Secret signs Nicole Kidman has always been Hollywood’s biggest diva

She’s spent the past 40 years carving out a reputation as one of the nicest stars in Hollywood.

But Nicole Kidman’s carefully curated image came crashing down when a video of her excruciatingly tense exchange with Salma Hayek started amassing millions of views.

The clip – which was taken at the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week  – begins with the two actresses posing for photo on the red carpet.

But as Salma appears to make space for Katy Perry to join them, the Australian star pushed her fellow actress’ hand away and subsequently storms off.

The baffling interaction has an additional level of awkwardness for Salma – as the star is married to Balenciaga owner François-Henri Pinault, who announced Nicole as a brand ambassador last December.

As Salma appears to make space for Katy Perry to join them, the Australian star pushed her fellow actress’ hand away and subsequently storms off.

However, this isn’t the first time Nicole has been criticised for her ‘flat out diva’ behaviour.

During the course of her career, the A-Lister has been slammed for demanding multiple dressing rooms, complained about filming scenes outside and even stormed out of an awards show following a humiliating loss.

Here FEMAIL delves into how Nicole Kidman went undetected as a Hollywood diva.

Multiple Dressing Rooms 

In 2017, Nicole Kidman was riding high off the success of Big Little Lies – and was nominated for several awards for her starring role in the HBO drama.

But at the Emmy Awards that year, the star allegedly made ‘diva’ demands and was ‘unfriendly’ towards staff. 

An insider told Radar Online at the time: ‘Nicole is always known for being a diva and the Emmys was no exception.

‘She is not the friendliest person to be around and she was quite rude to staff and production last night.

Pictured: Nicole Kidman poses with her Emmy Awards after winning big for her role in Big Little Lies

Pictured: Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard in the HBO new series Big Little Lies, which ran for two seasons

‘Nicole demanded that she get two dressing rooms – one for her and one for her large team that she brought with her.’ 

That evening, Nicole – who played Celeste – won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series.

In her acceptance speech, Nicole paid tribute to her husband Keith Urban and their two daughters Sunny and Faith.

She said: ‘I also am a mother and a wife. I have two little girls, Sunny and Faith and my darling Keith who I asked to help me pursue this artistic path and they had to sacrifice so much for it, so this is yours.

‘I want my little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go, “every time my momma didn’t put me to bed, it’s because of this.” I got something.’ 

‘Flat out diva’ during Australia filming 

Pictured: Nicole Kidman seen starring in Australia, Baz Luhrmann’s adventure epic film which also starred Hugh Jackman

Rhonda Burchmore – who attended the same acting school as Nicole – claims the star (pictured) was a ‘flat out diva’ on the set

In 2008, Nicole famously starred opposite Hugh Jackman in Baz Luhrmann’s epic  drama Australia.

Filming took five months and took place in various locations around the country – including Queensland, Darwin and Sydney. 

Rhonda Burchmore – who attended the same acting school as Nicole – claims the star was a ‘flat out diva’ on the set.

During her I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here appearance in 2020, Rhonda was asked if Nicole was a ‘lovely person’ in real life or not.

The reality star admitted that her school peer was ‘beautiful’ in the flesh – but says she has heard less than flattering accounts of her professional behaviour over the years. 

She said: ‘She was doing the movie, Australia. Do you know the movie, Australia?

‘Nicole used to complain about the blow flies and the cows mooing.’

However, director Baz Luhrmann couldn’t speak more highly of his star actress – who was pregnant while they were filming – in an interview with People in November 2023. 

The Oscar-winning director detailed how his father died on the first day of shooting Moulin Rouge – while Nicole was going through her public divorce from Tom Cruise at the time.

He said: ‘You’ll never actually quite have an experience like that again, because we just don’t make movies like that anymore. We don’t go out into the middle of a foreboding desert landscape with an indigenous community and with cattlemen building cattle stations and houses in the middle of nowhere. 

‘I mean, the Sahara Desert is easier to work in than Northern Australia. There’s better cell reception.’

‘Stormed out of awards’ after loss 

Pictured: Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge, which earned the actress a Australian Film Institute Awards nomination

In a previous season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Kerry Armstrong also opened up about her lacklustre experience with Nicole.

While speaking with other campers in the South African jungle, the actress claimed the A-Lister was furious when she lost the Australian Film Institute Awards’ Best Actress gong to Kerry in 2001. 

That year, both Australian stars were nominated for their roles in Lantana and Moulin Rouge.

Kerry explained: ‘When we went up against each other for the AFI Awards, it was Moulin Rouge! verses Lantana, we were so waiting for Moulin Rouge! to win everything.

Pictured: Anthony LaPaglia and Kerry Armstrong in Lantana, the film that beat Moulin Rouge at the Australian Film Institute Awards in 2001

‘Russell Crowe said, “I’m here to announce Best Actress, it is four really wonderful ladies. I’ve got a bit of bias going on so I came all the way to announce best actress.” 

That ‘bias’ Russell was referring to was his long-standing friendship with Nicole.

Kerry continued: ‘Nicole was up there getting ready and he said Best Actress and he said my name.

