Inside Nicole Kidman’s Low-Key Life: ‘She’s Happiest’ at Home With Husband Keith Urban and Daughters

Whether it’s a daring cutout dress at the Country Music Awards or a custom Chanel tulle number at the Met Gala, Nicole Kidman almost always finds herself on the best dressed list following a major event. But in a new interview with Elle, the Big Little Lies star, 56, reveals she’s thrilled to skip the posh afterparties.

“I want to get out, take my dress off and put my jammies on,” she says. “It’s kind of like the opposite of Cinderella — I’m happy to go home and just go back to me. I’m like, ‘I need to go home now. I’m very tired. I want to get warm, and I want to curl up, and I want to feel real.’”

Shockingly, that’s the norm for the glamorous Oscar winner.

“There’s no doubt that Nicole is a movie star, but given all of her success, she’s surprisingly down-to-earth,” says an insider, who adds Nicole is most comfortable relaxing with her husband of 18 years, Keith Urban, and their daughters, Sunday, 15, and Faith, 13, in their Nashville home. “That’s where she’s happiest. As soon as she’s home from filming on location, she feels like she can relax and breathe easier.”

And the 2,000 miles from Nashville to LA might as well be 2 million. “Nicole doesn’t even showcase her Academy Award. I believe her mother still has it in Sydney,” the source says. “She’s good at keeping any reminders of her Hollywood life out of her Tennessee home.”

But Nicole doesn’t simply veg out in Tennessee. She and Keith, 56, visit local hospitals and help with area drives and school events.

“I like being a part of something not about my work, not about who I am,” Nicole says. “Just a citizen who’s in the world. And my kids love that, too, when I do that.”

She’s tickled that their home is the go-to hangout for her kids and their pals.

“I love teenage girls,” she says. “I marvel at that age group and what they’re dealing with, but also their ability to handle so much.”

Of course, she and Keith also host get-togethers for their friends — even if Nic doesn’t do the cooking.

“She admits to making a mean grilled cheese, but that’s about it,” says the insider. “She leaves the cooking to Keith. He loves being in the kitchen with the girls. He’s perfected comfort dishes like fried chicken and biscuits.”

If they want to hit the town, that’s easy enough, too. “Nicole loves everything about her community,” says the insider. “She loves going into town where no one really bothers her. She loves living out of the spotlight!”