Nine Perfect Strangers was released in 2021 and marked Nicole Kidman returning to television for her third collaboration with producer David E. Kelley. Kidman found success previously with Big Little Lies and The Undoing, and Nine Perfect Strangers proved to be just as good, being named one of the best shows of 2021. The series follows Masha (Kidman), a Russian woman who is running a 10-day retreat that promises to change the participants’ lives forever. Naturally, things quickly descend into chaos and a lot of drama ensues.
In addition to Kidman, Nine Perfect Strangersfeatured an all-star cast of some of the most talented working actors today. From Melissa McCarthy to Luke Evans to Samara Weaving, the series was truly an ensemble effort. Here are seven interesting facts about the cast that you might not have known.
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7 Nicole Kidman Was Born in Hawaii
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Nicole Kidman takes the leading role in Nine Perfect Strangers as Masha, and her performance is captivating, creating another strong point in her career. Not many people know that Kidman was actually born in Hawaii. Moreover, as she revealed in an interview on The Graham Norton Show, she was given the Hawaiian name “Hōkūlani.” The inspiration for the name came from a baby elephant born around the same time at the Honolulu Zoo, but is also a commonly used name for girls. Hokulani means ‘Heavenly Star.’
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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6 Melissa McCarthy Used To Perform as a Drag Queen
Melissa McCarthy plays Francis Nine Perfect Strangers, who is struggling with her writing career. When McCarthy lived in New York City in her 20s, she often performed stand-up shows and would incorporate drag into these performances, revealing to Rolling Stone that she would perform under the drag name ‘Miss Y.’ She reflects on the time fondly and credits these performances as providing her with the confidence she is famous for today.
5 Samara Weaving’s Picture Was Used in a Political Hoax
Samara Weaving plays Julie, who is struggling with her relationship throughout Nine Perfect Strangers. An interesting fact about her is that during her time working on Ash vs The Evil Dead, a picture was taken of her in character that depicted her as heavily bruised. The picture ended up circulating the internet, being used as fuel to stoke the fires of a political debate from Trump supporters. Her co-star Bruce Campbell saw the picture circulating and quickly debunked it.
4 Luke Evans Grew Up as a Jehovah’s Witness
Luke Evans plays Lars, another attendee of Masha’s retreat in Nine Perfect Strangers. He once revealed that he actually grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and felt that this prepared him for a career in Hollywood by helping him to develop a thick skin. He would practice door-to-door preaching, which resulted in many doors being slammed in his face, making him very resilient from a young age.
3 Nicole Kidman Broke Her Rib Filming Moulin Rouge
One of Kidman’s most successful films to date is Moulin Rouge, which was a musical film that required her to sing and dance in a lot of high energy numbers. One important part of the film was the costumes, and corsets were a huge part of the film that proved to be dangerous for Kidman. She broke a rib while trying to give herself an 18-inch waist on set. She had previously broken her rib when she fell down the stars during a dance number, and broke it again whilst trying to fit into the tight corset.
2 Melissa McCarthy Owns Her Own Production Company
Many actors try out roles in producing or directing as their careers advance, and many examples of this throughout history demonstrate varying degrees of success. McCarthy owns her own production company, On the Day Productions, which she started with her husband in 2013. Movies that have been produced under this company include Tammy, Life of the Party and Thunder Force, showing that it’s been successful.
1 Nicole Kidman Can Play the Piano
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Kidman has proved that she has many talents throughout her varied roles, which have seen her totally change everything about herself as well as sing and dance. Her musical talents don’t end with her singing abilities, as she can also play the piano very well. She actually played the piano you see on-screen in Cold Mountain.
