Nicole Kidman Will 'Never Forget' Choking onDogvilleSet with a Metal Dog Collar On: 'Get It Off Me!'

Mar. 15, 2025

Nicole Kidman in “Dogville” (2003).Photo:Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

DOGVILLE, Nicole Kidman, 2003, (c) Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collection

Nicole Kidman’s experience making 2003’sDogvillegot a little too real at one point.

The Oscar winner looked back at some of her iconic roles in a newvideo for BritishGQas she graces the cover of themagazine’s Men of the Year 2024special issue.

While reflecting on her performance as Grace Margaret Mulligan in writer-directorLars von Trier’sDogville, Kidman recalled how the iron collar she had to wear caused alarm.

“Lars was Lars, and I was, like, terrified of him and drawn to him,” Kidman, 57, said of the provocative director with a smile, adding of the experience, “It was bizarre.”

She continued, “There’s the moment when they put this dog collar on me that was sort of a metal collar. And then we were filming and, I mean, it was so heavy and hard to get off.”

Nicole Kidman on April 27, 2024.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Nicole Kidman attends the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute Celebrating Nicole Kidman

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“I remember it being on and going,” said Kidman in the video, as she simulated herself struggling to breathe, putting her hand to her neck. “And Lars thought I’m acting. And actually I’m like….”

“So then when he cut,” she said, “I’m like, ‘Get it off! Get it off me!’ I’ll never forget that.”

Kidman said she originally signed up for the experimental, minimalist project because she “desperately wanted to work with” von Trier, famous for films likeAntichristandMelancholia.

“We talked on the phone. I readDogville; everyone was like, ‘What the hell?’ And he sent me kind of these photos of what it was gonna look like, and it was just the tape on the floor. I was like, ‘I love this. Perfect.’ Everyone else was like…,” she recalled of skepticism about the movie’s design.

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Dogville’s cast also includedLauren Bacall,Paul Bettany,James Caan,Patricia Clarkson,Chloë SevignyandStellan Skarsgård.

Kidman said in the BritishGQvideo that it was “amazing” that the cast all “were living in the guest house, with Lars” during production. She also referred to her experience making the film as “kind of dangerous and weird as well, at the same time.”

Nicole Kidman on July 29, 2024.Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Omega

Nicole Kidman

Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Omega

In a recentinterview withVanity Fair, Kidman shared which iconic directors she still hopes to work with some day.

“I’ve always said I want to work with [Martin] Scorsese, if he does a film with women,” she said. “I’d love to work with Kathryn Bigelow. I’d love to work with Spike Jonze. I’d love to work with PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson]. I’ve always wanted to work with Michael Haneke. And there’s a whole slew of new up-and-coming directors — there’s so many, and I’m always open to the discovery of new people.”

source: people.com