Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, 54, stirred up a whole lot of controversy when she travelled to Hongkong from Sydney via private jet on August 12 without needing to undergo quarantine like everybody else.

At the time of her arrival, non-residents entering Hongkong from the Australian city were required to serve a mandatory seven-day quarantine in a designated hotel if they were vaccinated and had tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 72 hours. Unvaccinated individuals had to quarantine for two weeks.

However, the Oscar winner, who is in the region to film an upcoming Amazon Prime series called Expats, was spotted shopping in the Central area just two days after she landed.

She was also reported to be staying in a luxury residence on Victoria Peak that charges a monthly rent of HK$650,000 (S$113,000) instead of a dedicated quarantine facility.

Needless to say, netizens were not at all pleased, with many accusing Nicole of taking advantage of special privileges and worrying that she might spark another outbreak.

The backlash certainly hasn’t gotten in the way of her work or good mood, though.

On Monday afternoon (Aug 23), crew members were seen cordoning off a section of Fa Yuen Street for filming.

According to media reports, this caused dissatisfaction among the street vendors in the area, who claimed that their business was badly affected as overcrowding caused the roads around their stalls to be blocked.

One even got into an argument with a crew member, who responded by saying that the street wasn't completely closed off and that people were still able to access it through designated entry and exit points.

The vexed stall owner reportedly threatened to call the police but did not do anything in the end.

A smiling Nicole herself arrived on the set at about 8pm. While she took off her mask to interact with the extras when the cameras were rolling, she immediately put it back on once the shot was completed.

An air-conditioned white tent was set up for Nicole to rest in between takes, and the crew rented a crane to shoot scenes of the street from as high as six storeys up.

Such a set-up in the middle of the city certainly attracted its fair share of onlookers, although many of them were stopped by crew members as soon as they raised their phones to take a photo or video.

After she was done with work, Nicole was swiftly escorted off the premises by a bodyguard.

When the news of Nicole being exempt from quarantine started causing outrage, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau stated that she was granted this permission “for the purpose of performing designated professional work” that was “conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development” of Hongkong’s economy.

She was still required to be vaccinated, take regular COVID-19 tests, avoid taking public transport, and submit an itinerary detailing her work activities.

Photos: Sing Tao Daily, Nicole Kidman/Instagram