Naomi Watts

Birthday: 28 September 1968, Shoreham, Kent, England, UK

Birth Name: Naomi Ellen Watts

Height: 164 cm

Naomi Ellen Watts was born on September 28, 1968 in Shoreham, England, to Myfanwy Edwards "Miv" (Roberts), an antiques dealer and costume/set designer, and Peter Watts (Peter Anthony Watts), the road manager to Pink Floyd. Her maternal grandfather was Welsh. Her father died when Naomi was seven and she began to follow her mother and her brother around England, until she was fourteen, when they settled in Australia, where her maternal grandmother was from. She coaxed her mother into letting her take acting class when they arrived. After bit parts in commercials, she landed her first role in For Love Alone (1986). Naomi met her best friend, Nicole Kidman, when they both auditioned for a bikini commercial and they shared a taxi ride home. In 1991, Naomi starred along Kidman in the sleeper-hit Flirting (1991) directed by John Duigan. Naomi continued her career by starring in the Australian Brides of Christ (1991) co-starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Brenda Fricker. In 1993, she worked with John Duigan again in Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and director George Miller in Gross Misconduct (1993). Tank Girl (1995), in 1995, an adaptation of the comic book was a cult hit, starred Naomi as "Jet Girl", but it didn't fare well at the box-office and didn't do much for her career as a whole. Watts continued to take insignificant parts in movies including the much forgotten film Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996). It wasn't until David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed film Mulholland Dr. (2001) that she began to become noticed. Her part as an aspiring actress showed her strong acting ability and wide range and earned her much respect, as much as to say by some that she was overlooked for a Oscar nomination that year. Stardom finally came to Naomi in the surprise hit The Ring (2002), which grossed over $100,000,000 at the box-office and starred Watts as a investigative reporter hunting down the truth behind several mysterious deaths seemingly caused by a video tape. While the movie did not fare well with the critics, it launched her into the spotlight. In 2003, she starred in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003) which earned her - what some say is a much overdue Oscar nomination and brought others to call her one of the best in her generation of actors. The same year, she was nominated for 21 Grams (2003), Naomi was chosen to play "Ann Darrow" in director Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) which took her to New Zealand for a five month shoot. Watts completed her first comedy in I Heart Huckabees (2004) for director David O. Russell, playing a superficial spokes model - a break from her usual intense and dramatic roles she is known for. In 2005, she reprized her role as the protective-mother-reporter "Rachel Keller" in The Ring Two (2005). The movie, released in March, opened to $35,000,000 at the box office in the first weekend and established her as a box-office draw. Also in 2005, it was decided that her independent movie Ellie Parker (2001) would be re-released in late 2005 after its success at resurfacing at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie, which Naomi also produced, features her in the title role and is a bit biographical, but yet exaggerated take of the life of a struggling actress as she comes to Hollywood and encounters nightmares of the profession (it also features Watts' own beat-up Honda which she travels around in). In 2006, she starred with Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006). In July of 2007, Naomi gave birth to a boy, Alexander Pete (Sasha Schreiber) in Los Angeles with Liev Schreiber. Since then her career choices have gathered even more critical acclaim with starring roles roles in German director Michael Haneke's American remake of his thriller Funny Games (2007), David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007), and the action-thriller, The International (2009), released in February 2009. In mid-2008, Watts announced she was expecting her second child with Schreiber and gave birth to another boy, Samuel Kai Schreiber, in New York on December 13. Show less «

Believe me. There's nothing natural about a red-carpet experience. People scream your name at the to...Show more »

Believe me. There's nothing natural about a red-carpet experience. People scream your name at the top of their voices, 100 of them at a time, and it just makes your heart leap out of your chest. I don't like being in loud places any more, all my friends call me Granny! My favorite thing is welcoming people in to my home. Show less «

My mum put me in drama classes when I was about 14. I'd been going on about it for some time, so may...Show more »

My mum put me in drama classes when I was about 14. I'd been going on about it for some time, so maybe it was a way to shut me up. Show less «

When I had dark hair I definitely felt that I was more anonymous.

