Nicole's Stepford secret

With her faultless make-up, blonde hair and sparkling strapless dress, she is seemingly the ideal woman.

But for Nicole Kidman, life turns out to be far from perfect in her latest film, The Stepford Wives.

Her character discovers a dark secret when she and her husband move to an American town filled with women who devote themselves to their husbands, love doing housework and have no thoughts of their own.

As those who have seen the 1975 version or read the original novel will know, the wives have actually been killed and replaced by identical robots who carry out their husbands' every whim without complaint.

And Miss Kidman's character, Joanna Eberhart, is terrified when she realises she could be the next victim.

At one point she even tries to blend in with her robotic neighbours, wearing a frumpy auburn wig and becoming fascinated by laundry and cooking gourmet meals for her husband, played by Matthew Broderick.

A source on the film said: 'Nicole was perfect to play this role. Although she had to look good in the film, she also had to convey the fact that she is petrified for her life. Slowly but surely she works out what's going on, and she is determined that the same thing won't happen to her.'

Christopher Walken, Bette Midler and Glenn Close also star in the film, which is expected to be released in June.

The 1975 version starred Nanette Newman and Katharine Ross, who played Joanna.

Miss Kidman's next film will be another remake, this time of 1960s television show Bewitched.

She will play Samantha the witch, with Sir Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as her parents.