THE FIRST TIME ROMY, the high-flying tech she-E-O played by Nicole Kidman in Babygirl, sees Samuel (Harris Dickinson), the intern she'll have an affair with, he's bringing an unruly dog to heel. Romy is headed to the office when the overexcited animal gets away from its owner and starts charging down the sidewalk right at her. Then Samuel steps up and summons the dog back in his direction with a show of easy dominance that ends with a caress and the praise "Good girl." The gesture hits Romy like a lightning bolt, but Kidman doesn't act the way you'd expect for a character who has just been poleaxed by desire. Instead, she stares at Dickinson with a shock more befitting someone who's been told they only have a month to live-frozen in place, lips parted, eyes open wide. Kidman may be immaculate in an outfit composed of tasteful pearl-gray layers, looking every bit the successful executive whose domestic life is equally perfect, but the expression on her face in this moment is borderline comical. It's a delightfully off-kilter choice for an erotic meet-cute, emphasizing not the sultriness of the encounter but how stricken Romy is to find herself undone by the sight of a 20-something petting a dog.
This story is from the Dec 2-15, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Dec 2-15, 2024 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
LIFE AS A MILLENNIAL STAGE MOM
A journey into the CUTTHROAT and ADORABLE world of professional CHILD ACTORS.
THE NEXT DRUG EPIDEMIC IS BLUE RASPBERRY FLAVORED
When the Amor brothers started selling tanks of flavored nitrous oxide at their chain of head shops, they didn't realize their brand would become synonymous with the country's burgeoning addiction to gas.
Two Texans in Williamsburg
David Nuss and Sarah Martin-Nuss tried to decorate their house on their own— until they realized they needed help: Like, how do we not just go to Pottery Barn?”
ADRIEN BRODY FOUND THE PART
The Brutalist is the best, most personal work he's done since The Pianist.
Art, Basil
Manuela is a farm-to-table gallery for hungry collectors.
'Sometimes a Single Word Is Enough to Open a Door'
How George C. Wolfein collaboration with Audra McDonald-subtly, indelibly reimagined musical theater's most domineering stage mother.
Rolling the Dice on Bird Flu
Denial, resilience, déjà vu.
The Most Dangerous Game
Fifty years on, Dungeons & Dragons has only grown more popular. But it continues to be misunderstood.
88 MINUTES WITH...Andy Kim
The new senator from New Jersey has vowed to shake up the political Establishment, a difficult task in Trump's Washington.
Apex Stomps In
The $44.6 million mega-Stegosaurus goes on view (for a while) at the American Museum of Natural History.