30. ‘Flirting’ (1991)
One of Kidman’s very last performances in an Australian film before she fully blew up in the States, ‘Flirting’ features the actor in one of the few real supporting roles of her career. Most of the wonderful teen dramedy from director John Duigan centers around Noah Taylor (playing the same character from Duigan’s 1987 movie ‘The Year My Voice Broke’) and Thandiwe Newton as two star-crossed teens at a boarding school. Kidman ably steps into the prissy prefect role to play third-year Nicola, who is assigned to look after Newton’s rebellious Ugandan transfer student. It could be a thankless role, but Kidman finds unexpected layers of warmth within it, conveying a secret admiration for her charge that sweetens an already moving and sensitive film. It’s a full demonstration of how capable Kidman was from very early on in her career. —WC