Nicole Kidman Reveals Struggle Filming Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 (Exclusive)

Nicole Kidman loved almost everything about making Nine Perfect Strangers season 2.

As the Hulu hit continues to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, the actress, 57, and costar Mark Strong, tell PEOPLE what it was like to film season 2 of the captivating series.

While season 1 was based on Liane Moriarty’s novel by the same name, the second installment wasn’t, which Kidman says offered more room for creative freedom to dig deeper into her role.

“It was a whole new landscape — the whole thing was up for grabs,” she shares. “That’s why in episode five, it’s the origin story in a way, which is really interesting. You get to see more of Masha’s past and why she is who she is.”

Strong and Kidman say episode 5 was particularly unique as it took viewers back in time to Masha’s younger days.

Kidman is the only returning character in season 2, in which she plays Masha Dmitrichenko, a Russian wellness guru who runs a transformational retreat where participants undergo psychedelic therapy to heal their traumas. 

In the June 11 flashback episode, which Kidman touts is “a standalone in its own,” viewers learn more about the relationship between Masha and Strong’s character David Sharpe after it is revealed that he is the father of her deceased daughter, Tatiana (Emílie Páclová). 

“When they first came up with that idea, I was like, ‘Okay, now we’re really onto something,’” recalls Kidman, who also serves as a producer on the show. “And the way in which Jonathan [Levine, executive producer] wanted to do it was we wanted to really give it that thriller aspect. And obviously, I get to speak Russian and Czech, and it was just like, ‘Oh my god, let’s go!’”

Strong adds that he hopes viewers feel like they have been “taken somewhere special” when they watch the episode.

One of the most stark differences between seasons 1 and 2 is the location.

While the first season was set in California and filmed on the warm Australian coast, the second installment took on a darker tone in the Austrian Alps during wintertime.

“I love the Austrian Alps,” Kidman gushes, sharing why they decided to film there. “I fell in love with that. There’s something so invigorating about being outside and actually being on the locations and actually being really cold and walking in snow. And I think there’s just something about the air and the water and the landscape and having it be authentic. So, we were there. The castle that we were shooting in, that was a place. It was so beautiful.”

Still, Kidman reveals they were shooting for around six months in the snowy conditions, admitting that one downside was, “we were cold out on the streets.”

“You hate the cold, don’t you?” Strong teases. “I know you.”

“No, I like the cold,” she explains. “It’s just night shooting in the cold or that sort of thing. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m tired and I’m cold.’”

“But then that can penetrate and infiltrate the story and the performance,” Kidman notes of the discomfort.

Strong and Kidman brought their families to travel around Europe with them.

While Kidman wasn’t exactly relaxed on set, her family was able to enjoy the low temperatures while the Oscar-winner worked.

“They were skiing, and so that was great having things for them to do while I was working,” she says of husband Keith Urban and their two daughters: Faith Margaret, 14, and Sunday Rose, 16. “They would spend a day skiing, and I would commute from a little ski lodge to work.”

“I’m fortunate because of the way my family is,” she continues. “They can travel in the way their schooling is set up. So we’re able to stay together and maneuver that way, which is good.”

Strong, whose two kids visited him while he was filming, points out that it was also a nice opportunity to show them around Europe.

“It’s not ideal being away for months and months on end, but if you see each other — and there was skiing to be had — the places we were, Salzburg and Munich they were beautiful,” he says.

As for the rest of the season, Kidman hints that there is much more of each character’s storylines to “unravel,” citing Masha’s “unpredictable” side.

“It’s a beautiful, long slow burn over the whole series,” Strong adds. “That’s what’s clever about it.”

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New episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers drop every Wednesday on Hulu.