Eyes wide shut? Kidman was seen boarding a black SUV illegally parked on both a pedestrian crossing and double yellow lines

Police say they will investigate a road safety case after Australian actress Nicole Kidman was spotted boarding a black Range Rover illegally parked on a pedestrian crossing on Queen’s Road Central on Saturday afternoon.

Photos in The Standard showed Kidman, 54, climbing into the car after a trip to a clothes shop on the street. The location, at the base of the Pottinger Street steps, is not only a pedestrian crossing but also a “restricted zone” marked with double yellow lines, and loading or boarding a vehicle is forbidden.

Kidman is in town to shoot an online TV show, The Expats, a production dramatising the lives of some of Hong Kong’s most privileged residents. Her arrival in the city without any quarantine requirements caused widespread outrage – earlier, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) had justified waiving Kidman’s quarantine, claiming her presence in Hong Kong was “conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong’s economy”.

A CEDB spokesman says Kidman must follow “pre-determined work-related itineraries, point-to-point transportation and prohibition for using public transport,” claiming the bureau’s own verification and monitoring shows “no breach of the exemption conditions by the person concerned so far”.

On the illegal parking, the spokesman says film and creative sectors may apply for specific permissions for location shooting. “Other than this, the parties involved must abide by all traffic regulations,” he says.

A police source says the case will be investigated, with a case file, T HKI RN21017215, now opened. “We will prosecute those illegally stopping on the pedestrian crossing / yellow stripes,” confirms a senior officer.

As a passenger in the car, Kidman would not be prosecuted herself. But the driver of the car at the time could face charges of loading on a pedestrian crossing and of loading in a restricted zone. But the force has previously shown reluctance to properly pursue drivers blocking Queen’s Road Central pedestrian crossings.

A water truck illegally parks for production of the online show The Expats

The Expats has already been seen filming around town, with water trucks for a scene with domestic helpers blocking Garden Road and illegally unloading on double yellow lines.

According to “Mood Boards” seen by Transit Jam for a “baby shower” scene, the production will portray “successful, upscale professionals”.

A “mood board” for the upcoming online show The Expats

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