'Babygirl' star Harris Dickinson had Marine ambitions. Now he's in 2024's kinkiest film.

NEW YORK – Harris Dickinson wasn’t exactly eager to show his parents “Babygirl.”

The R-rated psychosexual drama follows a high-powered CEO named Romy (Nicole Kidman), who embarks on a torrid affair with her much younger intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson). The film features a smorgasbord of kinky foreplay, as Romy eats candy from Samuel’s hand while kneeling on all fours and later laps milk from a dish as he watches aroused. But to the relief of Dickinson’s mother, there’s very little actual nudity.

“My mum watched it and said, ‘Oh, I wore a turtleneck because I was worried I would need to cover my eyes,’ ” the British actor recalls over grain and salad bowls on a recent afternoon. “But she didn’t need to at all!”

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Nicole Kidman made filming her 'Babygirl' movie a 'safe place' for Harris Dickinson

With a wide release in theaters on Christmas Day, “Babygirl” is poised to be a mainstream breakthrough for Dickinson, 28, who has primarily shined in independent movies such as “The Iron Claw,” “Scrapper” and “Triangle of Sadness.” “Babygirl” director Halina Reijn first saw him in the latter and was “completely taken” with his performance.

“He has this ability to be strong and macho, but then become vulnerable within a second,” Reijn says. “And then, of course, he looks like a god. I think he’s going to conquer the world; he’s going to be a huge star.”

Dickinson was drawn to the complexities of Reijn’s script, which explores “how much we’re able to come to terms with our own darkness,” he says. Romy, who is married with two kids, is ashamed to admit she watches porn and that her husband (Antonio Banderas) has never given her an orgasm. She’s gradually liberated through sadomasochism with Samuel, as they alternate between dominant and submissive roles in the bedroom.

“My biggest fears were how to navigate those scenes in a way that felt authentic,” Dickinson says. “There’s a lot of tropes around the erotic thriller genre, and Halina was always of this mindset, like, ‘How do we subvert those? How do we go in and out of role playing?’ But doing it with Nicole was so open. The first time we met, she said, ‘I’ve got you. Just know that you’re in a safe place with me.’ ”

Dickinson grew up in a suburb of East London with a hairdresser mother and social worker father. They encouraged him to express his emotions, although among classmates, “there was always pressure to hold things in and be strong,” he says. “Because in school if you showed weakness, then you became a target.”

He was part of the Marine cadets as a kid and fully intended to join the Royal Marines upon graduation (“I liked the structure it gave me and thought that’d be a good career”). At the same time, he was performing in school plays and filming YouTube sketches with his friends, impersonating everyone from Bear Grylls to Harry Potter. He eventually enrolled in local theater classes and decided to make a go at acting.

As Dickinson went out on auditions, he worked all manner of odd jobs, from delivering newspapers to folding clothes at Hollister. His personal favorite: emptying trash bins at the park. “I liked collecting rubbish, honestly,” he says with a grin. “It’s very task-based and very Zen.”

Harris Dickinson may or may not be playing John Lennon in a Beatles movie

At age 21, Dickinson made his film debut in 2017’s critically acclaimed “Beach Rats,” after taping his audition from his childhood bedroom. The queer coming-of-age drama quickly set Dickinson on the Hollywood path, with supporting roles alongside Ralph Fiennes (“The King’s Man”), Angelina Jolie (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”) and Hilary Swank (FX series “Trust”).

Like many up-and-comers, he credits his parents for keeping his success in perspective. Their mantra: “Don’t get too big for your britches,” Dickinson says. “It’s very easy to forget that in this industry, but that was always a big thing in my family. Simmer down; there’s so many more important people out there doing incredible things, and we’re just a little blip.”

As the holidays approach, Dickinson is most excited to spend time with his cat, Misty Blue, watching “Forrest Gump” (an unlikely Christmas tradition) and perfecting his British roast. He recently shot his movie directorial debut, which takes on weighty themes of trauma and homelessness but with “magical realist elements.” And he’s fielding constant questions about Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopics, in which he’s rumored to play John Lennon.

Dickinson can neither confirm nor deny his participation, although he gets a kick out of the Marvel-like fervor around the project.

“It’s strange,” he says. “If you’d told 14-year-old me as I was running home with a doughnut in hand to play Xbox that I would one day be in the conversation, I would probably tell you to shut up.”

Despite his fast ascent, Dickinson still gets imposter syndrome: “I don’t feel like I’m accomplished, which is what drives me. I keep trying to prove myself – you’re only as good as your last gig, right?”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris Dickinson talks 'Babygirl' with Nicole Kidman, Beatles movie