Straight from the set of her racy feature, NICOLE KIDMAN gave BOB GOEN all the hot, steamy and "breaking" details of 'Moulin Rouge'!

BOB GOEN: First of all, if you can, describe this film -- because it's very offbeat and very different!

NICOLE KIDMAN: How did JOHN LEGUIZAMO describe it? He's quite good with all that!

BOB: He didn't handle it all that well, either! So I don't want to prompt you, but take it from there.

NICOLE: I think BAZ (LUHRMANN, the director) actually describes it best, obviously, because he conceived it. It's a musical, but it mixes all the different eras. And it's a love story. I really see it as a celebration of love, which sounds really corny! But somehow, because of Baz's sense of humor, he's able to balance it all and we're just having so much fun doing it!

BOB: How did he sell this to you when you were talking about doing a film?

NICOLE: He didn't need to sell it that much! As an actor, I've known him, because we've both come from Australia, and I've seen his work from stage productions through to his films 'Strictly Ballroom' and 'Romeo + Juliet.' I was doing a play in New York and he sent me a dozen red roses and on the card he said, "She sings, she dances," and then there's another thing at the end of it that I can't tell you because it'll give away the end of the story!

BOB: Oh, come on!

NICOLE: No, no! And he said, "Please meet me!" And so I thought, "When a man sends you 12 red roses, what are you going to do?" So I met him and he showed me this incredible book of all the photographs and sketches and ideas that he had for the film, but there was no script. They were still writing it, but I was in from that point on. I mean, I auditioned for it and had to sing and do all these crazy, weird things that Baz makes you do.

BOB: Let's talk about that. You're not known as a singer, but what should we know about your singing skills? Are they reasonably refined?

NICOLE: What Baz wanted was for people to sing. I mean, obviously I wasn't going to do the film unless he felt that I could do it. I auditioned for him twice, and part of that was me testing out my voice to see whether I thought I was going to be able to do it, because the last thing that I want to do is embarrass myself. I've sung at different times in my life, but I've never really tackled it the way we're doing it on this film. Some of it we're singing live, some of it we're pre-recording, and EWAN (McGREGOR) and I are doing all our own singing because there's no point in doing the role otherwise.

BOB: Have you taken singing lessons to prepare for this?

NICOLE: Yeah, yeah! We've been here since February of last year, on and off, doing workshops. And we have a dance teacher, Mr. Cha-cha! I did ballet as a kid, so I had that under my belt, but there was a lot of different, other stuff that we had to learn. It's been fun. It's been a lot of work. I hope it works!

BOB: Well, this is something that could really spark the public's attention, or they could go, "Whoa, what was that?" How do you feel about that?

NICOLE: Well, I just have faith in Baz. I mean, I truly think that what he did even with Shakespeare and making that accessible to a completely different generation and the way in which he was able to make that film work.... When I first heard about 'Romeo + Juliet' being set in this sort of different world, pseudo-Miami with LEO (DiCAPRIO) and CLAIRE (DANES), I thought, "Oh, my gosh, that doesn't sound good!" And then I saw the movie and loved it! So I think part of it is you just sort of all hold hands and jump off the cliff together!

BOB: Do you try to prepare in terms of knowing the era and time?

NICOLE: Yeah, we're certainly not saying, "OK, we are making a period drama here." I mean, we're taking all sorts of things and playing with them and twisting them. We're not saying, "Well, they didn't move like that then." I'm doing things in a corset that no woman would ever have done in the 1890s!

BOB: You have a reputation for your preparation and coming in with all your ducks in a row....

NICOLE: Do I?

BOB: That's everything I've heard! Don't you think you do?

NICOLE: Different roles, different things. I think certain roles require that. Other roles just require a sort of visceral connection, where you just say, "Here we go." For 'Eyes Wide Shut,' I did nothing. I just showed up. For something like 'Portrait of a Lady,' I did a lot of research. 'To Die For,' I did a lot of research. I think each film, each role, you tackle differently.

BOB: How about this role? Which category?

NICOLE: This was a lot of technical preparation just because of the singing and dancing. It's an interesting mix, because it's also just trusting your instincts. And Baz is extremely spontaneous, so you just throw caution to the wind.

BOB: Let's talk about the outfits, because you obviously are in one spectacular gown after another, and you're uncomfortable as hell in this thing, aren't you?

NICOLE: I'm glad we don't have to wear these anymore!

BOB: You've got this corset thing working! It looks great, so whatever price you're paying, it's paying off. So congratulations on that!

NICOLE: (laughs, but grabs her side) I can't laugh! Obviously, this is a part. We are being authentic to the 1890s with these things! CATHERINE MARTIN, who is the co-designer of the costumes and also the production designer, is amazing. She and the other costume designer have really created some spectacular costumes and the sets are just great! It's quite whimsical and I think the great thing that Baz really gives, not only the actors but also the crew, is that you all feel like you're working on it together, so there's a big sense of excitement. And people are working really long hours and really hard, but with a lot of enthusiasm.

BOB: The last few roles that you've done have been very sexy portrayals. Is this falling into the same category?

NICOLE: No!

BOB: Really? I mean, the place that you're working in this movie is a pretty sexy idea to begin with.

NICOLE: I don't know. I can't answer that. I feel embarrassed! I mean, we're not making an X-rated film. (laughs)

BOB: I'm not saying that at all! I mean, I'm just looking at the outfit and I'm going, "Well, OK, I've got an idea where this is going!"

NICOLE: No, no, this is PG-13, I think.

BOB: Well, then, describe to me what the Moulin Rouge is to you.

NICOLE: I think the Moulin Rouge represents a world in which Christian, which is played by Ewan McGregor, comes to discover. He wants to be a bohemian, he wants to discover life. And so it represents the underworld. He comes into this world and gets absorbed into its crazy, wild, fantastical atmosphere. And he meets this girl, who is a courtesan, and falls in love with her and convinces her that it's all right to fall in love with him.

BOB: We were talking about the corset before, and I know you broke a rib when you first started working on this shoot. Is there still pain?

NICOLE: No. I had never broken a bone before, so it was sort of a shock.

BOB: How did it happen?

NICOLE: From doing a lift. I was doing lifts. I do a lot of lifts in the movie, ballet lifts and stuff, and doing it over and over again over a period of a couple of months.

BOB: I don't understand how you can break a bone by being lifted.

NICOLE: Because you're taking all your pressure on your ribs and I was being thrown and caught around here. And being caught there over and over again.

BOB: By Ewan?

NICOLE: No, not by Ewan! One of the lifts is by Ewan. There's another whole sequence that I do with a whole bunch of dancers and I think it was just over a period of time. (laughs) No, Mr. McGregor would never break my rib!