Nicole Kidman Proves She's an Icon With 'Astonishing' Performance While Sick

You probably didn't realize it while you were watching the April 22 episode of Margo's Got Money Troubles, but leading lady Nicole Kidman was super sick that day. Nick Offerman, who plays her old wrestling pal, Jinx, told PEOPLE that Kidman was so ill, she "was literally taken to the hospital for an IV."

The former Parks and Recreation star recalled that a "huge set piece" was built, and "hundreds of extras" were cast to simulate a fan convention. In the scene, Offerman introduces his daughter, Margo (Elle Fanning), to Lace (Kidman). But after being told that morning that Kidman had the flu, no one was expecting the busy actress to show up to film.

"It's about 8:00 in the morning that we get this news," he said. "Come to be about 11:00 a.m., the word comes in: Nicole's coming."

Despite the excitement that the Practical Magic 2 star was showing up, it was obvious to everyone that she felt awful. "She was so pale, shaken. She just had the flu really so bad," Offerman said. Even so, she stayed to film her scenes and make sure the extravagant set wasn't wasted.

Not only did Kidman appear her usual vibrant self, but she also managed to dance around in the wrestling ring, even jump up and down a bit. She hugged and grappled with Offerman, proving what a consummate professional she is before being taken to the hospital. Offerman was impressed.

"And I just said to her, I already admired you so much, but this is how you get to be Nicole Kidman, is you show up so that your show doesn't lose a minute of your value," he remembered telling her. "It was so generous. It was astonishing."

Margo's Got Money Troubles is based on Rufi Thorpe's bestselling book of the same name. Just as in the novel, Margo is the daughter of ex-pro wrestler Jinx and Hooter's waitress Shayanne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Margo drops out of college after getting impregnated by her English professor, Mark (Michael Angarano).

One noticeable difference between the book and the series is the lawyer/ex-wrestler Jinx, who was created specifically for the Apple TV+ show. According to executive producer Eva Anderson, Kidman had only one stipulation when accepting the role.

"Well, I have to be able to get in the ring and wrestle with Nick Offerman," Anderson told TVLine. "Or I'm not doing it."

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 3:16 PM.