Nicole Kidman Plays an Eerie Wellness Guru in Byron Bay-Shot Miniseries 'Nine Perfect Strangers'

The eight-part series also features Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Asher Keddie and 'The Good Place' star Manny Jacinto.
Sarah Ward
April 27, 2021

In one of her most memorable performances of the past decade, Nicole Kidman turned villainous, playing a not-so-friendly taxidermist who'd like to add a certain marmalade-loving bear to her collection. That was in the delightful Paddington, and she has stepped into plenty of other parts over the last ten years, too — in Stoker, Grace of Monaco, Lion, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Beguiled, Destroyer, Boy Erased, Aquaman and Bombshell, just to name a few — but it seems that the Australian actor is getting a little creepy again in her next miniseries role.

As the just-dropped first teaser trailer shows, Nine Perfect Strangers casts Kidman as a wellness guru. She's unlikely to leave anyone feeling relaxed, though. Her character Masha oversees a resort that promises to transform nine city dwellers — but, although the sneak peek so far is brief, you can bet that things aren't going to turn out as planned for the show's titular figures.

If the name sounds familiar, there are two reasons for that. Firstly, Nine Perfect Strangers is based on a 2018 novel of the same title, which was penned by Liane Moriarty. She also wrote Big Little Lies, which was also turned into a Kidman-starring TV series. Secondly, Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed in Byron Bay in the latter half of 2020, and received plenty of attention over that period given its star-studded lineup.

Also set to feature in the new eight-part series: Melissa McCarthy (Thunder Force), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Luke Evans (Crisis), Bobby Cannavale (Superintelligence), Regina Hall (Little), Samara Weaving (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Melvin Gregg (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Asher Keddie (Rams), Grace Van Patten (Under the Silver Lake), Tiffany Boone (The Midnight Sky) and Manny Jacinto (The Good Place).

As with Big Little Lies — and with The Undoing, too, another of Kidman's recent projects — David E Kelley (LA Law, Ally McBeal, Mr Mercedes) is leading the charge behind the scenes. He's the show's co-writer and co-showrunner, with Long Shot's Jonathan Levine directing every episode.

Exactly when Nine Perfect Strangers will start airing is yet to be revealed, but it'll stream via Hulu in the US — with details of how folks will be able to watch it Down Under also yet to be advised.

And yes, Byron Bay seems to be quite the TV hub at the moment, given that Stan's upcoming mystery-drama series Eden also shot in the area, and that Netflix is working on a docu-soap about Byron Bay influencers.

Check out the teaser trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers below:

Nine Perfect Strangers doesn't yet have an air date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.

Published on April 27, 2021 by Sarah Ward
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