Nicole Kidman has revealed that bad breath is her ultimate dealbreaker when filming intimate scenes. The Oscar-winning actress shared her strong sense of smell during an appearance on the podcast Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
“I’m very very smell sensitive,” Kidman, 58, said. “I’m either drawn to or drawn away based on a smell.” She explained that even the most attractive co-star would be rejected if they had bad breath. “You could be the most gorgeous, gorgeous guy, and you come at me with bad breath and I’m like no, no, no. If I say breathe on me and I have to recoil? I’m out. You could not offer me enough money,” she stated.
Kidman recalled a specific incident with Alexander Skarsgård while filming the psychological drama Big Little Lies. “When Alexander Skarsgård ate a falafel sandwich before we did the scenes,” she said. She reprimanded him, saying, “I'm meant to be kissing you and into you. Put away the falafel now. Because the bad breath does not turn me on.”
She emphasised the importance of oral hygiene for intimate scenes. “It is very important to smell good but more importantly, the mouth — the taste of the mouth and the smell of the mouth — is very important to me,” she added. When Rogers joked that Kidman was issuing a takedown of Skarsgård’s heartthrob reputation, she laughed and said, “I’m sure he did not eat a falafel ever again. Not before you kiss. Not before you make love. Put the falafel away.”
Kidman also revealed that the best-smelling person she has ever met is Rihanna, describing her scent as “intoxicating.” When Yang and Rogers confirmed hearing similar rumours, Kidman replied, “Just know it’s all true.”