"The consequences are that you fear and dread being abandoned. You get a little tougher, and it's mo...Show more »

"The consequences are that you fear and dread being abandoned. You get a little tougher, and it's more difficult for you to become intimate. The pros are that you can adapt to any situation and that you're open to new surroundings. A lot of people get stuck in their ways, but I embrace change." on moving frequently when she was younger. Show less «

I'm not this dark, twisted person. Yes, I have my demons and this is my way of exorcising them. It g...Show more »

I'm not this dark, twisted person. Yes, I have my demons and this is my way of exorcising them. It gets them out - and better out than in. Actually, I think that it's the comedians who are the darkest people on the planet, because they think life's just bloody hilarious. - on the usual dark roles that she is known for. Show less «

[on her Oscar nomination for Lo imposible (2012)] I just want to have a good time and then have a gr...Show more »

[on her Oscar nomination for Lo imposible (2012)] I just want to have a good time and then have a great party afterwards. Emmanuelle Riva was the performance of the year, but Jennifer Lawrence did a beautiful job too. And Jessica Chastain. They're all great performances. And - how do you pronounce it? - Quvenzhane [Wallis] was great too. Show less «

I'd have to say when I found out that my son was watching the tape. And then again, when I was total...Show more »

I'd have to say when I found out that my son was watching the tape. And then again, when I was totally exasperated at the end. ... I really felt like I was touching on melodrama, and you're just going for it, and you're just like shrieking, and you're always afraid that it's too much, but it really warrants that in the story. It's really about trusting Gore, because we've got to make sure that everything is paced well up to that point so it isn't melodrama. Obviously, it's a very, very dramatic situation, and she's reached that point where she just can't take it anymore. So you're doing it on the day and you're just always concerned how it's going to play out in the structure of the story.And then also, I'd have to say that the horses on the boat was particularly difficult. I mean, I felt terrible for the horses, but we had the animal people there who were watching very closely and telling us what we could and couldn't do, and everyone on the set was incredibly quiet and respectful in order not to spook them anymore than they were already being spooked. ... But it was great. I think it's a pretty powerful scene. -- on what her most difficult scenes were in The Ring (2002). Show less «

I had gotten to a place where I truly believed everything I was called: 'not sexy,' 'not funny,' 'to...Show more »

I had gotten to a place where I truly believed everything I was called: 'not sexy,' 'not funny,' 'too intense,' desperate.' All those labels they gave me, I took them because there wasn't a trace of my true self left. - on the struggles of her early career. Show less «

It was the character that drew me to this project. It's a genre film, and you get all those moments ...Show more »

It was the character that drew me to this project. It's a genre film, and you get all those moments that you get in a genre film, but you get a little bit more. I think it's more psychological. And the character has her own personal journey to go through, and I particularly liked it for that reason. Rachel starts out as a flawed person and not the greatest mother. She's not asking the questions, she's a little bit driven and focused on what she thinks is the right thing to do, which is work, work, work, survive, survive and provide for my child. But it's only after all the drama and the chaos happens that she realizes that it's not just about that. It's about spending time and asking the questions and recognizing what your child needs before he states it. -- On what drew her to The Ring (2002). Show less «

I never get recognized on the street. I'm lucky that way. People see me as the dolled-up movie-star ...Show more »

I never get recognized on the street. I'm lucky that way. People see me as the dolled-up movie-star type on the red carpet, but in real life, I don't look anything like that. I blend easily into a crowd. My husband, Liev Schreiber, is really distinct, and quite often people push me aside to get to him. They'll say, "Isn't that the guy...?" and list off all his credits. They will then ask, "Can you take a photo of us?" They have no idea who I am. Show less «

On set is where I feel comfortable. The red carpet stuff, talking about the film, explaining your ow...Show more »

On set is where I feel comfortable. The red carpet stuff, talking about the film, explaining your own life, it doesn't come naturally. It's all necessary stuff I suppose but it's not my strength. Show less «

I've done a few remakes now, as you know. And my philosophy is, you see the original film once, and ...Show more »

I've done a few remakes now, as you know. And my philosophy is, you see the original film once, and that's it. You have to do whatever you can to shut it out, because you don't want your performance to be tainted. You don't want to fall into the trap of comparisons, basically. Show less «

It was total naivety that got me to Hollywood. I thought it was going to happen straight away. I tol...Show more »

It was total naivety that got me to Hollywood. I thought it was going to happen straight away. I told myself 'give it 5 years, there's no way I'll be here after that if it doesn't happen'. Cut to ten years later! Show less «

Since this was a remake, there was the fear that you're going to be compared to the original actors....Show more »

Since this was a remake, there was the fear that you're going to be compared to the original actors. The fact that Michael was designing each shot the exact same way as the original meant that you had to do the same blocking and tread the same steps as those actors. And then you think, oh wow, how can I invent this character, how can I find this scene in my own organic way? Michael's way is so mapped out -- I'd go to the sink, go to the fridge, then back to the sink -- it became such a heady thing and it's not like I prefer to work. I like to feel it and surprise myself. - more on Funny Games (2007) writer/director Michael Haneke. Show less «

