(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Nicole Kidman surprised herself by being unbelievably calm when the engines failed on a flight she was on.

The actress has enjoyed a glittering career, appearing in hit films such as Moulin Rouge! and The Hours.

Nicole has revealed she once thought her life was about to end when a plane she was travelling on got into difficulty. She noticed that everyone else went crazy, but the catastrophe had the opposite effect on her.

The engine stopped and everyone was screaming and I became unbelievably calm, the 43-year-old recalled to the British edition of Marie Claire magazine. The pilot panicked, people panicked, but I just went, OK, this is whats going to be. Please dont make it too painful.

However, the pilot managed to land the plane safely and Nicole thinks it is a miracle she survived the incident. She is unsure why she did not lose control like the rest of the passengers, but is pleased that steely resolve came to the fore.

I was grateful to be walking this earth. Maybe it was the shock that made me so calm, but I love it when I surprise myself and see what I am made of. I suppose thats what I call discovering who I am, Nicole explained.

More generally, the star believes the prospect of passing away is becoming larger in her mind. She talks about dying with her ageing parents and contends this helps her to deal with the fact they will not be there one day.

Now, with death, there are times when I feel it looming and Im talking to my mother about it, because my parents are in their seventies now so we discuss it, Nicole added. I want to know what they want. Its going to happen. Its terrifying sometimes and at other times it isnt. Its not a fear now. (C) Cover Media