'After Nicole's screen test I told myself - 'that girl is so great; if you cast her, you're going to be loaded'

Philip Noyce has helmed Hollywood films such as Patriot Games starring Harrison Ford, Salt starring Angelina Jolie, The Quiet American starring Michael Caine, and Dead Calm (1988) starring Nicole Kidman.

In fact, for Dead Calm (1988), which brought the 18-year-old Nicole Kidman to the limelight, he took her screen test. He has worked with both Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie in the early years of their careers and later when they became stars. He says, "These are the legends people look up to. But when you meet them the first time, you can’t be so presumptuous as to think that someone could become such superstars and everlasting stars."

He added, "But I will say that when Nicole did her screen test, afterward I was looking in the mirror and talking to myself, and I said to myself, 'That girl is so great; if you cast her, you're going to be loaded.' So I knew that much, but I never expected that the 18-year-old would be a 58-year-old, 40 years later, and still ascending, still going high in terms of the audience response, in terms of artistic response, achievement - still rising."