Nicole Kidman Gives the People What We Want

When it comes to viral moments, Nicole Kidman does not disappoint.

On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actor walked in Balenciaga‘s haute couture show in Paris, donning a one-shoulder silver gown with a dramatic train and black opera gloves. Movie stars have long been a standard feature at the top fashion shows, whether on the runway or in front-row seats. But Kidman, who walked alongside other famous faces like Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa, and Selling Sunset personality Christine Quinn, became an instant standout out for one reason in particular: her distinctive gait.

Moving through the venue, Kidman slowly and carefully lifts up each foot and extends it outward, her exaggerated runway walk presumably the result of her unorthodox heels and commanding train. In the many clips of the actor that have since gone viral, her mincing walk is punctuated by foreboding music. It’s clear that this is a moment.

Kidman has been well-established in the uppermost echelons of Hollywood for the greater part of three decades, with her roles in television and film garnering her awards from the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Golden Globes. Simultaneously, she has also become one of the internet’s the greatest joys. See: the complete obsession with Kidman’s commercial for AMC, in which she recites an impassioned monologue about the sanctity of cinema to an empty movie theater.

“We come to this place for magic,” Kidman says with reverence in the ad. The same could be said about why the denizens of the internet return again and again to the many viral moments of Nicole Kidman.

As in her extensive filmography, there’s a Nicole Kidman moment for every mood and every situation: Nicole Kidman clapping her hands like a seal at the Oscars is a shorthand for showing your wry approval on Twitter. Nicole Kidman on the cover of Vanity Fair in the most notorious low-rise mini skirt known to humanity becomes a cheeky avatar for the vibe shift. Nicole Kidman eating bugs with chopsticks taps into your sick affinity for clickbait. Nicole Kidman celebrating her divorce from Tom Cruise transforms into a meme of ultimate release. Nicole Kidman assuring you that “somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this” becomes the internet’s favorite new catchphrase and the inspiration for a lot of really good merch.

Here is a woman we can rely on to always deliver, whether that’s prestige television or an earnest missive, a good laugh or a good meme. Kidman knows what the people want, and she’s more than happy to oblige.