The 46-year-old was just nominated for her first Tony Award for her role as Norma in Sunset Blvd. The Broadway musical is based on a movie of the same name and follows Norma, a former silent film star, clinging to hopes of a comeback.
Both Nicole and the show’s director, Jamie Lloyd, spoke to People in a new interview about the multihyphenate’s “insecurities.” Noting that the production utilizes “close-range cameras,” the director said, “Early on Nicole told me, ‘You can’t put the camera on my right side, because the right side of my face is mediocre.'”
Calling it a “ridiculous statement” from someone who is “incredibly beautiful from all angles,” Jamie said that she continued to try and hide her right side during rehearsals. “Look, there can be no ego here. There can be none of this nonsense at all,” he recalled telling her. “This is not about making sure that you look beautiful. In fact, sometimes you’re going to have to look really deliberately monstrous and get into the viscera and the dark side of humanity — blood and bodily fluids and all.”
The final production does include shots of her right side. Nicole herself said, “I’ve had to just chip away at my insecurities, at my ego, at my fears. You can’t have any vanity when you’re just pretty much laying it all out on the line, with the worst lighting and snot laying down your face. I’m obviously not wearing any costumes, I’m barefoot, I’ve got a camera on me with a 65-ft. screen. It’s a bit scary.”
In fact, Nicole was apparently “not flattered” to have been initially suggested for the role in the first place. However, as it’s paid off, Nicole said, “I have grown so much in so many ways, and I’ve healed so much. I’m forced to look at these insecurities and these fears every night within this character, that I’m getting in tune with and in touch with. And because of that, in a weird way, it’s healed a lot of my stuff in the past issues that I’ve had.”