his week I’m excited to share our latest cover story with you—from the May issue, out this weekend in the WSJ and on newsstands—starring Nicole Kidman. Kidman is someone we’ve long wanted to work with, and although the release of her new HBO series, The Undoing, was moved from spring to fall, we’ll be all the more excited to watch when it finally arrives. As WSJ. deputy editor Elisa Lipsky-Karasz’s profile details, Kidman is one of the few actors in Hollywood who’s made a pledge to partner with female directors every 18 months, and so far she’s surpassed it. She also runs her own production company, Blossom Films. Though she swears she’ll never have a lifestyle brand, Kidman stands out as someone who’s forging her own way. With stunning photos by Bibi Cornejo Borthwick and styling by Elin Svahn, this is a cover story not to be missed. Read it in full below. I’m also happy to be sharing a new franchise called The One, which includes both a video and The One Sheet, in which subjects detail the stepping stones that brought them to where they are today. So many successful people can point to that defining moment when they felt their fortunes start to turn, and that’s what The One boils down to. Many of our most popular franchises reveal quirky things about people, from their Monday morning routine to the contents of their mobile phone. I like how The One unpacks ambition from different angles, looking at the network of people or the things and ideas that have inspired and supported them along the way. Watch and read the inaugural edition with Kidman this weekend, and please keep an eye out for future installments. Elsewhere in the newsletter, read an interview with Brit Bennett about her second book, The Vanishing—which I’ve been loving—by fellow author Kiley Reid; enjoy an unexpected story about chef Daniel Humm and fashion designer Gabriela Hearst’s friendship; and find out why Quibi’s Jeffrey Katzenberg has been waking up at 2:30 a.m. during quarantine. Have a good weekend, and stay safe and healthy. |