Sofia Vergara Doubts the Acting Abilities of Nicole Kidman and Jen Aniston

It’s not often that some of the world’s most famous women gather around an immaculately lit table for us to eavesdrop on – but Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Foster, Sofia Vergara, Brie Larson And Anna-Lena Schröder all came together for The Hollywood Reporter‘s Emmy Roundtable for Drama Actresses.

During the giddy A-list chat, the women talked about everything from growing older in Hollywood to the emojis they can’t live without. Hearing actresses talk about their careers on camera is nothing new, but witnessing the chemistry between such big stars as they kick back with a drink is a pretty rare treat. Here’s what we learned:

It’s Nicole Kidman’s world and we all live in it

Each group of women has a queen bee – but with so many A-list celebrities in one room, the jury could not agree on which cult actress would be in charge.

It quickly became clear that Kidman, 56, is the undisputed number one – but with a warmth and ease that immediately showed how different she is from some of her scarier roles. She showed a lot of affection for both Watts, 55, a fellow Australian and close friend for – wow! – 40 years, and Aniston, 55, with whom she worked in a romantic comedy. Just join in Kidman not only gave her younger colleagues a lot of good advice, but is also the glue that holds the group together.

Who would have thought that Kidman would be exactly the woman you need in the room to break the ice in one of those awkward situations, or to subtly point out if you have lipstick on your teeth?

Even big stars struggle with imposter syndrome

It is difficult to know whether to be reassured or appalled that even Sofia Vergara, 51, has imposter syndrome. Vergara is perhaps one of the most beautiful women in the world, revered worldwide for her role as the iconic Gloria in Modern family and highly valued for taking over the Griseldabut admits that she still feels helpless compared to many of her peers.

“I feel very uncomfortable here because this is my favorite group of actresses and I realize I know nothing about acting,” she said, much to the dismay of Aniston, who is well versed in the transition from comedy actress to serious star.

Vergara believes it is her strong Colombian accent that helps her avoid being pigeonholed into a particular role. “When I decide to do something else, it’s hard because that accent is beautiful, but it’s like I can’t be a scientist, I can’t be an astronaut,” she said.

Sofia, you’re doing a great job and we’re definitely here for the astronaut role – and not just for the possible outfits.

Every girls’ night ends in hormone chat

Anyone who has ever been out with a group of women, regardless of age, will know that there always comes a point in the evening when the conversation turns to all sorts of hormonal topics – whether it’s fertility issues, menopausal tantrums, or simply who is suffering the worst from premenopausal syndrome.

And sure enough, by the end of the conversation, Watts was open about her struggles with menopause, a topic so close to her heart that she even started a skincare company for middle-aged women called Stripes.

“When I was about to start a family, I was 36 and was told I was about to go through the menopause,” she explained. “I went into a panic, full of shame and fear. I skipped a lot of things, but I was able to have children and then went straight into the menopause in my early 40s with severe symptoms.”

Watts has two children, daughter Sasha, born in 2007, and son Kai, born in 2008, with Liev Schreiberfrom whom she separated in 2016 before marrying her Gypsy Co-Star Billy Crudup in 2023.

The two-time Oscar nominee has now made it her mission to break the taboos surrounding this difficult time in life that every woman goes through. “I felt like if I ever dared to mention the word, I would be labelled redundant, done and written off,” she admitted. “It would be career suicide to bring it up here. But then I thought, ‘This doesn’t make sense. We’re half the population. Everyone goes through menopause at some point, so why shouldn’t we talk about it?'”

It’s okay to lie (a little …) to get a job

Hands up if you’ve ever added a language or two you haven’t spoken since high school to your LinkedIn profile, or written on your resume that you’re “good at graphic design” because you once helped your best friend design his birthday party invitation… you’re not alone!

Most of the actresses in the room admitted they had told a few white lies—or big little lies?—to get into the audition room. “We all lied and said we could ride horses, but we couldn’t,” Larson, 34, said with a laugh.

The difference is that A-list celebrities are rewarded with stunt doubles when it turns out they’re not so great at ice skating or unicycling after all… the rest of us just have to download Duolingo in a panic to cover our tracks.

It’s official: Not all famous actresses hate each other

Of course, it makes for much better rumors if you think the big stars are at each other’s throats – but in fact it sounds like this group and many of their contemporaries are enormously supportive of each other – also because Hollywood was a purely male domain when some of them started out.

“Over the years, I’ve made a real effort to make friends with other women in the industry because there was usually only one woman in a job,” Larson said. “I was alone and there are things that make me uncomfortable or that I’d like to change or laugh about. Being around other women has changed everything because you can share stories.”

It was clear that although some of the group know each other better in real life than others, there was genuine affection and respect between them. In fact, they even talked about how Jodie Foster, 61, took over from Kidman. Panic room in 2002 when she was going through a difficult time. Cheers to women supporting women!

Getting older in Hollywood doesn’t have to be depressing

The women at the round table ranged in age from 31 Anna-Lena SchröderStar of Shogunto 61-year-old Foster, a star of, well, everything – but it was the older half of the room, rather than those whose stars are still rising, who seemed most confident of their place in Hollywood.

“I have to say, I’ve never been happier as an actor than I was on my 60th birthday,” revealed Foster. “It’s just a kind of satisfaction that it’s not just about me and I go on set and say, ‘How can my experience or my knowledge, whatever it is, help you?’ Bringing that in is not only more fun and freer, but easier. It’s super easy because you’re not as anxious as younger people are.”

And Aniston summed up the same sentiment a little more succinctly: “I just think the older you get, the more you say ‘fuck it,'” she said.

Foster also revealed that she’s a secret mother hen in Hollywood, often reaching out to new stars she’s worried about. “I like to think of myself as a kind of mother figure,” she says. “Like, if I see someone at an event who’s drunk and face down, I might ask myself, ‘So, what’s going on?’ Because I feel for them and I’m really grateful to my mom for getting me through all of that. Somehow I managed to create a set of rules that allowed me to survive.”

Brie Larson didn’t get the memo about the crying, laughing emoji 🤣

At the end of the panel, the ladies were asked which emoji they use most often – and while Foster said hers was the clown and Kidman chose the kiss, Larson said she always goes for the crying laughing face. Yes, the very same emoji that Generation Z got rid of a few years ago because apparently it’s only for old people.

If a 34-year-old superhero uses it, it’s still cool, right? Yes!