Kidman Shells Out $35,000 for Monthly Rent

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/09/2004 at 03:00 PM EDT

As Manhattan real-estate prices continue to climb, The Stepford Wives star Nicole Kidman is stepping into palatial new digs – as a renter.

True, the Oscar winner has a new $8 million loft in Greenwich Village that she has yet to occupy – her spot in architect Richard Meier's tower is reportedly not yet finished – so she'll be taking up luxurious space in a more than 4,000-sq.-ft. three bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom residence in nearby SoHo, the New York Observer reports.

Her monthly rent: $35,000.

The new place reportedly features such enviable features as 12-ft. ceilings and an active fireplace. And it's not too far from where Kidman, 35, was renting Lenny Kravitz's triplex last year.

A spokesman for the star declined comment on any real-estate transactions.

In May, there were reports that Kidman was looking to live further uptown, in trendy Chelsea's London Terrace, though it appears she will remain downtown.

As for whether she will ever move into the Meier complex (where fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman is already subletting an apartment, also for $35,000 a month) that remains to be seen. Residents reportedly are upset that their views may be compromised by the building of an adjacent new tower.