KEITH TELLS NICOLE I WANT TO BE YOUR NEXT LEADING MAN!'

He's sick of playing second fiddle to a string of hunky co-stars

As Nicole Kidman swept into the Venice Film Festival in à a stunning couture Schiaparelli gown to spruik her erotic thriller Babygirl, her most "exposing" film yet, it was clear she couldn't have been prouder that at 57 she's still pushing the boundaries in the cinematic world.

LEFT IN THE COLD

The film, directed by Halina Reijn, sees Nicole play Romy, a powerful New York executive who embarks on a steamy affair with an intern played by Harris Dickinson.

And even Nicole, who got a seven-minute standing ovation for her performance, finds the steamy sex scenes confronting.

"This is something you do and hide in your home videos," she tells Vanity Fair.

According to insiders, the Oscar buzz around the film is already driving her husband Keith Urban to distraction.