Nicole towers over her leading men at Golden Compass premiere

One of the pleasures of no longer being married to Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman once noted, was that she was finally able to wear high heels again without fear of upstaging - in every sense - her vertically challenged husband. But even when she tones down the heels, as she did last night for the world premiere of the Philip Pullman adaptation The Golden Compass, the 5ft 11in actress literally towers over everyone.

On this occasion, it was second husband, Australian rocker Keith Urban, and co-star Daniel Craig who were in the shade of the statuesque actress, who looked stunning in a Balenciaga cream satin pleated dress.

Kidman said she enjoyed playing such a dark character as Mrs Coulter and initial feedback from critics has been positive. The Guardian raved about her "elegant and seductive" villainness, while the Mail describes Kidman's performance as her best since winning the Best Actress Oscar for The Hours.

The premiere was welcome relief for the film's producers, who are under fire in the US for the perceived atheist agenda of the original Pullman books, as reported on The First Post yesterday. A consumer boycott in the world's largest market would scupper the film's chances of becoming the Christmas blockbuster.