\n<\/p>\n
Nicole Kidman revealed she is training to become a death\u00a0doula \u2014 a non-medical companion who provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to terminally ill people and their families \u2014 a decision the actress made following her mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide,\u201d Kidman told<\/a>\u00a0her audience during a talk at the University of San Francisco on Saturday,\u00a0according to the\u00a0San Francisco Chronicle<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Dogville<\/em> star acknowledged that the concept of a death\u00a0doula \u201csounds a little weird,\u201d but she explained that her desire to become one is derived from the profound grief she experienced since her mother\u2019s death in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cBetween my sister and I, we have so many children and our careers and our work, and wanting to take care of her because my father wasn\u2019t in the world anymore, and that\u2019s when I went, \u2018I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care,’\u201d the 58-year-old continued.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s part of my expansion and one of the things I will be learning,\u201d\u00a0the\u00a0Moulin Rouge!<\/em> star added.<\/p>\n Kidman reportedly\u00a0announced her new career path while speaking at a sold-out event at\u00a0War Memorial Gym, an athletic venue on the University of San Francisco campus, as part of the school\u2019s Silk Speaker Series.<\/p>\n A death\u00a0doula\u00a0is an \u201cend\u2011of\u2011life\u201d and non-medical companion \u201cwho\u00a0provides personalized and compassionate support to individuals, families, and their circles of care as they encounter and navigate death, loss, and mortality,\u201d according to the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cAn end-of-life doula advocates self-determination and imparts psychosocial, emotional, spiritual, and practical care to empower dignity throughout the dying process,\u201d the\u00a0INELDA adds.<\/p>\n Kidman is not the only Hollywood figure to turn their focus to becoming a death doula.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, filmmaker\u00a0Chlo\u00e9 Zhao \u2014 the director of\u00a0Hamnet<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 told<\/a> the New York Times<\/em> that she is interested in becoming a death doula \u201cBecause I\u00a0have been terrified of death my whole life. I still am. And because I\u2019ve been so afraid I haven\u2019t been able to live fully.\u201d<\/p>\n Zhao explained that \u201cwhen you\u2019re in\u00a0your 40s, a midlife crisis is the best thing that can happen to you, because you\u2019re on your way to a rebirth. You can\u2019t run from this feeling. Your body is changing, and you can feel death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd because I\u2019m so scared of it, I have no choice but to start to develop a healthier relationship with it, or the second half of life would be too hard,\u201d she added. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be this terrifying that I can\u2019t even live.\u201d<\/p>\n Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her\u00a0on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and X at\u00a0@ARmastrangelo<\/a>, and on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n