incredibleReese Witherspoon shows off her spot-on Nicole Kidman impression: 'I mean, it's
Published on January 15, 2026 EDT Witherspoon debuted her hilarious impersonation of her "Big Little Lies" BFF while honoring Kidman at the AFI Life Achievement Award gala.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Reese Witherspoon must hold Nicole Kidman in very high esteem.

The Big Little Lies costars reunited at the recent 49th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award event, where Kidman was the latest honoree — and where Witherspoon had the perfect excuse to test out her Aussie accent. Ahead of airing AFI's Tribute to Nicole Kidman on Monday, TNT shared a clip of Witherspoon's hilarious onstage moment, during which she praised her friend by doing a spot-on impression of her.

"Most actors wait by the phone to be chosen by a director, but as an actor Nicole has always been proactive," Witherspoon told the gala's attendees. "Even in her earliest work, she picks her directors."

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

She continued, "She’ll often say to me of a foreign film I've absolutely never heard of, and she's like, 'But do you see that director?,'" Witherspoon said, conjuring Kidman's voice. "'I mean, it's incredible. Reese, we must get her. We must.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah, okay. You call her first.' And I'll be on the phone like, 'Yeah. I’m in.'"

The impersonation earned plenty of laughs from the crowd, including Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban.

An Academy Award winner, a two-time Emmy winner, and a six-time Golden Globe winner, Kidman is the latest actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors a single individual each year for their lifetime contribution to film and television. At the April ceremony, Kidman received emotional tributes from past costars, including Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Miles Teller, and Zac Efron.

TNT will air the telecast tribute to Kidman on June 17.

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

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Kidman and Witherspoon are expected to reunite for a third season of their hit HBO series Big Little Lies, in which they both star and serve as executive producers.

"Listen, this one already went somewhere and said too much," Witherspoon teased earlier this month during their joint interview with Vanity Fair. Referencing Kidman's 2023 announcement that more episodes of the show are on the way, Witherspoon revealed that she started getting calls from their fellow cast members Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dean asking whether or not a new season was coming.

Confirming the news, Kidman declared, "But we are now! We're moving fast and furious, and Liane [Moriarty] is delivering the book. We're in good shape."

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