Photo: Tim Vickers

Nicole Kidman is an icon to so many of us. From her impressive roster of acting roles in films like Lion to the small screen in Big Little Lies and a longtime ambassadorship with Neutrogena, Kidman remains as one of the biggest names in Hollywood. She’s also a major source of inspiration to women all over, thanks to her advocacy for equal rights and offering a fresh perspective on the subject of age.

Who could forget her powerful speech at this year's SAG Awards in January? "Twenty years ago, we were pretty washed up by this stage in our lives, so that's not the case now. We have proven, and these actresses and so many more are proving that we are potent and powerful and viable," she told millions of viewers. She thanked the women who paved the way for this change, including Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, and Jessica Lange who were all fellow nominees and actresses for decades. Kidman has made her stance clear; women are inspiring a serious change and ageism should not interfere with anyone's success.

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At 51 years old, Kidman has defied the logic that a woman has a shelf life, whether it’s in the limelight or elsewhere. We caught up with the award-winning actress at our #EverydayIsASunday event with Neutrogena in Los Angeles this past weekend to discuss how she’s beat the pressures of aging in a society that seems to only embrace youth.

On the topic of age, Kidman shared what she would tell her 20 year old self, now that’s grown into one of the most successful actresses of our time with a career that is still taking off.

Photos: Time Vickers

“I would just say that there’s a long life ahead. Take care of yourself and know that you will make it to the age of 50 and beyond and you don’t have to worry so much,” she said. But growing up in Australia as someone who was born in the states, she felt hat she had a hybrid identity that made her different.

She had big dreams and aspirations and knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an actress, but didn’t know what her future was going to look like. “I would go and do photo shoots and go out for auditions, and they would tell me: “when you’re older you’ll be really pretty,” and at 14 years old I didn’t know what that meant,” she explained. “I was that kid with curly hair and was 5’11” at 14 years old, and I hadn’t grown into who I was,” she continued.

“To them, I would say: “Don’t say that to me,” because it was a really weird thing to hear because it sort of took away my confidence in a way when I was younger.” But, in the end, she would tell herself at twenty that it’s all going to be okay.

By: Andrea Navarro