Naomi Watts Interview: "Diana is definitely a sensitive subject"

"We knew that the reactions are extreme"

While in Paris to present a preview Diana eagerly awaited biopic on the Princess of Wales, Naomi Watts appeared smiling but tense . The day before, the film was booed unanimously by the English press . However, difficult to destabilize the star who rushes from the first issue in a long tunnel promotion ... Interview.

Here : Everyone has an opinion on Diana . You can choose to see weak or strong, victim or manipulative. It remains open to interpretation ...

Naomi Watts Yes . This is the very definition of an icon and the relationship that people have with an icon. We find all the different ways to identify these public figures " bigger than life " ... If you are a strong and intelligent person, you think , "Oh , she 's just like me ! " But if you feel weak and hurt, you understand better in this angle , etc. ........

And you, how have you identified to Princess Diana ?

Everyone believes what they want about Lady Di , and it has not made ​​my job easy . There is so much information available about it ... So much! When information intersects through two or three different sources , this is where you begin to trust . You assemble a puzzle in your head and you get out what you think is the most "real" .

It is a complex icon of course, but Diana is a film ultimately very simple: a cute love- story between a princess and a surgeon ...

It is a universal story. If Diana was removed from this story , it would work anyway, it would affect people in the same way . And perhaps it would cause less irritation in some parts of the world ...

Yes, we heard that the first reactions in London were not lenient. What has happened?

( Obviously embarrassed ) I did not really follow the reactions. I do not think this is a good thing for me ... We always knew that the reactions are extreme in England. The opinion has been mixed there about Diana , even in her lifetime. This is definitely a sensitive subject, the British feel it belongs to them ...

In any case, your Diana is incredibly " cute ." There is a heavy dose of charm that goes into a performance like this , right?

She had a lot of charisma and humor. It was a free spirit ... Everything comes from it , it was confirmed to me by his entourage , I did not invent ...

(Oliver Hirschbiegel , director of Diana attends the interview a few meters away. He decides to intervene. )

Oliver Hirschbiegel You know, Diana was very much like the movie stars of the golden age. She radiated a certain energy, a real mystery . His eyes sometimes lost in the distance, distance , and suddenly she came to us it was magical ! It was also an actress like Naomi ... For the rest, I can not tell you the intimate details of our work , it would be ...

Oh go! it does not bother us ...

N. W. But what are you talking about exactly ?

O. H. No, a director is like a doctor, you know, we are bound by professional secrecy . I can not tell you intimate , things finally not intimate , but ... I do not have the right . Prohibited .

N. W. Oh my God ! OK , Oliver, thank you very much. I think we'll go on without you ! (Oliver takes off, laughing . )

So what was he talking about ? You seem to have secrets both ...

(Laughs) Absolutely not ! I swear, I do not know what he's talking !

(Oliver returns one last time . )

O. H. Just to end the similarities between Diana and Naomi : they both love telling dirty jokes !

Is that true? You like it ?

N. W. Yes . Why not? A good dirty joke from time to time ...

On the set? Before the whole team?

Yes . Good morning before start! Diana did that , too, is true. To lighten the mood before an interview , for example ...

Your girlfriend Nicole Kidman also plays a famous Princess Grace in Monaco, Olivier Dahan, which will be released next January. You compared your cards?

I love Nicole , she has always been a great support for me. We obviously talked about our two princesses movies , it makes us laugh ... But I 'm sure the media will be happy to keep score and make comparisons , as you may already be doing it . For me, these two films are the sign of being a generation addicted to true stories , especially the stories of the rich and famous . Today, we want to know everything about the world ...