I'm incredibly grateful for being in a position where the phone still rings and the calls are still ...Show more »

I'm incredibly grateful for being in a position where the phone still rings and the calls are still coming in from directors I respect. I feel like my intentions are the same as they have always been. I can't be seduced into doing (a film) for the wrong reason. The moment I do, I'll probably fail. Show less «

[on undertaking the role of Diana, Princess of Wales] It's definitely risky. But having said that, i...Show more »

[on undertaking the role of Diana, Princess of Wales] It's definitely risky. But having said that, it's a story that has to be told. We like to look back on big stories, and it's a little fresher, perhaps, than Henry VIII. Show less «

[on her role in Fair Game (2010)] I'm probably one of the few people who can say I breastfed my baby...Show more »

[on her role in Fair Game (2010)] I'm probably one of the few people who can say I breastfed my baby while packing a loaded gun. Show less «

I don't think I'm really the go-to girl for that sort of cheery popcorn movie. I've done that little...Show more »

I don't think I'm really the go-to girl for that sort of cheery popcorn movie. I've done that little bit of lightness in King Kong, and I Heart Huckabees was definitely goofy, but I just don't connect that well to romantic comedies because they're usually so formulaic and not really based in truth. Show less «

I find myself gravitating towards drama. It interests me. In the books I read, the paintings I like,...Show more »

I find myself gravitating towards drama. It interests me. In the books I read, the paintings I like, it's always the darker stuff. Show less «

Yeah, I suppose I am ordinarily drawn to the darker stuff. You won't find me in a romantic comedy. T...Show more »

Yeah, I suppose I am ordinarily drawn to the darker stuff. You won't find me in a romantic comedy. Those movies don't speak to me. People don't come to talk to me about those scripts, because they probably think I'm this dark, twisted, miserable person. Show less «

[on Lo imposible (2012)] Who knew I'd be swimming for six weeks? After King Kong (2005) I swore to m...Show more »

[on Lo imposible (2012)] Who knew I'd be swimming for six weeks? After King Kong (2005) I swore to myself that I would never do anything action-driven again, because it just about killed me. But it's sort of like childbirth. You forget. Show less «

I always love being in the company of women. It's all about good conversation and great wine.

It was quite difficult to turn off during the end of the day. Most people will ask me, 'Was this sca...Show more »

It was quite difficult to turn off during the end of the day. Most people will ask me, 'Was this scary to make, scary to watch?' Usually the answer is no, because in most films, you shoot out of sequence so everything's fragmented. But this film was shot very much in chronological order and it pretty much takes place all on one set. Michael doesn't cut a lot -- one shot is held for endless minutes. So it was hard. The set was at times a very tense place - On filming Funny Games (2007). Show less «

Auditions are just so humiliating and degrading. You get a five-minute time slot for a part you've s...Show more »

Auditions are just so humiliating and degrading. You get a five-minute time slot for a part you've spent six hours or more studying for or thinking about, and you get into these rooms full of people who barely make eye contact. They're bored and frustrated that they can't find the right person, energy that is instantly crushing and which makes it hard to shine. Going through that process over and over, you become so wounded and guarded that it's impossible to give you best stuff away. That's why I will never forget what David Lynch did for me. When he cast me in Mulholland Dr. (2001), I was literally at the lowest place, and yet he managed to pull away all those masks. Show less «

To be appreciated or recognized is everything to an artist, but to be placed in a category where jud...Show more »

To be appreciated or recognized is everything to an artist, but to be placed in a category where judgment occurs is awful, and yet we are all liars if we can't admit that we haven't all chased it or dreamed of it, even just a little bit. Show less «

"I've had people who've seen 21 Grams (2003) say, 'Wow, you're so brave to be looking like that'. Th...Show more »

"I've had people who've seen 21 Grams (2003) say, 'Wow, you're so brave to be looking like that'. This shocks me. I think that's what an actor's job is, to lose yourself in a role". Show less «

'Pain is such an important thing in life. I think that as an artist you have to experience suffering...Show more »

'Pain is such an important thing in life. I think that as an artist you have to experience suffering. It's not enough to have lived it once; you have to relive it. Darkness is not a pejorative thing." Show less «

"The biggest place I look for validation is from my mother. That's the little girl in me that will n...Show more »

