Naomi Watts featured on Australian Harper Bazaar May 2014

Naomi is hoping for a real laugh

With three comedies scheduled for release in coming months, Naomi Watts declares that she is ''not sure'' she can ''do'' the genre, though those who saw last year's unintentionally hilarious biopic Diana could probably argue otherwise.

Having endured scathing criticism over the role, Watts has spoken about the experience and admitted in an interview in next week's issue of Harper's Bazaar Australia that much of that criticism was deserved.

''I've felt with my career it was worth taking risks and addressing controversial ideas - I'm not like that in all areas of my life. And it's worked for me in the past; I've had a really good run,'' she tells Harper's, drawing on every philosophical bone in her body to explain what happened with Diana.

''I don't know … I got seduced by the fantastic character. Diana did a lot of things that had positive and negative results. She was so multifaceted. But ultimately there were problems with [the film] and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for. With risk there's every chance it's going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship, so be it. You tried.''

Watts is hoping her next three releases are intentionally funny: she will appear opposite Michael Keaton in Birdman about a washed-up actor who wants to mount a Broadway play; she plays Bill Murray's Russian prostitute alongside Melissa McCarthy in St Vincent, and she plays one half of an uptight couple with Ben Stiller in While We're Young.