THERE is no doubting Nicole Kidman's commitment to her career. Despite the trials and tribulations in her private life over the past couple of years, the statuesque redhead hasn't let up on her workload one bit. In fact, the 36-year-old Australian has probably been busier than ever.
 Kidman says she's simply taking advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that are coming her way, like the Oscar-winning role as Virginia Woolf in The Hours. "It's an acceptance that, being an actress, someone who absolutely loves what she does, I'm dedicated to it," she declares. "It really doesn't feel like work to me; I see it as something that I have to do." However, shooting the American Civil War drama Cold Mountain in the freezing, flood-hit wilds of Romania last year did test her dedication to her craft. Kidman says of the $75m production, directed by screenwriter Anthony Minghella of The English Patient fame: "It was a tough shoot - it wasn't exactly Little House on the Prairie." With a title like Cold Mountain, perhaps this was to be expected. Based on Charles Frazier's epic novel, Kidman plays Ada, an aristocratic Southern belle who finds herself running a remote farm in the North Carolina mountains with no men around. Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary) plays a tough rural gal who moves in to help, while British actor Jude Law plays Inman, who is her Confederate soldier love-interest. It was an eye-catching role that fell in to her lap, says the actress. "It fell before me by chance but it's a story that makes you ache. It evokes a sense of longing, which is hard to do." Following her high-profile divorce from Tom Cruise, Kidman says the part of Ada was a welcome change after doing three dark roles in The Hours, Lars Von Trier's Dogville, and The Human Stain. "I think I needed it. It's lovely to be making a film about love at this time in my life," she says. Her character also goes through a wonderful journey of self-discovery, from corseted beauty to can-do farmer, which appealed to the elegant actress. "At first she's like a doll, not built to take care of herself, and she makes this huge progression. I also loved the female friendship in this movie." It was a complicated film to get made, with several major changes, including Tom Cruise first being down to play the soldier, then dropping out to be replaced by Law. MINGHELLA says he wanted dedicated professionals who wouldn't burden a difficult shoot with star demands. "If you're making a film like Cold Mountain and setting out on a tough journey, you need to pick your companions very carefully," he explains. In his adaptation of the novel, he builds on Ada's struggle and Inman's journey back to her and Cold Mountain. Rumours of hot off-screen goings-on between the divorced Kidman and Law (who has since divorced from Sadie Frost) have been downplayed by the mother-of-two. "Nothing gets crossed over into our personal lives," Kidman says of the pair's on-screen romance. She is now being linked while musician Lenny Kravitz while Law has been dating 20-year-old British actress Sienna Miller. * COLD Mountain opens on Boxing Day, December 26 | 