‘There was a lot of commotion on that side of the room and Vince (Colosimo) came up or Anthony LaPaglia came up and said she’d (Nicole) left the room. I went up on stage and Russell Crowe was visibly unimpressed.’

Jackie Gillies chimed in to tell Kerry she would have been brilliant on Nicole’s award-winning TV series Big Little Lies, which the actress agreed with.

Kerry joked the two Australian stars have been in a feud ever since – but it does not look like the pair are in direct competition today.

Nicole now lives in Nashville with her husband Keith and two daughters, continuing to establish herself as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies.

Meanwhile, Kerry’s success has largely been confined to Australia since returning to her home country in 1987. She lives with her three sons in the Yarra Valley.

Press told ‘not to stand’ before Nicole left 

Pictured: Actors Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopins in Robert Benton’s film The Human Stain in 2004

While promoting her film The Human Stain in 2003, Nicole was criticised for her ‘diva’ demands again.

According to Today, reporters at the Toronto Film Festival were told they could not ask the star personal questions, use their dictaphones or stand up until she had exited.

One insider said at the time: ‘It’s a wonder we were allowed to breathe the same air.’ 

However, Nicole’s management insisted that the strict rules were enforced by the festival and did not come from the star herself.

They said: ‘Nicole never puts restrictions on the press. She’s very accessible.’ 

Refusing to bow to ‘nepo-baby’ backlash 

Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and Nicole Kidman attend the Miu Miu dinner party as part of Paris Fashion Week

Pictured: Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban when the actress was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute

Nicole’s awkward interaction with Salma isn’t the first time a Kidman has made the news for the wrong reasons this month.

Last week, Nicole’s teenage daughter was widely criticised online after she made her modelling debut at Miu Miu’s Paris Fashion Week show.

Sunday Rose’s runway ‘stomping’ went viral on TikTok, with commenters critiquing her technique.

One critic wrote: ‘So famous kids are models automatically?’

Another added: ‘Strings were pulled for sure!’

Pictured: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s daughter Sunday Rose walked the Miu Miu catwalk at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month

Meanwhile, a third said: ‘She’s trying so hard to look fierce but just looks like a petulant child stomping their feet.’ 

That said, Nicole has told her daughter to not take any notice of the criticism.

A source told the MailOnline: ‘Ultimately, Nicole and Keith are so proud of her and they are letting her forge her own path.

‘Her advice to her daughter was the same advice she gives herself – do not read social media. She will support her in whatever path she chooses.’ 

Lied about height to get auditions 

Pictured: Nicole Kidman – who has admitted to lying about her height to bag auditions – promoting the film BMX Bandits in Sydney in 1983

What’s more, Nicole has also previously revealed she wasn’t afraid to tell a few lies to get her big break in acting in the 1980s.

Speaking to the Radio Times in January,  Nicole recalled being told as a young actress: ‘You won’t have a career. You’re too tall.’

As such, the mother-of-two said she began lying about her height and shaved a couple of inches off her real stature. 

However, this approach didn’t always work and Nicole detailed how producers were measuring child stars for the role of Annie at the door.

At 5ft 4in, she was two inches too tall – but still ‘talked her way’ into the audition room and ‘got to sing four lines of the chorus’.

Continuing to support Balenciaga – despite backlash from fans 

Nicole Kidman pictured attending the Balenciaga Fall 24 Show in December 2023 – the same month she was announced as an ambassador 

Arguably, Kidman’s most ‘diva-ish’ move in recent months has her refusal to cut ties with Balenciaga after the brand ran a bondage-themed fashion campaign featuring child models. 

The saga prompted more revelations to emerge about Balenciaga’s previous campaigns, with fans discovering the Spring/Summer 2023 campaign featured pages from a US Supreme Court decision on child pornography laws.

While many celebrities publicly cut ties with Balenciaga in the aftermath, Nicole has ignored the controversy and made no mention of it on her social media or in interviews.

The scandal erupted when Balenciaga released its 2022 Holiday ad campaign that featured children posing with its Plush Toy Bag. The bags look like teddy bears and are dressed in BDSM gear.

In the photo shoot, the kids also appeared surrounded by empty wine and champagne glasses.

The distinctly adult themes immediately troubled many who asked why children had ever been used.

Balenciaga ignored the scandal at first and seemingly allowed the photographer who was involved, Gabriele Galimberti, to take the heat.

He released a statement saying he had no control over the content of the shoot and eventually, Balenciaga released its own statement agreeing with him and taking responsibility for the campaign. It has now been pulled from the internet.

After the BDSM bears fiasco, eagle-eyed critics started examining the rest of Balenciaga’s campaigns closely.

They soon discovered that in the background of an image from the Spring ’23 campaign was a printout of a Supreme Court ruling on whether or not internet child porn can be legally considered free speech.

On the back of the bears scandal, many critics said it pointed to a troubling pattern within Balenciaga.

Balenciaga was quick to blame North Six, a production company that helped arrange the shoot, for the inclusion of those documents.

They claimed that they entrusted all of the props from the photoshoot to North Six, and that their team was assured everything that was included was fake.