Nicole Kidman says off-screen privacy is key

Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:28 PM EST

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In this image released by HBO, Nicole Kidman, left, and Clive Owen are shown in a scene from the HBO film, "Hemingway & Gellhorn." Owen and Kidman portray writer Ernest Hemingway and war reporter Martha Gellhorn in the film debuting in May. (AP Photo/HBO)

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SOUTH PASADENA — Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen play writers Martha Gellhorn and Ernest Hemingway in a new HBO film, but they'd prefer to keep their own lives off-screen.

At a news conference Friday promoting "Hemingway & Gellhorn," Kidman said she likes her privacy and protects it "quite diligently." She and husband Keith Urban live in Nashville, Tenn., with their two daughters.

Kidman's British co-star shares her viewpoint. Of a Clive Owen biopic, he said, "I wouldn't want to see it."

"Hemingway & Gellhorn" is set to air in May. It's about the passionate, short-lived relationship of Gellhorn, a daring war correspondent, and the great novelist.

Kidman says she enjoys portraying inspirational women "who defy the odds and that burn bright," as Gellhorn did.