Nicole Kidman Found It ‘Exhausting’ Having to Reassure Keith Urban About Her Steamy Sex Scenes

Nicole Kidman’s explicit onscreen love scenes were one of the major dealbreakers in her marriage to Keith Urban, sources tell Globe.

But now the Babygirl star, 58, is leaning into her sensual side and looking forward to getting her cougar on with more projects like Practical Magic 2 and the upcoming Big Little Lies season 3, sources say.

And insiders say she’s relishing rubbing her 58-year-old Aussie ex’s face in all her new va-va-voom roles.

“Keith made it clear he wasn’t comfortable with the sexual side of her projects, even if he never said outright she should stop working,” an insider says. “He worried about how it looked, and he hated the idea of other men touching her, even if it was acting. Nicole kept trying to reassure him, but it got exhausting.”

Although she didn’t want a divorce, she has a huge sense of relief that she no longer has to tiptoe around Keith’s feelings.

“Her close friends all saw the toll it took on her and they’re quietly rejoicing she’s finally free of him,” says a source. “They want to see her fully step into her power. The fact that she’s still playing complex, sensual women in her 50s is something to be celebrated and she needs a partner who recognizes that and is man enough to handle it.”

As her 19-year marriage was ending, her team sent a loud and clear message to industry colleagues — Nicole would be continuing to make boundary-pushing movies and series and was still open to risqué roles.

“This approach is working for her and she’s not going to let anybody rain on her parade or stop her from using her voice and her body in unexpected ways,” says the insider.

“If anything, the end of her marriage to Keith means there are even fewer limits on what she is willing to do for the sake of a juicy role, and she still wants nothing more than to keep topping herself.”

According to our insider, “Knowing Nicole, the projects she picks going forward are going to push the boundaries even more, and without Keith holding her back, she can be as bold as she wants to be.”