KEY POINTS

  • A photo of Nicole Kidman looking shocked at the 2022 Oscars ceremony Sunday went viral on social media
  • Some social media users thought it was her reaction to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the ceremony
  • The photographer who captured the shot explained that he took the picture before the ceremony began

Nicole Kidman has become a meme after a photo of her looking absolutely shocked at the 2022 Oscars ceremony Sunday went viral on social media.

Some social media users had thought that the image captured Kidman's reaction to Will Smith storming the Oscars stage and slapping Chris Rock across the face over a joke the comedian made about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.

"Nicole Kidman was all of us," one Twitter user joked.

"Whoever caught this shot is quite skilled at [knowing] where to be looking when s--t hits the fan. We'll be seeing this photo for years," another person tweeted.

"'The Slap' was so powerful it made Nicole Kidman's face move for the first time in 11 years," another Twitter user joked.

"It isn't the #Oscars until we have a truly insane Nicole Kidman reaction image," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Devan Coggan.

However, Kidman apparently wasn't reacting to Smith and Rock's onstage altercation as the photo had been taken before the awards ceremony even began, Vulture reported.

The image was uploaded to Getty Images at 7:34 p.m. EDT Sunday, at least 26 minutes before the broadcast began, the outlet pointed out.

The photographer who snapped the image also confirmed to Vulture that what he captured was Kidman's reaction to seeing Jessica Chastain.

"Yes, the picture of Nicole Kidman was taken during the non-televised portion. It appeared that she was excited to see Jessica Chastain across the room," photographer Myung Chun of the Los Angeles Times said. "Kidman then reached out her arms and waved to her with both hands."

Chun added, "Shortly thereafter, Chastain walked over to greet Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban."

Kidman also previously went viral at the Oscars when she was caught on camera at the 2017 ceremony clapping in what the internet dubbed as "seal hands," which appeared to excessively favor the palms over the fingers.

"It was really awkward and I was like, 'Gosh I want to clap, I don’t want to not be clapping,’ which would have been the worst," the actress previously explained while on Australia's "Kyle and Jackie O" radio show.

She continued, "Therefore I’m clapping, but it was really difficult because I had a huge ring on that was not my own but was absolutely gorgeous and I was terrified of damaging it."

Kidman was nominated for best actress at the 2022 Oscars for her portrayal of Lucille Ball in director Aaron Sorkin's 2021 drama, "Being the Ricardos," based on the late "I Love Lucy" actress.

She lost out to Chastain, who won the Academy Award for playing televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." It was the first Oscar for Chastain, who was previously nominated for "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2013 and "The Help" in 2012.

However, Kidman had nothing but praise for her fellow nominees prior to the show.

"These women, and their performances!" she told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet. "And also just to be here. I think we all know what it takes to do this work and so it's just like, you're invited to the ball and you go, 'Thank you. Thanks for having me.'"

Nicole Kidman
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Nicole Kidman attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic