Nicole Kidman knows that she seems an unlikely choice to play a Washington, D.C. mover and shaker in charge of the global tracking of stolen nuclear weapons. But casting the red-headed knockout in The Peacemaker isn't actually that far-fetched: by a happy coincidence, the real-life National Security Council operative who inspired Kidman's role is a youngish, attractive woman named Jessica Stern. "When I first read the script," recalls Kidman, "I wondered, 'Are people going to believe me in this?' And then I met Jessica and I thought, 'Of course.' I liked the idea of breaking that stereotype--she's very strong and capable and smart, yet she's sensitive and soft."

Though The Peacemaker was inspired by real-life events, Stern never did get into the kind of scrapes that Kidman does in the movie, which include a dazzlingly staged Mercedes getaway that becomes a jousting match with three BMWs and a breathless chase through Manhattan's crowded streets as a terrorist runs to detonate a nuclear warhead at the United Nations. The thriller plays like a frenzied Tom Clancy adventure, with George Clooney filling the Jack Ryan role.

For the tall actress, this latest offering in her go-go career comes one year after a detour into costume drama, with Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady, and probably at least a year before the release of her next film--the still-filming, ultra-secret thriller Eyes Wide Shut, for legendary recluse Stanley Kubrick.

When Kidman met Mr. Showbiz at Los Angeles' Century City Tower Hotel, she was elegantly dressed--aside from her bare feet--in a black V-neck sweater and black skirt, and a lovely pair of antique emerald drop earrings. In person, she radiates a fun, mischievous sweetness that makes it difficult not to envy Tom Cruise or her co-workers. (No wonder Kubrick has extended the Eyes Wide Shut shoot to nearly a year.) What's most unusual about a conversation with Kidman is precisely what's missing: she isn't at all wary, defensive, cautious, or hesitant--the qualities that often seem to be part and parcel of a star's life.

"How often do you get to crash a Mercedes--and not have to worry whether you're insured or not? That was really fun."

When I last saw you, at the Venice Film Festival a year ago, you were about to start rehearsal on Eyes Wide Shut . . . and you're still shooting with Stanley Kubrick. Of course, you probably can't tell us anything about it . . .
Noooo . . .

C'mon. What can you say about it?
I can tell you we're still shooting. That's no secret! [Laughs.] We'll be on nine months. But we've had two months off--we had a huge break at Christmas and at Easter.

And what is the film about?
It's about sexual obsession and jealousy. [Laughs, because this is the only phrase condoned by Kubrick to describe the film.]

Has your experience with Kubrick been worth all the time you've spent? Would you tell another actor your war stories, and then say go ahead and do it, work with him?
Oh, absolutely. You do it for as long as he wants to shoot. Yeah, it's absolutely worth it. I love working with him. I said to him the other day, "It's going to be so sad when we've finished, I won't get to see you every day. You're like my dad."

You really just relax into it. You can't fight it, you just go with it. That's the key. And also, things could be a lot worse than making a Kubrick movie. It really is a great honor to be able to talk to him and find out little things. And the way in which he works is so unique. And extraordinary. I really feel very privileged.

Has it helped that it's you and Tom working together?
Oh yeah, I think it would have been more difficult if one of us had been doing it and the other was still trying to find another job. That would have been tough.

Okay, okay, we'll get to The Peacemaker now. George Clooney, who's a notorious prankster on his sets, says he didn't play pranks on you during the shoot.
No. He was very good to me. He was a gentleman. But he was a forced gentleman, I made him be a gentleman. I said, "If you do something to me, I will pool all my resources and make sure that I do something that's ten times worse than anything you could ever think of"--and he was scared. [Smiles.] He'll say that he wasn't. But he was! He said, "Okay, we'll have a truce."

What was your plan, in case he really did pull something?
There was a time when there were all these female weightlifters that were in Bratislava when we were filming there. I was going to ask them before we left to go into his trailer and all be in bikinis. But then I thought if I did that, then I started it and I broke the truce and then it's all over.

He said when he was walking around Bratislava with you and Tom during filming, everyone thought he was your bodyguard.
That is not true! He's exaggerating.

But it's such a good story . . .
All right, you can have it. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yup!

George also said that you were coming off of the Portrait of a Lady shoot, with Jane Campion, where you did fifty takes, and he was used to doing three.
He's such a liar! [Laughs.] I do like to do a lot of takes--"Oh, I'd like to try something else," "I just thought of something else!" "Why don't we do it like this?" And he'd be like, "I'm finished--no, no, we don't want to do anymore." But we would laugh, and he was right there for me. They did laugh on the set because George is three takes and I'm twenty-five: "Let's exhaust this until we've tried it every possible way."

You've worked with two Batmen now, Clooney and Kilmer . . .
I have. Don't ask me which one's better. I've got to be a diplomat, I like them all.

There's one line in Peacemaker that's just delicious. Clooney comes in and you say, "Want coffee?" and he says yes and you say, "Go get it."
I know! It was a good thing to say to him. I wanted to make sure George took orders from a woman. It was nice to be able to say it--not that he would ever listen, right? He'd always disagree. [Smiles.]

There's an amazing action sequence that begins in a high-security mansion's office, zips down to the street as you and George make your getaway, then escalates to a chase to the death when the two of you, in a Mercedes, are pursued by killers in three BMWs. It's an amazing piece of kinetic filmmaking, and some pretty intensive car carnage. How was that to film?
George loved doing that. How often do you get to crash a Mercedes--and not have to worry whether you're insured or not? [Claps her hands above her head like a cheerleader, squeals with delight.] Harder, harder, hit the BMW harder! The car's crashing--that's a kid's dream. That was really fun. I was holding onto the seat belt the whole time.

And what was it like doing this big, explosive action picture and seeing Mimi Leder, a woman, sitting there directing? Was it any different?
It was just fantastic seeing her! This was her first film and she just got out there and had such confidence. And the pace of the film. When I sat down to watch it, I was amazed at how fast the thing moves--and I know the story. She's really good.

"When I was doing my research for the film, I realized how many nuclear weapons exist in the world and that was astounding."

The premise of The Peacemaker is horribly real. A terrorist could really put a nuclear device in his backpack, walk into the U.N. and detonate it. Did you sleep a little uneasily while you were filming this?
They do ignite fear, don't they? The thing I liked about the script was it was plausible, it wasn't so far-fetched that this could never happen. It's something we're all concerned about. If not nuclear weapons, any sort of terrorism is terrifying. When I was doing my research for the film, I realized how many nuclear weapons exist in the world and that was astounding. That's what I liked about the film: You were dealing with something that was topical.

What was your toughest thing to do for Peacemaker, outside of taking George Clooney seriously sometimes?
The technical jargon. Because I have this thing about being able to understand everything I say, so you really know what you're saying. There was a lot of stuff; I worked with a nuclear physics expert so I'd understand it and occasionally be able to improvise a little bit, if it was needed. I'd look at the technical advisor after a scene that I'd run a few technical lines in and see a nod.

Is the family planning a holiday when--if?--you finish Kubrick's film?
We're planning to go hiking in Nepal, and just put the kids on our back.
 

But aren't you the one that got lost on a mountain in Italy last summer? Poor Tom, he must be--
He is worried. But no, I've done a lot of other hikes. That was just bad luck. [Laughs.] That was one out of fifty. When we're in England we like to go hiking in the Lake District. It's beautiful and so lush.

Where do you stay up there?
We just stay in a guest house. We take the kids and stay in a guest house. I had a week off from the film so I took a poetry course up there. I went to Wordsworth's cottage, and to be able to do those walks and see those vistas that inspired some of the great poems of all time. They really are breathtaking. It's a long trip [from London], but worth going.

This is sort of a personal question, but how are you dealing with Rosie O'Donnell's obsession with your husband?
I love it. I like when women are obsessed with Tom. [Laughs.] No, she's really cool. She's a great girl and I have actually done her show. George and I are going to be doing it together. She said to me, "Will you sing?" and I said, "You don't want to hear me sing."

Is Tom cool with the Rosie thing?
Oh yeah, he thinks it's sweet. We've known her for quite a while. I love that little button she pushes on her show: "Tommy, can you hear me?" It makes me laugh! I need one of those at home.

So what does Rosie want to know about Tom that she can't ask you on the air?
I think she's asked everything. When he went on the show, I said, "Make sure you give her a kiss." I like it, it's been so sweet. And she's been so supportive of all his movies and she's been a good friend.

When you went on the show the first time, didn't she pretend to be mad at you?
Yeah, she was cute. I played along for her but it was fun. She says she wants him to live in her house, wear an Armani suit, and walk around and do chores.

Mow the lawn?
I wish he'd do that for me. He won't do it in an Armani suit, but he's mowed the lawn a few times. He's a great cook too.

What does he cook mostly?
Italian food. We've been in Europe a long time and it's rubbed off. That's one of our great things: a glass of wine and to cook together, it's a lot of fun.

Isn't Eyes Wide Shut the first time you and Tom have worked together since Far and Away? Is that kind of a treat?
It is. We rarely get to explore each other in a different way. It's been six years, and we probably won't work together again for a long time, so we're relishing it.

Do you know what you're going to do next?
I have no idea, and I'm so glad to be able to say that. But there's been talk of working with Ang Lee on Berlin Diaries; it's set in World War II and is an epic love story.

Will you miss being in London when the Eyes Wide Shut shoot is over?
You know, there's something really wonderful to be able to say, "Let's get the children and take the Chunnel to Paris for the weekend." That is just glorious. It's wonderful having access to so many different countries in such close vicinity. That is something I'll really miss. You can go to the Lake District, to Ireland, you can fly to Spain in two hours, to Italy in two and a half. And we've done it all!

Is Kubrick's film the deepest you've ever gone with a movie?
Oh, I don't know. I have to wait and see it. I loved working on Portrait of a Lady, too, and even though the film had a mixed reception, I'm still very proud of that film. Certainly, Stanley challenges us. But I'll have to see it first. You can't talk about a film until it's finished because it's such a unique process. You can think you're making something, and you see it and it's completely different.