- News.com.au, Dec 08, 2012
GUEST editor Naomi Watts talks motherhood and juggling it all.
Naomi Watts is glowing. With her dewy skin and shiny hair, it is hard to believe she stepped off a transatlantic flight just hours before sitting down to edit body+soul.
The actress has only recently finished filming the eagerly anticipated Diana, but she still manages to find time to be a mother to her two young sons and do charity work – all while looking fantastic.
At the age of 44, she is getting the roles younger actresses would kill for and she has a happy family life in New York with her partner of seven years, actor Liev Schreiber, and their sons, Alexander (known as Sasha), 5, and Samuel, 4.
-- So how does she do it?
- Diet and exercise
Naomi says she doesn’t have any strict diet rules. “If I try to put myself on diets – which I did a lot in my 20s – I end up breaking them and craving foods that I wouldn’t normally eat,” she says.
She is also a big fan of carbohydrates. “If someone told me I had to cut out carbs I would be very upset. I love bread and pizza. And I have a sweet tooth as well. It’s about moderation.”
But she admits she enjoys cooking and eating healthily.
“I like to cook. As a mum, you end up cooking at least three or four times a week,” she says.
“It’s easy to eat out or get something delivered in New York but I think the kids enjoy it if it’s cooked for them. I pretty much always have fish and vegetables or roast chicken. The boys like protein.”
She also likes to mix up her exercise – “I can never stick to an exact routine” – and has been a jogger and done yoga and Pilates. She is currently a fan of cardio dance classes. “It’s good fun. You feel quite goofy and you actually get a good sweat going. At my age, I need an extra push.”
-- Ageing gracefully
Naomi admits getting older, particularly in the youth-obsessed film industry, can be tough at times. “Growing older gives you so many great things. But every now and again it just doesn’t feel great, and that’s just the truth,” she says.
“The hard times are when I wish I didn’t look so tired or my eyes worked better… Do I wish I had more collagen in my face or less lines? I’m just like any woman.
“I am embracing where I am at this point in my life; the work I am being given and the great opportunities… playing strong women who have had amazing experiences.”
-- Playing an icon
There is no more iconic role than her upcoming turn as the late Princess of Wales in the film which follows the last two years of her life.
Naomi knew taking on the role would be risky, but has said she feels it is a story and a part of history that needs to be told. She also did her own research for the part and spoke to people who knew Diana.
For the film, Naomi had to wear several different wigs of varying lengths, colours and styles. “It was very helpful to get me into her character,” she says. “Her hair was always what was very memorable about her look, that and her fashion, her style and, of course, the eyes with a lot of mascara. All of those things made her a beauty icon.”
-- Going to great lengths
Like Diana, Naomi is also heavily involved in charity. She is an ambassador for Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths, a program that donates real-hair wigs to women with cancer.
“Hair is a symbol of your femininity,” Naomi says. “Losing your hair is a horrible reminder of what is already a difficult thing to go through.”
Before her stint at the body+soul office, she visited St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney to meet some of the women the program is helping. “When they got to try on these wigs it was evident immediately that their spirits were lifted,” she says. “These women are all fighters and won’t give in and become victims.”
Naomi admits juggling work and motherhood can be difficult. “There’s so much going on and [I’m] trying to balance being a mum with a career. It’s great that I’ve got both things, but there are times when it’s a struggle. Sleep is often something I’m deprived of.”
Motherhood also makes moving around for work difficult. “It’s been fine up until now, but now Sasha
is in kindergarten it’s going to be a lot more difficult to travel.”
-- Staying grounded
She copes with her hectic lifestyle by surrounding herself with good people. “I still have the same friends. I like real people who are going to challenge me and tell me the truth,” she says.
She also meditates – “I’m a fairly highly strung person so I need some sort of centring, and sitting with my eyes closed for 20 minutes can be very helpful” – and she loves being back in Australia.
“There is nothing like Australian beaches,” she says. “It’s unbelievable to think that five minutes’ drive from the centre of Sydney you are at a beautiful beach. In LA, you drive an hour to get to the beach and it’s nothing
like the beaches here.”
-- Five ways Naomi chills out
“Lots of bike rides and walks with my family.”
“Crabbing and fishing with my kids.”
“Hanging out at my beach house with my kids.”
“I love being with my family.”
“I have a great iPod mix I listen to on set.”
3 comments:
Wonder when was this taken place?
This should be part of the Pantene campaign.
When she was in Australia promoting the "Donate your Hair" for Cancer victims campaign.
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