EXCLUSIVE Nicole Kidman may be throwing her hat in the Oscar ring for Best Actress. Reports from a secret first ever rough screening last night of “Grace of Monaco” are raves. The movie, directed by Olivier Dahan (“La Vie En Rose”) stars Kidman as Grace Kelly, Tim Roth as Prince Rainier of Monaco, and Frank Langella as Kelly’s priest and confidante.
According to reports I’ve gotten the movie still has “temp” music– meaning the original score hasn’t been attached to it yet. And work is still being done on color, editing, etc. But the performances got the highest praise. Kidman (as you can see in the first teaser below) looks and sounds like Kelly while not being an imitation.
The story sounds interesting too. “Grace of Monaco” isn’t a biopic of Kelly’s whole life. And some of it is impressionistic– Dahan toyed with history to create a fable, say my spies. But it evidently works. It seems that six years into her marriage to Rainier, Kelly was offered the part of “Marnie” by Alfred Hitchcock. She wanted to do it, but at that point Rainier discouraged her return to Hollywood. Plus France was thinking of toppling Rainier and retaking Monaco because he was allowing the principality to become a tax haven for French wealth. To disarm Charles deGaulle, Kelly hosts an international Red Cross ball in Monaco. Kidman is said to be sensational as the Hollywood star turned princess gives the performance of her life.
So watch out. “Grace of Monaco” comes in late November. We already have Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock and Judi Dench on the Best Actress list. If Kidman joins them, all five nominees will be past Oscar winners.
