Nicole Kidman has spoken about her nerves as she makes her return to the stage after nearly two decades away. The Oscar winner is starring in Photograph 51 on London’s West End, playing Rosalind Franklin, the female scientist who helped discover of DNA.

Nicole KidmanKidman at the press night for Photograph 51.

Speaking to Interview magazine from London Kidman said, "Well, I'm over here on this play and I'm terrified-terrified and exhilarated because I've got to make this incredibly acerbic, prickly woman real and vulnerable.”

“You've got to feel her motivation. You've got to understand her. I've got to make that work. And there's no interval. It's a 95-minute play. And I haven't done that for 17 years. It's a whole different ballgame,” Kidman added.

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Kidman’s last stage appearance came in 1998, when she appeared in The Blue Room, which first played on the West End before moving to Broadway. As to why she agreed to make her stage return for Photograph 51, Kidman said, "I've come back to London to do this play, because I love the actors here. I feel very comfortable here.”

The actress also spoke about feeling inspired after seeing Bradley Cooper in The Elephant Man. "I just saw Bradley Cooper, Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola in The Elephant Man, and it's incredibly inspiring," Kidman said.

“It was beautiful. Standing ovation. I had tears running down my cheek. These are some of the finest actors in the world up there treading the boards.”

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The actress was also helped by fellow star Laura Linney, who assured her she was making the right choice with the project. "Laura Linney said it to me. I told her, 'I'm really scared.' She said, 'It's good, honest work.' And the simplicity of that really resonated. It's so nice to be doing honest work,” Kidman added.

Photograph 51 is currently running at London's Noel Coward Theatre and is scheduled to continue until November 5th. Kidman’s full interview with director Lee Daniels appears in this month’s issue of Interview Magazine.