[Article] Naomi Watts: I have demons

14 Dec 2012 Cover Media

Naomi Watts admits her childhood has left her with "demons" to battle.

The actress was born in England and her parents split up when she was four. She was raised by her grandparents, aunts and mother and regularly moved around the country.

Although her parents Myfanwy and Peter eventually reconciled, Peter died of a heroin overdose when Naomi was seven.

The family moved again and eventually Myfanwy decided to relocate them to Australia. The actress is in no doubt her upbringing had a lasting impact on her.

"Yes, there's no question about," she told British newspaper The Times. "I've got demons, and I'm someone who's been accused of presenting myself as a lighter, happy-go-lucky person. And there's possibly, well, some untruth in that."

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Naomi began acting when the family moved Down Under, explaining lessons were a "negotiated contract" agreed by her mother as the star was so angry at being uprooted.

In The Impossible Naomi plays Maria Belton, who survived the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. The film sees Maria battle with physical and emotional pain and Naomi had to work with fake vomit - which she embraced. The star would much rather tackle a meaty role where she sometimes looks bad than appear pristine on screen all the time.

"Look, we've all got a dark side," she said. "It's just that some of us are OK with cracking it open and embracing it. I'm not looking for a pretty painting. I like something with a bit more destruction. Something that's messy."