Nicole Kidman was honored with the forty ninth AFI Life Achievement Award on Saturday night time, as an A-list group of her buddies and collaborators seemed again on her lengthy Hollywood profession.

Reese Witherspoon, Morgan Freeman, Naomi Watts, Zoe Saldaña, Aaron Sorkin, Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Joey King, Mike Myers and husband Keith City all took the Dolby Theatre stage all through the occasion to pay tribute to Kidman. To shut out the night, Meryl Streep introduced her with the award.

Streep — joking after a clip was proven, “did anybody discover that [costume designer] Ann Roth gave her my nostril in The Hours? You’re welcome” — took the time to replicate on working reverse Kidman in season two of Massive Little Lies.

“For me, the very, very hardest a part of being incessantly known as the best actress of my technology,” Streep teased because the viewers roared, throwing her hand theatrically over her head, “What’s the hardest half? Oh! The toughest half is while you come up in opposition to, otherwise you’re appearing with, one other one that can be actually, actually, actually, actually, actually, actually nice. That’s tough.”

“It’s like anyone who you’re employed all day with and also you go residence — ‘That was an awesome day, nice day,’ and also you go residence and also you go, ‘How did she do this?’” the star teased as she pretended to pour a drink. “‘I may do this.’ ‘No, I don’t suppose I may.’ ‘Sure you possibly can!’ ‘No, no, you couldn’t do this,’” miming downing the drink.

Trying again on Massive Little Lies, Streep recalled, “That’s the time once I actually got here inside respiratory distance of the formidable items Nicole has, and her course of and her seismic financial institution of emotion she’s obtained locked up inside there and her stamina and her drive to be an artist and her self-discipline.”

She remembered when Kidman selected to shoot a really emotional screaming scene on the primary day and do it time and again with equal ardour. “I haven’t recovered from that first day, I’ve by no means seen something like that in my life,” Streep added. “For me, it was traumatizing as a result of I assumed this lady is a Valkyrie. How is she capable of maintain that? By no means letting up, by no means letting down.”

Upon accepting the award, Kidman gushed, “Meryl Streep, I simply love you, I’ve all the time cherished you; I don’t know what it’s however you’re a beacon of excellence and heat and generosity however you’ve been my guiding gentle, so to obtain this from you, you don’t have any concept. My husband will attest, my dad and mom will attest, it’s all the time been you, and nobody can contact you.”

In her speech, Kidman mirrored on her journey to Hollywood stardom, which began in Australia and along with her sleeping on buddies’ flooring and sofas whereas she tried to guide jobs. She spoke about her love of actors and studying from them alongside the best way, noting, “a few of them it’s possible you’ll by no means meet once more and a few of them you do meet once more. A few of them you’ve got unimaginable laughter and jokes with and also you cry with; a few of them you fall in love with, a few of them you marry,” seemingly referencing ex-husband Tom Cruise.

Kidman celebrated the numerous administrators she labored with, saying that filmmakers, “take you in, they train you, they take you underneath their wing after which they blow your thoughts. I’ve so many administrators who had been so good to me, and I’d wish to thank all of them,” earlier than itemizing off all of her earlier administrators and thanking them. She additionally expressed gratitude to “the audiences which have caught by me by all the things — I simply need to say thanks as a result of there’s so many little bizarre movies I’ve performed and I do know there’s folks on the market that go and discover them and watch them. You’ve stood by me and caught up for my bizarre, bizarre decisions and I’m so grateful for that.”

She additionally shouted out the “loves of my life,” in City and their two daughters, who she famous made their first purple carpet look alongside her earlier that night time. “I wish to suppose that I’m simply getting began, nevertheless it’s not true, as a result of actually, let’s simply hope I’m within the center — I’ve obtained my fingers crossed. There’s so many extra thrilling younger administrators and voices which are fully unique and have to be heard, they usually have rather a lot to say. We have to give them an opportunity to say it and to listen to them, and I’m right here, I’m able to roll up my sleeves,” Kidman concluded. “I’m right here all the time to help these voices.”

City’s portion of this system was significantly emotional, as he recounted getting her quantity at an occasion in 2005, after which 4 months into their marriage went to rehab for drug and alcohol dependancy. “I had no concept what was going to occur to us, and if you wish to see what love in motion actually appears like, give {that a} whirl,” the nation star advised the gang. “Nic pushed by each unfavourable voice, I’m certain even a few of her personal, and he or she selected love, and right here we’re as we speak, 18 years later.”

Morgan Freeman additionally introduced the laughs when he kicked issues off with a spoof of Kidman’s well-known AMC Theaters advert, the place he sat in a theater and watched simply her films. On prime of the star energy within the room, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Fallon, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, George Miller and Baz Luhrmann all appeared nearly to specific their congrats to Kidman, who turned the primary Australian to obtain the AFI honor.

The occasion raised over $2 million, with all proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award supporting the American Movie Institute as a nonprofit group. The tribute particular will premiere on TNT on June 17 and on Turner Basic Films on June 27.

Later within the night, Kidman (who glittered in a gold metallic Balenciaga gown with an extended educated, paired with an Omega timepiece) and City attended the occasion’s official after-party on the Sundown Tower Resort, the place they mingled with friends who included AFI CEO Bob Gazzale, AFI founder George Stevens Jr. (the creator of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award) and Lily Rabe.