kindergarten set, but her 2014 adventure comedy "Paddington" was designed to appeal to families. A desire to create a movie her daughters could watch was a significant factor in Kidman's decision to sign on for the project. "I wanted them to be excited about something because mostly they're completely disinterested," she told Yahoo! Entertainment.
Kidman later became concerned that she had made a mistake in agreeing to play a villainous taxidermist who wanted to add poor Paddington to her collection. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live (via the Mirror), she revealed that Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret initially thought she was playing Paddington's mother. Trying to explain her actual role to them proved a bit difficult. "That's when I realized they can't go see this film. I'm vicious and awful in it," she said.
But it seems that Kidman had a change of heart, possibly because her daughters fell in love with the film before it even came out. "They watched the trailer, it must've been 50 times. And I'm not in the trailer. They were howling," she told Yahoo! Entertainment. The girls also warmed to the idea of their mom playing a villain — especially one in a movie that their peers were aware of. "I've really got brownie points right now at school because the kids know who I am," Kidman said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
The adventurous siblings interests were split between parents
Some celebrity children get normal jobs as adults, but in 2014, it seemed that both Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's girls might someday pursue careers in the entertainment biz. "My oldest daughter is interested in acting and my youngest daughter is interested in music," Kidman said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (via the Daily Mail). The media made a big fuss about her remarks at the time because as she was talking about Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, she seemed to forget about her much-older, rarely-seen adopted daughter Isabella "Bella" Kidman Cruise.
Kidman also revealed that Sunday did not enjoy attending her dad's concerts, while Faith loved watching him perform. Urban confirmed that his youngest was a music fan during a 2015 "Today" interview. "Faith, or Fifi — we call her Fifi — she's got a little pink guitar she loves to play as well," he said. "The bongos, maracas, tambourine, triangle. We're just getting started."
Kidman told Vogue in 2015 that the girls often joined her on movie sets but didn't like watching her act. What they did like was exploring — they even handled snakes while she was shooting "Queen of the Desert" in Morocco. Life on the road with dad was a blast as well. "They prefer the tour bus to a film set ... you get to sleep in a bunk," Kidman told Town & Country. "You know, that whole road trip vibe."
Sunday Rose took an acting role seriously
Some celebrities don't want their children to become actors and actively discourage their kids from following in their footsteps. Nicole Kidman is not part of this group. "If my children wanted to be actors I would support them but I'd also want to protect them," she told The Telegraph in 2014.
Despite having a mom who feels this way, for a brief time, it seemed that Sunday Rose might not have been interested in acting. In 2015, Kidman told Hello! that her daughter was considering a few other career options. "Sunday wants to be a vet right now. And a party planner," she shared. "Then she says she wants to be a stay-at-home mom and have eight children." However, in 2017, Sunday took a major step toward getting involved in showbiz. Kidman couldn't help but brag about it in an interview with E! News. "My daughter just got cast in her school play," she revealed.
While Kidman is the thespian in the family, Sunday decided to enlist her father's help in ensuring that her performance would be perfect. Kidman recalled what Sunday said to Keith Urban when she was prepping for her role: "You've got to get off the phone, and help me with my lines, dad." Speaking to Allure around this same time, Kidman shared that both of her daughters were becoming passionate about makeup, which is another aspect of being an actor that Sunday might have found appealing.
Their protective parents raised a pair of empathetic souls
As Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's daughters grew up and became more interested in the glitzy, glamorous aspects of working in Hollywood, the parents had to start denying Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret's requests to participate in the celebrity spectacle. "As much as they would love to come down a red carpet, I'm like, 'No, we come in the back way,'" Kidman said in a 2018 appearance on Australia's "Today" show.
The "Eyes Wide Shut" star also admitted that it's not easy for her to deny her girls the movie star experience. "Sometimes they say, 'I wish I was getting dressed up and going with you,'" Kidman told Vogue. "I don't want them not included." Instead, she finds ways to allow her daughters to enjoy the perks of her work with her while limiting their exposure to the more intrusive, stressful aspects of being a celebrity, such as encountering the paparazzi. For example, she took them to the Cannes Film Festival, but they spent their time enjoying the amenities of their hotel.
Sunday and Faith also enjoy normal family activities, such as going to the movies. When they watched Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," Kidman realized that her daughters were becoming some pretty wonderful human beings. "They are generous and they are empathetic ... They had tears rolling down their faces because they care about the beast," she told Who magazine in 2017. "They have those kind eyes."
They find their mom embarrassing sometimes
Nicole Kidman keeps it real with her kids by doing normal mom stuff, such as taking them to school. Unfortunately, they don't always appreciate the effort she makes to be a present parent. Kidman told Tatler that Faith Margaret expects her to treat the school run much like she would a promotional appearance. "My little one will say: 'Please don't wear your workout stuff to the school this morning. Please blowdry your hair. Please wear some make-up,'" Kidman dished. When she once failed to live up to Faith's exacting standards, the little girl let her mom know just how embarrassing she was.
