Nicole Kidman sells Etihad Airways in virtual reality movie

Nicole Kidman is flying high.

The Australian Oscar winner stars in a just-released ad campaign by Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates. The commercial, a five-minute 360-degree virtual reality film, showcases the deluxe service and accommodations of the new Airbus A380. It also raises a couple of burning questions. How do you get a falcon on the UAE’s national airline when women can’t get their own breast milk through TSA? And, when did it become totally cool for Hollywood stars to do commercials?

First, the bird. In the Etihad mini-movie called “Reimagine,” Kidman plays an actress en route from New York to Abu Dhabi to a film set. We see her rehearsing lines from a script. (How meta.) Also seen in the commercial, which took six months to produce: An Emirati guest with a falcon in the first-class cabin on the Airbus. So how’d the feathered friend get through security? Is it okay for a falcon be free in the cabin? We’re awaiting word from Etihad.

And as for the second question, there was a time when celebrities fretted that doing commercials would taint their celebrity and sink their credibility. We’re artists, dammit! We don’t do that kind of thing. At least on U.S. soil. Which is why stars would slink off overseas to make ads — and lots of dough. Like, say, $1 million for sipping pretty. George Clooney headed to France to sell Nespresso. Julie Roberts did a Lavazza coffee campaign in Italy. And Leonardo DiCaprio hawked Jim Beam in a Japanese commercial. What happens overseas stayed overseas. The Internet has changed that.

So, too, have attitudes — about making money — and gobs of it. Everywhere you look these days, A-list stars and Oscar winners are doing commercials — no regrets, no apologies, no secrets.

George Clooney sells Nespresso in an American commercial -- and nobody blinks.

 (ELIZABETHHURLEY VIA INSTAGRAM)

Charlize Theron climbs like a Cirque du Soleil star to sell J’adore by Dior. Clooney, with help from Danny Devito, swaggers as he pitches Nespresso in the U.S. And there’s Roberts and Matthew McConaughey respectively pitching for Lancome and Lincoln. What gives? It’s their career and they can sell out if they want to — especially in a tight economy.

Which isn’t to say stars don’t still face criticism. Ask Kidman, who’s previously been slammed by Etihad flight attendants who’ve taken the airline to task over labor policies. That’s the price you pay. Easy money doesn’t really come easy.