Nicole Kidman has never had to make the choice that Grace Kelly did, quitting acting to begin another life as Princess of Monaco. But she's rarely found equilibrium in her career and personal life.

The tall actress, who won the best actress gong for The Hours in 2003 - two years after she and Tom Cruise were divorced - admits to having her share of loneliness. `When I won the Oscar, I went home and I didn't have (love) in my life. That was the most intensely lonely experience.`

Kidman stars as Kelly in Grace of Monaca, which premiered last week as the opener at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. In it, she plays Kelly, who gets married to Prince Rainier of Monaco (essayed by Tim Roth), and how she she adjusts to royal life and severes all ties with Hollywood.

She drew from her own life to empathise with Kelly although they differ greatly in their relationships with their husbands.