Aging or Enhancing? The Speculation Surrounding Nicole Kidman’s Changing Appearance

Whether or not Nicole Kidman has had plastic surgery is up for debate. The 57-year-old actress, a Hollywood staple since 1989 with her breakthrough role in Dead Calm, has only continued to impress with her evolving career. And while we can't deny that she looks incredible for her age, Nicole’s face seems to have transformed, and it's becoming a bit of a distraction. Has Nicole Kidman had any plastic surgery?

While some sources seem to tiptoe around the topic, with some saying she looks no different than she did years ago — just with blonder hair — her appearance in Netflix's The Perfect Couple has us thinking differently.

Truthfully, her face is becoming more of the center of attention than her actual roles these days. So, has Nicole Kidman had plastic surgery?

In 2007, Nicole told Marie Claire that she is "completely natural." She attributed her youthful look to wearing sunscreen and not smoking. She added, "I take care of myself. And I’m very proud to say that.”

Then, in 2011, she admitted to the German magazine TV Movie, per TV Guide, that she had dabbled with Botox but said, "I didn't like how my face looked afterwards." She added, "Now I don't use it anymore — I can move my forehead again!

While Nicole wasn’t showing many signs of having work done back then, speculation — and some pretty critical comments — ramped up again in 2024 after she was paired with Zac in A Family Affair, oddly enough in a romantic role.

While viewers of A Family Affair were quick to praise Nicole's "amazing" body in the film, others couldn’t help but focus on her face. "I was so distracted by how weird they looked that I couldn't even tell if they had chemistry," said Redditor @CountChoculaGotMeFat, commenting on Nicole and Zac Efron's romance.

One Redditor commented, "I’m sorry, but Nicole Kidman looks like she’s wearing a mask every time I see her in a movie. I first noticed it in Aquaman," which was released in 2018. Another wrote, "There is more than just Botox going on. I’d guess (way too much) filler and a facelift as well."

While we certainly don't condone criticism of someone's changing appearance, there’s no denying that Nicole's face can look drastically different at times, and it seems some fans are simply searching for answers.

In January 2024, Nicole reportedly penned a lengthy post, according to StyleCaster, which has since been deleted, addressing the speculation. “This is something I truly never anticipated writing. We’re all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives, but I am horrified, and I felt that I deserved to take a second to address these things," she wrote.

But after The Perfect Couple was released on Sept. 5, 2024, on Netflix, it only further fueled the notion that Nicole may have had plastic surgery. While many of Nicole’s red carpet premiere photos for the series showcase her looking striking and seemingly ageless, it’s in moments where she’s laughing or smiling, like in this photo of Nicole and Liev Schreiber joking in The Perfect Couple, that the changes in her appearance become much more obvious.

In any event, StyleCaster suggests that Nicole hasn’t had any significant work done, and based on her past commentary, it appears to have been limited to some Botox years ago. Still, fans and critics alike can’t seem to look past how her face is evolving, with many speculating that the changes go beyond just natural aging.

Perhaps these noticeable differences are more attributable to editing and production, as they are more apparent on-screen, rather than to any procedures Nicole may have undergone.