Reese Witherspoon & Nicole Kidman Celebrate Their Close Bond: 'To Know You Is To Love You'

Witherspoon presented her good friend and colleague Kidman with the Actress Tribute Award – and her introduction was full of love

By Karen Mizoguchi

and Maggie Parker

Published on November 28, 2017 02:00 AM

Madeline and Celeste together again!

Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman had a mini Big Little Lies reunion on Monday at the 2017 Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City, where Kidman, 50, was honored with the Actress Tribute.

Witherspoon presented her good friend and colleague Kidman with the Actress Tribute Award – and her introduction was full of love.

“I’ve been one of her biggest fans since I saw one of her very first movies, Dead Calm,” Witherspoon revealed in her speech, describing Kidman in that film as “simultaneously so vulnerable and so badass.”

“I saw this movie when I was a girl and I thought, ‘That is my hero, that is the kind of woman I want to be,’ ” she added.

Fortunately for Witherspoon, she got to work with her heroine.

“So last year, I was really lucky, I got the chance to work with her finally,” she said. “She’d come to set… and she became this woman, Celeste Wright, who was the mother of two, the wife to a wealthy man, who seemingly has it all together, but she holds a secret in her heart, a dark secret.”

“This powerful performance showed the intricacies of what so many women are going through in abusive relationships, and I truly believe this helped open up the conversation that so many people are having now about people who are facing the same struggle with abuse and harassment in their own lives. I truly believe that,” Witherspoon stated.

Before beginning her acceptance speech, Kidman adoringly told Witherspoon: “To know you is to love you, baby, so thank you.”

Both actresses sparkled in their sequined ensembles with Witherspoon, 41, wearing an Oscar de la Renta dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry while Kidman opted for an Altuzarra dress, Fred Leighton jewels and an Omega watch.

Missing from the Gotham Awards event were costars Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Dern.

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The last time the ladies were together was at the 69th annual Emmy Awards in September when the Big Little Lies cast and crew won best limited series and Kidman won lead actress in a limited series or movie.

And there may be more mommy drama to explore in Monterey, California.

HBO is reportedly considering starting production on a second season of Big Little Lies in Spring 2018, according to TVLine. The network has yet to officially confirm if there will be a season 2 of the series based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 novel.

“We don’t know yet. We’re kicking it around” showrunner David E. Kelley told Entertainment Weekly in August. “If we feel that the material warrants it, we’ll do it. Everybody’s game for getting the band back together, but we want to make sure that we’ve got the music to justify it. That decision hasn’t been made yet, and it’ll be story-driven when it is.”