The new season of TV drama Nine Perfect Strangers will see Nicole Kidman return as enigmatic wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko, joined by an all-new cast including fellow Aussie Murray Bartlett. The pair open up to 1News Australia Correspondent Aziz Al Sa'afin about emotional intensity, cast chemistry, and why isolation made the experience unforgettable.
After the smash success of its first season, Nine Perfect Strangers is back with a new group of guests, a new location and the same unnerving sense of emotional unravelling.
Season 2 trades the lush tropics of Byron Bay for the cold, majestic isolation of the Austrian Alps. But while the setting has changed, Dmitrichenko's methods haven’t. Nicole Kidman once again leads the story as the mysterious wellness leader whose techniques push people to their limits – and sometimes far beyond.
"We were concocting a second season… and we thought, 'let’s go into the mountains',” Kidman said. “The Alps feel like they have a claustrophobia to them but they’re also epic.”
Joining the cast this season is Emmy winner Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus, The Last of Us), who plays a former children’s TV presenter facing unresolved trauma. Bartlett was drawn to the layered storytelling and the chance to work within a bold, theatrical ensemble.
“It was pretty dreamy,” he said. “It felt like theatre camp – you get to play with each other, dive in deep, and everyone’s game.”
To prepare, Bartlett studied classic children’s presenters like Pee-wee Herman, Mr Rogers, and Lamb Chop.
“I was stealing little bits from each,” he said. “You’ve got these great characters, and when you put us in scenes together, it’s just magic.”
Filming in a remote setting also shaped the experience. The cast lived together in a small hotel, creating a sense of camaraderie and connection that bled into their on-screen chemistry.
“When you’re transported and all living somewhere together, it’s a very different dynamic,” Kidman said. “That closeness comes through in the performances.”
Bartlett added: “There was this beautiful, family-like connection… but also, it’s an extraordinary group of actors.”
Season 2 features a fresh ensemble of nine new strangers, played by a dynamic and diverse cast. Among them is Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, Schitt’s Creek favourite Annie Murphy, Emmy winner Christine Baranski, musician and actor King Princess, Filipino icon Dolly de Leon, and British talents Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Mark Strong.
Together, they bring a mix of sharp humour, emotional depth, and unpredictability to the series with each character carrying their own trauma, secrets and motivations as they surrender to Dmitrichenko’s unconventional methods.
Kidman honoured at Cannes for championing women
While promoting the new season, Kidman was also recognised at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, receiving the prestigious Women in Motion Award for her ongoing advocacy in promoting women in film.
In 2017, she publicly committed to working with a female director every 18 months. Since then, she’s collaborated with 27 women directors across film and television – a pledge she’s well exceeded.
Accepting the award, Kidman said: “Sometimes [a film] will be received with enormous applause and sometimes it will be received not so well, but that doesn't mean that you failed. It just means you're in a process and we need to support the long process of building the female voices.”
Her company Blossom Films continues to be a platform for stories driven by women, both on screen and behind the scenes.
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 premieres on May 22 on Prime Video.
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