Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis play sisters in Prime Video’s drama Scarpetta — and in real life, they have a lot of respect for one another.
“Patricia Cornwell has been writing about a medical examiner named Dr. Kay Scarpetta for over 20 years, and I can’t even tell you how many millions of people have bought these books. And Nicole is going to play Dr. Kay Scarpetta,” Curtis exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025. The Scream Queen plays Kidman’s sister, Dorothy, in the series.
Despite both enjoying long, successful careers in Hollywood, this is the first time the two have worked together on the same project.
The series will run for at least two seasons on Amazon Prime Video, a deal that was announced in September 2024. Kidman and Curtis will also executive produce the series together — something that will likely help their friendship continue to blossom on and off camera.
Here’s a look at the growing relationship between Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.
While speaking to Us Weekly in May 2025, Curtis revealed she and Kidman first met at the Oscars. “She actually introduced herself to me and we exchanged hellos and a little bit of chick bonding,” she told Us.
Curtis continued, “But then we walked away and I was like, ‘Okay, wow. That was crazy.’ And six months later she heard that we were making the Scarpetta show and that I was producing and she basically said, ‘I want to be Scarpetta.’ And then when I went, ‘Okay, great,’ she said, ‘But you’re going to be in it with me, right?’”
“It was that moment of like, ‘Yes, Nicole Kidman. Yes. I’m going to be in a show with you.’ I had no choice,” she added. You had no choice. I was going to be a producer, and at that moment it was decided that I was going to act in the show.”
Jamie Lee Curtis praised Nicole’s “dream and hustle”
While offering a tribute to Kidman at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Awards, Curtis praised the star’s “dream and hustle.”
“The question is, how does one become the most successful and popular star in the global cinematic broadcast and digital universe? Well, in Nicole Kidman’s case, you start out as a young actress in Australia,” she said. “You dream and hustle and work hard with an internal drive mechanism and a level of ambition and a dedication to craft, plus an exceptional ability to shape shift and dodge and weave and apply the constant importing of new skills to hone and perfect the work.”
“All of us are better when we’re loved,” Curtis also said. “Nicole Kidman was loved. It’s very clear, mostly by her beautiful mother, Janelle, who she sadly lost earlier this year. But she is also loved by her family of origin, her husband, children, chosen family, pets, friends, and countless colleagues from all over the world, not to mention all of her fans and the audiences who appreciate her great work.”
Nicole described Curtis as “fierce”
Kidman has been just as effusive with her compliments for Curtis. While speaking to E! News, she said of her co-star, “That woman is fierce. She is, her talent is abundant, but she’s also just a woman’s woman. She stands by your side. She’s got your back. I can’t say enough lovely things about her. I think everyone in this industry knows that’s what she’s like. And she’s lived a life and she’s willing to share and support. I mean, she’s what you should be.”
