The significance of the ‘milk scene’ in Halina Reijn-directed ‘Babygirl’ explored as Nicole Kidman recreates it at the NBR Awards

Actress Nicole Kidman received the award for Best Actress at the National Board of Review Awards on Tuesday for her role in Babygirl. Kidman oded the popular 'milk scene' in the movie by reenacting the scene.

"To all of the babygirls in the room," said the actress before chugging the glass of milk.

Nicole Kidman finished her speech by saying,

"Good girl!"

The movie Babygirl is about Romy Mathis, played by Nicole Kidman, a CEO of a tech company who starts an extramarital affair with a much younger intern, Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson.

The milk scene is significant for its sensuality. Samuel, the 25-year-old intern, orders a glass of milk for Romy at the bar. As the man stares at Romy across the bar, teasing and daring her to drink the milk, she hesitates for a moment before chugging the glass of milk while maintaining intense eye contact with her lover.

After Romy, the mother of two daughters drinks the milk, Samuel goes behind her and teasingly whispers, "Good girl," as he slowly walks away.

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The significance of the 'milk scene' in Nicole Kidman's Babygirl

Critics consider the erotic thriller Babygirl, directed by Halina Reijn, one of the best movies of 2024.

The reserved Romy, who grew up in a cult, is deeply unsatisfied with her relationship with her husband. In the milk scene, Nicole Kidman portrays a middle-aged woman's suppressed desires and conflicting emotions regarding her secret affair.

Fans enjoyed the intense on-screen chemistry between Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, and the scene became one of the movie's highlights.

Los Angeles Premiere Of A24's "Babygirl" - Arrivals - Source: Getty

The writer and director of the movie, Halina Reijn, told IndieWire in an interview in December 2024 that the milk scene is based on a real-life experience,

“The milk is, of course, an archetype. We’ve seen it in other movies. It is a great symbol of animalistic sides of ourselves. It happened to me.”

Reijn, also an actress, was acting in Belgium at the time. She said,

"I went to a bar, and I ordered something boring like a Diet Coke because I didn’t drink at that time because I was a control freak. There was this young Belgian actor — I can’t say who it is — but he was famous. I knew of him. I’d never spoken to him. He was at least 15 years younger than I, and he ordered me a glass of milk."

The director expressed that she was surprised and flattered by this. She continued,

"I thought it was an incredible, hot thing to do, and so courageous, and so I wanted to reward him by drinking the whole thing, and I did. It did make me a little nauseated, to be honest with you, because it was cow milk. It was back in the day."

She pointed out that the actor did not say "Good girl" to her, and they did not have a s*xual interaction after that.

Reijn also shared in the same interview that the movie is inspired by her friend's married life, "who was in a 25-year marriage and had never had an orgasm with her husband." Reijn shared her thought process by saying,

"I don’t want to be strange and awkward and weird and authentic. And then, on the other hand, all I want is to be authentic. That kind of conflict in any human being — where you want to do what society expects you to do, but yet you want to be your strange and unique self — that is at the core of this movie."

Reijn also said she did not expect Nicole Kidman to accept this role. She praised the actress for never having any issues while filming and communicating openly with her, wanting to depict Romy as authentically as possible.

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Nicole Kidman toast at the NBR Awards garnered significant attention during the evening.