[Article] Exclusive! Naomi Watts: "We Are Just A Normal Couple"

From her hot role in ‘Fair Game’ to her very hot beau Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts is anything but normal.

-by Cindy Pearlman

Naomi Watts says that she lives a double life. “There have been times when my kids see a photo or a flash of us on TV and say, ‘Oh Mommy. Oh Daddy.’ We try to explain that Mommy is going to work now. They always want to come to the set.

“Honestly, they think our work is in a trailer. That’s our office and their playroom on a set,” she says.

The gorgeous Watts who is the model of Ann Taylor and the star of previous movies including King Kong and Mother and Child lives with her significant other Liev Schreiber and is mom to two gorgeous young boys. She currently stars in Fair Game, coming to theaters November 5. It’s the true story of American spy Valerie Plame whose identity was leaked by the Bush administration. “I had just had a baby when I was sent the role. At first, I thought, ‘Impossible.’ Then I was told to read 12 pages and I was hooked.”


What do you have in common with the real Valerie Plame?
She’s very hard to get to know in a first meeting. I play it close to the vest, too. I like to read a person before I completely give myself away.

What was it like to meet the real Valerie Plame?
My co-star, Sean Penn, who plays my husband in the film spent time with Valerie and her husband in Santa Fe where they live now. I had just had a baby, so that wasn’t really possible. So I met Valerie for a few sessions before we started filming. Valerie and I were just careful at first and easy with each other. But then finally, it was crunch time and I just presented her with a list of very confronting and personal questions. I wanted to get into her mindset.


What amazed you the most about Valerie?
She was so unbelievably consistent and strong. I wondered how she could function when her identity was divulged.

You went through real CIA training. How tough was it while breastfeeding?
The first half an hour, they showed a video of people being killed in the most gruesome ways just so you would get used to it. The next thing I knew they had me handcuffed with my hands behind my back and thrown into a truck. My job was to get out alive.

So no pampering for the movie star?
I was allowed to have my baby every few hours to feed him, but it was clear that they were going to be mean the rest of the time. The minute my director Doug walked out, they kicked me in the shins and threw me to the ground. When I winced, I was warned, “Don’t say ‘ow’ again unless you need to go to the hospital.” I did incredible things I would never wish to do like setting off explosives, ramming cars without a seatbelt on and fighting. I couldn’t be even a little bit soft. I did one thing I’m not even allowed to talk about with you. They didn’t want anyone to know what people in the CIA are trained to do.


Is there an extra responsibility when it’s a true story and the woman you’re playing is on the set?
When you play someone who is a true, living person, it definitely ups the ante. The pressure is tenfold. Everyone in America is familiar with this story. I just wanted to tell it as truthfully as possible.


Valerie didn’t hide out after her identity was released. Could you believe that she didn’t just disappear?
The thing about Valerie that you learn very quickly is that she doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve. She’s not an emotionally driven person. She was a brilliant covert agent, so she’s quiet and reserved. Nothing broke her as an agent and having her identity revealed didn’t break her. She’s not a victim or a martyr. She just formulates a plan and deals with things.


Did Valerie have a soft side?
I never got to see her with her kids, but she talked about them endlessly. She came into my hotel room in Cannes and she was such a natural mother. My kids were there and they don’t really pay attention to anyone unless they’re holding some fantastic toy. They did pay attention to Valerie. She’s commanding.”


How do you and Liev combine work and a private life?
We are just a normal couple. We like to walk around the city with the kids and go to the beach on vacation. At home, we do talk about our work. I help him and he helps me.

Do the kids ever worry when you do dangerous movie scenes?
I’m filming The Impossible with Ewan McGregor. It’s another true story based on the tsunami. This was quite different because now the boys see Mommy in a very bad position. I had to explain that my “owies” were just pretend. I had to take fake blood and put it on the boys. They loved their fake owies.