Nicole Kidman isn’t scared of snakes. She’s fine with cockroaches. But butterflies are absolutely not on her list of admiration. The Oscar-winning actress has a deep fear of them, a condition known as lepidopterophobia.
As a child growing up in Australia, she would go to great spans to avoid them. “Sometimes when I would come home from school, the biggest butterfly or moth you’d ever seen would be just sitting on our front gate,” she once shared in an interview with Contact Music (via Just Jared).
“I would climb over the fence, crawl around to the side of the house – anything to avoid having to go through the front gate.”
Kidman even tried to face her fear head-on by stepping into the butterfly exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. It didn’t help. “I jump out of planes, I could be covered in cockroaches, I do all sorts of things,” she admitted. “But I just don’t like the feel of butterflies’ bodies.”
Most people see butterflies as innocuous, even beautiful. But for those with lepidopterophobia, their unforeseen fluttering and delicate wings can be deeply unnerving. Some fear their erratic movements, while others are disturbed by their texture and appearance. The phobia can trigger panic attacks, making even a simple garden visit stressful.
Even Kidman’s Big Little Lies co-star, Reese Witherspoon, was skeptical. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight (via Toronto), she was asked to guess whether Kidman’s high school nickname was “Legs” or if she had a fear of butterflies.
“She’s not afraid of butterflies,” Witherspoon confidently said. “I agree that she was probably called ‘Legs’. Am I wrong?” She was. Kidman’s real nickname was “Stalky,” and her fear of butterflies is very real. Ironically, while Kidman can’t handle butterflies, she has no issue with snakes. During a 2015 appearance on Conan, she shared her love for them. “I’m open to snakes,” she said.
Yes, the same actress who avoids butterflies at all costs is happy to handle reptiles. Could Kidman ever overcome her phobia? Exposure therapy is a common treatment, and some experts suggest slowly interacting with butterflies to reduce fear.
But given her strong reaction, that seems unlikely. For now, it’s safe to say Kidman won’t be signing up for a butterfly garden tour anytime soon. And if a butterfly lands on the red carpet? She might just take the long way around.