"The biggest place I look for validation is from my mother. That's the little girl in me that will never grow up." - on why not having an Oscar yet doesn't faze her. Show less «

[Woody Allen is] the best actor's director I've ever worked with. There's not as much free rein as w...Show more »

[Woody Allen is] the best actor's director I've ever worked with. There's not as much free rein as we're led to believe, because he has a sense of how the scene's going to work and we need to move within those parameters. [But] he wants to empower us to find it ... and he'll do it in such a gentle fashion that we don't even understand it's being done. Show less «

There's a set of rules out there somewhere that says it all ends by 40. I hope to be able to defy th...Show more »

There's a set of rules out there somewhere that says it all ends by 40. I hope to be able to defy that because I truly love my work. Show less «

If I have to produce movies, direct movies, whatever to change the way Hollywood treats older women,...Show more »

If I have to produce movies, direct movies, whatever to change the way Hollywood treats older women, I'll do it. If I have to bend the rules, I will. If I have to break them, I will. Show less «

"We're so afraid of death in our culture, but I think if we understand it better, then we'll appreci...Show more »

"We're so afraid of death in our culture, but I think if we understand it better, then we'll appreciate the life we have more." - in response to 21 Grams (2003). Show less «

"Every time I dress up to go somewhere, I say this is who I am: like, I feel like a Russian hooker t...Show more »

"Every time I dress up to go somewhere, I say this is who I am: like, I feel like a Russian hooker tonight. A long time ago, I put on a Stella McCartney top with a huge amount of feathers, and I had really black eye makeup and stringy hair. My mom was like, 'That top's not working'. But that's what I looked like, a Russian hooker". Show less «

Whatever is said about roles drying up, I intend to keep working. Certainly now the roles couldn't b...Show more »

Whatever is said about roles drying up, I intend to keep working. Certainly now the roles couldn't be more interesting - playing mothers, divorcees. I think it's going to be exciting to play a mother of teenagers. The longer your life, the deeper it gets. Show less «

You have to make peace with yourself. The key is to find the harmony in what you have.quoted in the ...Show more »

You have to make peace with yourself. The key is to find the harmony in what you have.quoted in the Feb 01, 2005 issue of WOMAN'S WORLD. Show less «

Every time I'd think to book a ticket to leave L.A., something would come up-even just a three day j...Show more »

Every time I'd think to book a ticket to leave L.A., something would come up-even just a three day job or something. That was enough to keep me invested. I still pinch myself when a certain director calls and says, 'Would you like to read my script?' I don't take any of it for granted because I struggled for so long. Show less «

Everyone said I was an overnight success, but it was ten years leading up to that.

To be a producer is not something that I look at as a position of power. I just think that I have th...Show more »

To be a producer is not something that I look at as a position of power. I just think that I have these great connections, let's use them. I believe in it. You believe in it. Let's do it. Show less «

Yes, I've had six great years of being in a position where I can pick and choose a bit, but it's not...Show more »

Yes, I've had six great years of being in a position where I can pick and choose a bit, but it's not like I suddenly feel so calm and relaxed about that. Having spent a large portion of my life with a constant struggle and trying to find ways to make it work, that's what sticks with me. Show less «

Even during my most intense scenes with Sean Penn (in 21 Grams (2003)), we found ways to have fun. S...Show more »

Even during my most intense scenes with Sean Penn (in 21 Grams (2003)), we found ways to have fun. Sure, I have my dark moments, but I'm the girl you'll see driving down the highway singing to Blondie. Show less «

They both had such difficult parts. Michael, particularly, had endless amounts of dialog, and Michae...Show more »

They both had such difficult parts. Michael, particularly, had endless amounts of dialog, and Michael Haneke wanted to shoot long takes without angles, which meant both guys had to be very much on their game. I was so impressed with both of them. They're very fine actors and although they struggled with it -- playing these hideous, psychotic people -- I think there was some fun in it, too. Michael Pitt is also someone who works from a very organic place and Haneke had lots of instruction for him. You feel very trapped and confined. And the material is so heavy and it makes you so very tense. - on Funny Games (2007) co-stars Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet. Show less «

It's a bunch of images that are really quite nasty. They don't exactly correlate but you work out wh...Show more »

It's a bunch of images that are really quite nasty. They don't exactly correlate but you work out what they mean later on in the story, and that alone is pretty scary -- On the videotape in The Ring (2002). Show less «

I keep saying to myself, Oh, God, I'm sick of playing these dark, harrowing roles. I want a big payc...Show more »

