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Nicole Kidman's Emotional Emmys Speech Bore A Poignant Message

She said she was doing it for her young daughters.
Nicole Kidman at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, Sept. 17, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
Mike Blake / Reuters
Nicole Kidman at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, Sept. 17, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

The actors, writers and producers at the Emmys had plenty to say about politics this year, but there was still room for other important messages to break through.

In accepting her Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie, Nicole Kidman talked about the difficulties of being a working parent.

"I also am a mother and a wife. I have two little girls, Sunday and Faith, and my darling Keith, who I ask to help me pursue this artistic path and they have to sacrifice so much it," she said as she came to the conclusion of her speech.

"So, this is yours, I want my little girls to have this on their shelf and to look at it and go, 'Every time my momma didn't put me to bed, it was because of this, I got something!'"

She also chose to highlight the very real problem of domestic violence, a problem faced by the character she plays in "Big Little Lies."

She also chose to highlight the very real problem of domestic violence, a problem faced by the character she plays in "Big Little Lies," for which she won the award.

"Also, I want [my daughters] to know sometimes when you're acting, you get a chance to bring a bigger message ... this is their contribution and your contribution.

"We shine a light on domestic abuse. It is a complicated and insidious disease. It exists far more than we allow ourselves to know. It is filled with shame and secrecy. And by you acknowledging me with this award, it shines a light on it even more."

Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Premiere Of HBO's 'Big Little Lies' at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 7, 2017 in Hollywood. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Premiere Of HBO's 'Big Little Lies' at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 7, 2017 in Hollywood. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)

The show, which is centred around the lives of women and mothers in an upscale California suburb, takes a nuanced and much-applauded perspective on what domestic violence looks like between Kidman's character, Celeste, and her husband, Perry, played by Alexander Skarsgård (who also won an Emmy for his role).

During Celeste's first solo therapy session, she tells the counsellor, "We both become violent sometimes, I take my share of the blame. I'm not a victim here."

As the show progresses, her therapist pushes her to confront the reality of her situation, with scenes that real-life therapists praised for their accuracy.

"[The therapist] does a good job of very gently reflecting what she's seeing — she's echoing or repeating back words that the client is using," Alice Hawley Long, a marriage and family therapist, told New York magazine. "Or when [Celeste] is equivocating — Oh, it's not a big deal — the therapist keeps coming back to, No, this will happen again, he will hurt you again, you need to have a plan. That is perfect protocol for working with clients who may be being abused."

So a show that superficially looks like it's full of A-list stars driving around a beautiful coast has deeper messages to teach audiences? Perhaps in 2017, primetime television has finally figured out how to educate and entertain us all at once.

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