Nicole Kidman’s Method Approach To ‘Scarpetta’ Included An Autopsy

Nicole Kidman is going to remarkable lengths for her latest role. While preparing for “Scarpetta,” the Oscar-winning actress immersed herself in the world of forensic science, studying how to do an autopsy to bring authenticity to her on-screen character.

As the actress proudly told Fallon, “I can do an autopsy,” after confirming that she was a method actress. She then said she can remove all the organs and name them, which impressed the host.

Kidman shared that Fallon’s team asked if she was willing to perform an autopsy on the show, which she took seriously. “Unless I misunderstood. Maybe it was on a dummy or something, but either way. I can remove the lungs and the liver and the gallbladder and the intestines,” she shared.

According to the actress, she learned the procedure for her role. “It’s part of the job, and I worked with an incredible medical examiner, and I studied him,” she shared.

Kidman, who also serves as an executive producer for “Scarpetta,” teased what her new series is about.

It focuses on Dr. Kay Scarpetta, who comes back to work as a medical examiner to help solve crimes. “There’s a parallel story of the two crimes that have happened in present day and 30 years ago,” Kidman explained, adding that there are also elements of “family drama.”

The show is based on the popular series of books penned by best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell. The first novel, titled “Postmortem,” was released in 1990, and the most recent, “Sharp Force,” came out in 2025. To date, the series includes 29 primary novels.

Kidman learned of “Scarpetta” through a chance meeting with Jamie Lee Curtis, who owned the rights to Cornwell’s books. The actresses talked about doing the project, and when Kidman’s sister, Antonia, learned about it, she was ecstatic.

As Kidman told The Sydney Morning Herald, Antonia, who has a “high-powered job” and takes care of children, relaxes by reading crime novels. “When I told her about ‘Scarpetta’, she was like, ‘Well, you have to do it, I love those books,” Kidman shared.

“Scarpetta” showrunner Liz Sarnoff also joined the project because of her love of the novels, which she inherited from her mother. The books hold a special place in her heart, as she shared that she read them aloud to her mother while her mother was on her deathbed.

“I reached out to ask to do it because I knew that I had a love for the character and a love for the books that would help me in adapting them,” she shared.

In the series, Curtis, who portrays Dorothy Farinelli, plays Dr. Scarpetta’s sister. The two have distinct personalities and are navigating the death of their parent, a storyline that resonates deeply with Kidman, who lost her mother just before filming for the series started.

In 2024, Kidman announced that her 84-year-old mother, Janelle, had died. The actress missed the Venice Film Festival, where she won Best Actress for her role in “Babygirl.” In a statement, she said, “I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family. But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me.”

Regarding her portrayal of Dr. Scarpetta, Kidman said she didn’t go into the character thinking about the loss of her parents. Instead, she pulled from her experiences of “loss, grief, pain, resilience, the desire to move forward, conflict, all of it.”

Apart from Kidman and Curtis, “Scarpetta” also features other notable stars, including Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, and Simon Baker, as well as recurring actors Sosie Bacon, Janet Montgomery, and Stephanie Faracy.

The series has eight episodes and will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 11.