I keep saying to myself, Oh, God, I'm sick of playing these dark, harrowing roles. I want a big paycheck, so put me in some dumb romantic comedy any day. Show less «

Well, in Mulholland Dr. (2001), I played these two characters that weren't based on any reality and ...Show more »

Well, in Mulholland Dr. (2001), I played these two characters that weren't based on any reality and they were very extreme people. I felt this character, "Rachel Keller", was very ordinary even though she's presented with extraordinary circumstances. She's a normal person who's just a mother and to her everything is OK. Life is just dandy.Then this horrible thing comes into her life. She's forced to question her sanity. It seems completely implausible and then the journalist part of her goes out the window and it becomes about survival for her and for her family. It's pretty intense -- On what attracted her to the role of "Rachel Keller" in The Ring (2002). Show less «

People think of me as the go-to-girl for nervous breakdowns. (On the type of roles she's offered.)

I'm so not feeling in my best physical shape and there I am having to strip naked -- which I'd never...Show more »

I'm so not feeling in my best physical shape and there I am having to strip naked -- which I'd never even done before [on her role in Mother and Child (2009)]. Show less «

I went straight from one movie to another. I had about a week of rehearsal and that was my preparati...Show more »

I went straight from one movie to another. I had about a week of rehearsal and that was my preparation. It was a huge movie and I had like a billion costume, changes and things like that took precedence over any acting preparation. But really fear is a pretty simple emotion to play. It's a pretty good driving force, so imagination really was my key -- On preparing for The Ring (2002). Show less «

That ad recently turned up in a magazine in Australia. My head is in my hands as I'm sitting at as d...Show more »

That ad recently turned up in a magazine in Australia. My head is in my hands as I'm sitting at as desk, thinking, 'When can I start using tampons?' I was quite old, but I was supposed to look 12". - on one of her first gigs. Show less «

It's always nerve-racking to take off your clothes on film. But doing it with a woman felt safer tha...Show more »

It's always nerve-racking to take off your clothes on film. But doing it with a woman felt safer than with a man. You know you can say, 'Don't grab me there: That's where my cellulite is'! [after being asked if it was hard to do a love scene with a woman (Mulholland Dr. (2001)] Show less «

Instead of thinking 'how can I slow the ageing process?' I think 'how can I bend the rules?' Every y...Show more »

Instead of thinking 'how can I slow the ageing process?' I think 'how can I bend the rules?' Every year you add to your life, you're going to add a different experience to your face. Show less «

"There's a lot of skeletons in my closet, but I know what they're wearing. I'm not gonna act all ash...Show more »

"There's a lot of skeletons in my closet, but I know what they're wearing. I'm not gonna act all ashamed of it" - on her early career. Show less «

Yes, I did. I saw it once. I read the script and I really liked the script. I got excited about it, ...Show more »

Yes, I did. I saw it once. I read the script and I really liked the script. I got excited about it, and then I managed to get hold of the copy of the Japanese version. It was particularly difficult to find as I was shooting a film in the south of Wales. The video store people looked at me blankly.And when I got hold of it, I was in my hotel room alone and watching it on a very small TV monitor, and I remember being pretty freaked out. I just saw it the once, and that was enough to get me excited about doing it. But then, after that, I didn't want to look at it too much, because when you're doing a remake, I think it can be dangerous, because seeing how the other actor played the role could corrupt your own ideas or take you in a direction that's not exactly where you would have planned to go -- On watching "Ringu" before shooting The Ring (2002). Show less «

Aside from the endless discussions and imagining various scenarios -- the 'what-ifs' -- I happen to ...Show more »

Aside from the endless discussions and imagining various scenarios -- the 'what-ifs' -- I happen to know two people that had been held hostage in their home. To know even two people is scary; it reminds you that this sort of thing really can take place. - on preparing and relating to Funny Games (2007). Show less «

For the record, I am actually British as well as Australian. People always think I'm Australian but ...Show more »

For the record, I am actually British as well as Australian. People always think I'm Australian but I'm happy for the Brits to claim me back. I'm offering myself up. Show less «

I'm a tomboy now. I always wanted to fit in with my brother's group, so I climbed trees and played w...Show more »

I'm a tomboy now. I always wanted to fit in with my brother's group, so I climbed trees and played with lead soldiers. But I'm a woman's woman. I never understood women who don't have woman friends. Show less «

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts's FILMOGRAPHY

Naomi Watts'S roles

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