Nicole Kidman turns 50 with vow to 'live with abandon of a 21-year-old'

The actress said she is happy to have hit the milestone birthday and feels her career is as healthy as ever, with a nomination at this year's Oscars for her role in Lion and critical acclaim for her TV series Big Little Lies.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, she said of turning 50: "It feels sort of like an accomplishment.

"But I still try to conduct myself with the abandon of a 21-year-old.

"It's been a wonderful year for me. Things work in mysterious ways, right? And I'm just thankful to have been given all this in the year I turn 50."

Big Little Lies is a darkly comic TV adaptation of Liane Moriarty's book about a group of school mums which Kidman co-produced with Reese Witherspoon.

The pair also star in the series, alongside Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern.

Kidman said: "Big Little Lies came about because Reese and I were frustrated that we weren't being offered complex, interesting roles.

"So we found this book and said 'Let's get this made'. And we created our own opportunities and then gave our girlfriends roles.

"For it to have been such a success was astounding because we thought 'Well, this will hit a small demographic of women who have kids at school', but it penetrated.

"I'm astounded at the way in which this series has worked globally. It's like being in a massive hit film."

Kidman and Witherspoon are looking at a second series, and the Australian actress said: "If we can match what we did before we would be foolish not to try and put it all back together.

"If there's a way to take these women's lives further, it would be interesting and so lovely if we could do it."

However, Kidman admitted not all of her starring roles have been such hits, including the widely-panned Grace Of Monaco from 2014.

She said: "I have fallen off the cliff a few times."

She said she likes to throw her weight behind up-and-coming filmmakers to champion new talent.

"I love auteurs. I love the directors that have a really strong vision.

"And I like supporting first-time filmmakers because it's a great thing at this stage of my life, now I have some sort of power, to be able to support and facilitate someone's career."