Nicole Kidman says women in their 40s are considered ‘done’ in Hollywood

‘I’ve had times where you’re turned down and the door is shut on you,’ actor said

Nicole Kidman has spoken out about ageism in Hollywood, claiming that older female actors are considered “done”.

In an interview with Dujour, the 54-year-old actor spoke about “getting older and just looking at life”.

“There’s a consensus in the industry that as a female actor, at about 40, you’re done,” the Bombshell actor said.

She added: “I never sat in a chair and heard someone say, ‘You’re past your due date,’ but I’ve had times where you’re turned down and the door is shut on you.”

Earlier this year, Kidman admitted she “tried to sidestep” playing Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos after the backlash to her casting.

The film, which was released on 10 December, follows the story of Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) facing a series of personal and professional crises that threaten their careers, their relationship, and their hit TV show.

Earlier this month, Kidman admitted that she hadn’t initially been anxious about taking on the role, saying: “Initially it’s like, Aaron Sorkin wrote this screenplay that you read and you cannot put down. And I say to people, ‘If you can get your hands on this screenplay, read it, because it’s such a good read.’ It’s as good as a great novel.”

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in ‘Being the Ricardos' (Glen Wilson/Amazon)

She added: “When the reality of playing her hit me, I went, ‘What I have said yes to?’ To which I then went, ‘Oh no, I’m not right. Everyone thinks I’m not right, so I’m going to try to sidestep this.’”

Kidman said the production team refused to let critics put her off. “The producer Todd Black and [director] Aaron Sorkin were both like, ‘Absolutely not,’” she said. “I was in Australia and they were like, ‘No.’ And thank God, because then I was so grateful because I got to fall in love with her.”

Sorkin has said he wanted Kidman for the role because he wanted someone who could “nod to” the character rather than “do a physical impersonation”.