Even when Kidman gets dressed up for red carpet events, she has to worry about her appearance being scrutinized by her girls. An example was their reaction to her 2017 SAG Awards outfit, a Gucci gown with sequined parrot heads on the shoulders. "My eight-year-old said, 'You're wearing that?'" Kidman recalled to Net-a-Porter. "My six-year-old was like, 'What's on your shoulder?!'"
It's also a struggle for Kidman to wow her daughters with the accolades she earns. Sunday was so unimpressed with the statuettes that Kidman received for "Big Little Lies" that she didn't want to display any of them on a shelf in her bedroom. "She said, 'No, my shelf is full,'" Kidman recalled to Tatler. But while tweens can be humbling, the Emmy winner revealed that Faith was more than happy to take the awards off her hands.
The sisters got a small taste of their mom's life
In 2019, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret made cameos in Season 2 of their mom's TV series "Big Little Lies." While their roles as students were small, Nicole Kidman made sure that they got the Hollywood treatment. "They're not coddled on set. And that's good for them. It's given them a stronger understanding of what I do," she told You magazine (via Hello!). Actor Cameron Crovetti, who plays one of Kidman's children on the show, told HuffPost that he worked closely with Faith — she sat beside him in a classroom scene.
Speaking to "Access Hollywood," Kidman revealed why she gave her daughters the gigs as extras. "I read an article about bringing your children to work and making them a part of your work if you can," she said. It made Kidman realize that this was a great way to make her girls feel more involved in her work and appreciative of it.
Sunday and Faith also made their film debut in 2019 when they voiced hatchlings in "The Angry Birds Movie 2." The small voice roles in an animated film were another good way for them to get their feet wet, as they didn't have the added pressure of having to act out scenes while delivering their lines. Sunday, however, did have to master the art of fake crying.
Sunday Rose discovered her passion for directing
After getting a tiny taste of what it's like working in front of the camera, it seems that Sunday Rose decided she would rather be behind it. "She makes films every weekend," Nicole Kidman told News.com.au in 2020. Sunday even had a budding young star clamoring to work with her. Unfortunately, Faith Margaret blew it when Sunday finally let her little sister audition for one of her movies. "She had a tantrum and wouldn't say the lines. And actually, I got fired last weekend," Kidman recalled. That's how high Sunday's standards already are — it takes one gutsy young filmmaker to fire a five-time Oscar nominee.
Don't feel too badly for Faith, as both she and Sunday got additional extra work in Kidman's HBO miniseries "The Undoing." Their mom said of their impressive work ethic, "They did five days in the freezing [New York] cold, never complained."
Sunday also takes her directing seriously. In an interview with "American Country Countdown," Keith Urban revealed that she had taken some editing lessons to help her bring her visions to life. He was also supportive of her passion, saying, "Some more female directors wouldn't go astray." Spoken like a true girl dad. He had to be so proud when Sunday got the opportunity to direct the musical "Annie." Kidman shared her feelings about her daughter's achievement in an interview with DuJour. "All I wanted to do was whoop and holler," she said (via Hello!).
Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret's unusual awards show debut
Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret didn't get to walk a red carpet when they made their first televised appearance on an awards show. Because of the pandemic, Nicole Kidman and her family had to participate in the 2021 Golden Globes virtually. However, the girls still dressed up for the occasion, sporting matching white dresses.
Even though Kidman didn't win a Golden Globe for her work in "The Undoing," she likely enjoyed getting to do something special with her family. She told Radio Times (via the Daily Mail) that she missed being allowed to take Sunday and Faith to work with her after strict pandemic protocols were put in place. "That's been one of the most painful parts of the work recently," she shared. The lockdown was also tough on Sunday and Faith. "One of the hardest things is just watching them pine and yearn for their friends," Kidman told Glamour UK. In a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair, Kidman said that she wasn't allowing her daughters to use social media, nor did they possess smartphones. If these rules were still in place, then it was even harder for the girls to keep in touch with their classmates while they were being homeschooled.
At least Faith got to spend some time bonding with her dad over their shared passion. Kidman told Marie Claire Australia, "I'll know when [Keith Urban is] stressed 'cause he's googling cars ... Keith and Faith love cars."
They made their red carpet debut
When Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret walked their first red carpet in 2024, it was for a very special occasion: Nicole Kidman was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala. Finally, getting to pick out dresses for a red carpet event had to be a blast for Sunday and Faith, and it seems that they decided to show off their individual styles instead of opting for coordinating looks. Sunday wore a white floral-print gown, while Faith sported a scarlet mermaid dress.
Kidman told People that she felt appreciated by her teen daughters on her big night, but they also couldn't help but look forward to getting to stay up late at the afterparty. "That's what they're excited about," she said. Nicole also shared that Sunday and Faith, who were 15 and 13, were already thinking about the work they would do in the future. If Kidman ever needs a manager, perhaps she should hire Sunday. After the actor let her eldest watch "Big Little Lies," Sunday gave her some career advice. "She was like, 'No. There's no more discussion. The third series has to happen,'" Kidman recalled to Vogue Australia. And so, the show was renewed for a third season.
While Kidman's daughters might be interested in entertainment careers, she told ET that cameos in the "Practical Magic" sequel were off the table. But it seems that they're well on their way to making Hollywood magic without mom's help.