Nicole Kidman Reenacted Babygirl’s Divisive Milk Scene

One glass of milk in Babygirl wasn’t enough for Nicole Kidman. The Oscar winner had a win to celebrate at the National Board of Review Awards on Jan. 7, and she marked it by toasting “all of the babygirls in the room” with her character’s preferred beverage. It was an unexpected recreation of one of the erotic thriller’s most controversial moments.

Raising A Glass

Kidman was named the winner of the NBR’s best actress award in December, so when the ceremony rolled around, she was prepared. After giving her acceptance speech, she took a full glass of milk from her Perfect Couple co-star Liev Schreiber, who had presented her with the award. Then she raised her glass, chugged it, and said, “Good girl,” before leaving the stage.

Her reenactment comes from a memorable scene in Babygirl, in which Kidman’s tech CEO character, Romy, is surprised to receive a glass of milk while out at a bar with colleagues. She realizes it’s been sent over by Samuel (Harris Dickinson), her boundary-pushing intern, and decides to drink it all. It was a move that left viewers divided.

“I mean... this is creepy right?” one of the detractors wrote on X. Meanwhile, a member of the opposing camp declared that the scene “had [them] FERAL.”

The Real-Life Inspiration

Some of the milk scene’s buzz stems from the fact that it was inspired by Babygirl screenwriter and director Halina Reijn’s personal life. “It happened to me,” she told IndieWire in December. She explained that it was a brief interaction with a co-star at a bar that didn’t go any further, but it was still “one of the most arousing moments of [her] life.”

“There was this young Belgian actor — I can’t say who it is — but he was famous,” she said. “I knew of him. I’d never spoken to him. He was at least 15 years younger than I, and he ordered me a glass of milk. I thought it was an incredible, hot thing to do, and so courageous, and so I wanted to reward him by drinking the whole thing, and I did.”

Unfortunately for Reijn, the cow’s milk made her feel “a little nauseated,” she admitted. Kidman, on the other hand, was fine with drinking a lot of milk while filming Babygirl.

“I had maybe 20, 30 [glasses], so then they started giving me water with dye in it, but initially it was huge amounts of milk,” she recently told Etalk. “I’m OK with that; I really like milk.”

It’s lucky that the actor isn’t lactose intolerant. With Kidman and Babygirl’s awards season buzz, she might have more celebratory milk to drink in the coming weeks.