There are few people who inspire more excitement than Nicole Kidman. Whether it’s in anticipation of her ever-changing red carpet hair—at times, a mohawk, at other times, mermaid-inspired—her quick wit, or impossibly lovely singing voice, Kidman is a proper star, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. So, to realize we have something in common is rather thrilling – a reverence for SPF and rather “erratic” use of red light masks.

We’re connecting to celebrate her new appointment as global brand ambassador for Clé de Peau Beauté, and the chat quickly turns to her lifelong appreciation (and at some points, frustration) with skin care.

Growing up in Australia, Kidman was kept strictly out of the sun on account of her exceptionally fair skin. “We’re a beach culture, and for a girl with a really fair complexion, sun protection had to be part of my life from the very beginning,” she tells Vogue, dialling in from an unusually hot London.

Don’t be fooled into thinking sun safety was something she enjoyed, though. “I hated having fair skin. It stopped me from being able to surf or do the sports I wanted to. I always felt like I couldn’t do what all the other kids were able to do unless I wore huge amounts of bright white (or pink) zinc cream.”