Twice the Talent
She's one of Australia's favourite daughters who has become Hollywood's darling complete with an Oscar nomination, but behind the camera, Naomi Watts is a down-to-earth, doting mother of two
- by Jessica Finn
Even though she has left the men in her life behind — partner and actor Liev Schreiber, and their two children Alexander, three, and 21-month-old Samuel Kai — to meet with Jetstar Magazine at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, Naomi Watts appears every bit the devoted mother.
After breezing into the room for our appointment to talk about her new movie Fair Game, the conversation soon drifts to her off-screen joy. “Things have changed now that I have children,” shares the 42-year-old Australian, English-born actress. “I don’t put in the same blood, sweat and tears anymore.
“I’ve always thought of myself as someone with a great work ethic, and that I’m very committed to what I do. But I don’t work as often as I used to now. I used to take my work home and stay up all night deliberating on it.
“Now the minute I walk in the door it’s done, it’s finished — it’s all about the kids. Children really pull you into the moment.”
Her latest film Fair Game — co-starring Sean Penn — is a true story of espionage and betrayal. Watts plays former undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose life was torn apart when her cover was blown by the US government after her husband — former ambassador Joe Wilson — criticised the Bush administration for the Iraq War.
The project came to Watts not long after she had given birth to her second child. “It could not have been worse timing,” she explains. “Basically I gave birth on 13th December, and the email came on the 26th. I said, ‘I’m not reading anything right now — I’m on the two-hour feeding schedule.’ But I knew the story — I’d followed it in the news at the time. So I was instantly intrigued, and director Doug Liman said ‘Just read 10 pages’.”
The rest is history. Watts signed on and was soon immersed in Plame’s story, whose identity was exposed in a newspaper column five years ago. An investigation traced the leak all the way to the White House and it became apparent this was no ordinary spy story. Plame’s uncovering had a profound impact on her family life, which was rocked by the scandal. Yet portraying someone who constantly lied to her husband did not resonate with Watts. “I believe in honesty all the way,” she admits. “I’m a confessor, Liev knows everything about me.”
Speaking to us, it’s apparent Watts is careful about her words, and while our questions aren’t intrusive, it’s clear in her beautiful blue eyes that she is considering the words intensely before they leave her lips. She is fiercely private, and although she appears to be a magnet to paparazzi in New York City where she and her family are based, Watts admits she doesn’t love the tabloids, unlike so many starlets. “It’s a difficult thing to be comfortable with,” Watts says. “It’s not easy and it’s not my favourite part of the job.” But she finds it manageable as “there’s nothing scandalous or spectacular about my life.”
Despite having a nanny, Watts and Schreiber try to spend as much time with their boys as possible. And she’s already thinking number three. “I would go a third, it would be nice to have a little girl,” Watts told She magazine last year. Until then however, the star of Mulholland Drive, The Ring I and II, and King Kong looks set to continue being a working mother. In fact, Fair Game is already receiving Oscar buzz because of Watts and Penn’s stellar performances.
Academy Award-winner Penn, who plays retired ambassador Joe Wilson in Fair Game, has won Best Actor awards twice, for Milk and Mystic River. Watts admits some of her favourite scenes were alongside Penn, her 21 Grams and The Assassination of Richard Nixon co-star and friend. “I was so pleased when Doug said Sean was his first choice. He asked if I could call Sean and give him the script. So I did. Sean emailed me right away and said it was a brilliant script, and necessary story to tell. The preparation time was very limited and thankfully because Sean and I had worked together twice before, we could just launch into it. We didn’t have to be careful, we just knew and trusted each other’s processes. We were able to go straight into it because of our friendship and history, which was really helpful.”
The roles of Wilson and Plame are as complex as the historical events linked to Plame’s outing as a CIA operative. Soon after September 11, 2001, Plame was chosen to head the CIA’s joint task force on Iraq. She juggled her personal life as a wife to former ambassador Joe Wilson and mother of twins, with her secret mission to infiltrate Saddam Hussein’s weapons programs.
Meanwhile, her husband was chosen by the US Government to confirm reports that Niger had sold large quantities of uranium to Iraq, to potentially create weapons of mass destruction. Wilson returned from Niger and concluded the reports were unfounded. But the Bush Administration ignored his findings.
Intent on setting the record straight, Wilson went to The New York Times with the editorial piece “What I Didn’t Find In Africa”. Shortly after, Plame’s identity as a covert operative was leaked to another publication, seemingly by a high-ranking member of the Bush Administration. With her cover blown, Plame was forced to resign from the CIA.
The difficult roles of these two American historical figures are executed brilliantly by Watts and Penn, who consulted their on- screen namesakes while filming. So what was it like to meet Plame in real life? “It was helpful, but it was also scary,” says Watts. “Because when you read a script and you like a character, and say ‘yeah I’m going to play this’, it’s yours from that first reading. But Valerie is alive and around, so you feel highly pressured. Because of the injustice, I felt a huge responsibility to get this right. I wanted to be as truthful as possible. I spent time in paramilitary training — I wanted that tough exterior, and that cool and calm. With the level of betrayal that was done to her, the least I could do was sow her story. That was really the most important thing. I just hope that our story will connect with people.”
With all its intensity, and the promise to bring the truth to light, this film is likely to be a box office smash — a familiar position for the Watts-and-Penn double act.
4 comments:
Breath-taking photos.
Thank you for Naomi.
I wonder where can this magazine be found? Is it on the flight, and only?
Very nice cover. Thanks.
Post a Comment