Kidman Signs Contract for Movie Role

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday July 25, 2001 01:00 PM EDT

In the wake of reports that she was dumped from controversial Danish director Lars von Trier's forthcoming movie, "Dogville," "Nicole Kidman has signed the contract," the $9 million film's producer, Vibeke Vindelv, told Reuters on Wednesday. "I just talked to Lars, and obviously we are both very happy." On Tuesday, reports circulated internationally that Kidman was out, though her reps insisted she was still very much in. "There's things that need to be signed on the dotted line, but she's still doing the film," said Kidman's L.A.-based publicist, Catherine Olim, who explained that the star, 34, was on "a well-deserved holiday having shot three films in a row." (They were "Moulin Rouge," "The Others" and "The Hours.") "She's a very hard worker," Olim said. On Tuesday of this week, the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reported that executives at von Trier's production company, Zentropa, grew frustrated with repeated delays in getting Kidman signed to a contract for the movie, which will be filmed in Sweden. Variety also reported from Copenhagen that negotiations with Kidman had collapsed, prompting producers to seek another actress. "Dogville" is set in a small, American mountain village (but scheduled to be shot on a sound stage in Trollhattan, Sweden). Von Trier's credits also include last year's "Dancer in the Dark" (which starred Icelandic songstress Bjork) and the 1996 drama "Breaking the Waves," both of which were major downers.