Nicole Kidman keeps her family and working lives "separate".

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman

The 49-year-old actress admitted her and husband Keith Urban's two young daughters, Sunday, eight, and six-year-old Faith, have "very little understanding" of their respective careers, and she rarely lets them watch her movies.

Speaking about her role in upcoming psychological thriller 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer', she told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival: "This film, my children will not be seeing. Actually, my children don't really see my films. Our family is very separate to my creative life. Occasionally, i'll do something for them where they can come on set.

"I did 'Paddington', but they have very little understanding of what my husband and I do."

The 'Happy Feet' star - who also has grown-up children, 24-year-old Isabella and 22-year-old Connor with ex-husband Tom Cruise - feels lucky to have Keith as her partner as they are able to work their respective schedules around their children.

She said: "I'm fortunate in the sense that I'm married to a musician, so our schedules are able to be juggled.

"We're able to go and pursue our artistic, creative lives, and then have a very solid home life."

One way she was able to make her work fit with her children's routines was by starring in and co-producing the HBO series 'Big Little Lies' with Reese Witherspoon as it meant she had control over her schedule.

She explained: "That's why I went and did something like 'Big Little Lies', because I could produce that and make that happen.

"But a lot of the times, you're still in the position of being asked to do something or auditioning, and not in a power of position or control. I always say, an actor can't be a control freak. You really have to be able to give yourself over to the process, and be willing to be changed and be molded. And I love that.

"I've worked a lot. I don't have to work. I work because it's still my passion."