Naomi Watts: High Wattage

Q: You've been a busy little girl, with an average of three films a year and a whopping five in 2004.

A: Is that true? [She grabs my list and reads it] No wonder I'm so exhausted! [Laughs]

Q: I almost don't want to say too much about 21 Grams because it's one of those films that if you walk in knowing too much, it's not going to have the same impact.

A: Exactly.

Q: But your character is going through a tremendous time of loss. And you bring a humanity to her that's almost palpable. What drew you to this story, which is pretty bleak?

A: But uplifting, no?

Q: Yes, it is.

A: There's something that has pulled me to almost all the characters I've done, and it's this: They're imperfect human beings, flawed, real. And they're looking for something that will make them feel better, do better. Nobody is perfect, and how does this person grow within the structure of the story? In 21 Grams, my character's got a huge soul, and she's suffering like every single one of us suffers every day. I feel that seeing that done right makes you feel okay and not so alone in the world.

Q: Your accent is always flawless. Between The Ring and 21 Grams, it's hard to believe you're not an American. And there were scenes in 21 Grams where your character is so overwrought, screaming and crying, snot bubbles coming out of her nose, and I was sure your accent would crack. But it never did.

A: I work with a great dialect coach. And for me, I can think in the dialect of the character. Does that make sense? I will say this--there's so much work that goes into it all. Not only developing the accent but the mannerisms that are American versus Australian.

Q: 21 Grams is structured a bit like Memento, where you don't know for a long time what's happening in the past or the present or the future.

A: We read the script the way you see it shot, but then they did something very smart--they gave us each a copy of our own story, told in chronological order, so I understood at which point I intersect with Sean Penn's character and with Benicio Del Toro's. That was a wonderful thing. This was some incredible material.

Q: Watching you in 21 Grams made me realize that you'd be very good at comedy. I know that sounds crazy, but your timing is absolutely dead-on.

A: Thank you. I did just do a comedy, although it's a very black comedy, called I Heart Huckabee's, with David O. Russell.

Q: Is that the way they say that?

A: Yeah. They want us to say "heart" rather than "love." He's brilliant! This movie is so out there--I don't think anything like this has been done before. He's a nutcase, but a generous one. He disarms you to the point where you're so uncomfortable, but what happens when you're uncomfortable is you're so raw and so open, and then he gives you his ideas and you're just completely open to doing new things. I definitely feel I did stuff that I've never done before. And it was this extraordinary cast--Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, Lily Tomlin, Isabelle Huppert, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Schwartzman. It's a very wacky film, but please don't ask me to explain the plot, because I really couldn't. All I can say is that I play this character who goes through enormous self-discovery, and it's not all good.

Q: You just produced your first film, We Don't Live Here Anymore...

A: John Curran, the director, called me up and said, "I really want you to do this," and I was like, "John, I'm tired. I just finished 21 Grams." But he begged me to read it. And it's from Andre Dubus's stories. He wrote In the Bedroom as well. It was such an amazing piece of writing that, despite my need for vacation, I said yes to it. And, as usual with me, it's very, very dark and very difficult. It's basically about two couples, and they're all behaving very badly. They're all in pain and not communicating, but to me, they're just people trying to find ways to get better. To me, sometimes bad things lead to good things and bring you to a place that starts the healing. I resisted it at first, but John talked me into it, so I told him, "Okay, if I do this, I want to be a producer, because I want to be really involved in the creative process."

Q: You have another film coming up with Sean Penn, The Assassination of Richard Nixon...

A: It's a tiny, tiny role. I basically did it because Sean asked me to. It turned out to be a great piece of material, with a great actor and a lovely writer and director. It was a week out of my life. I play the wife of the man who tried to assassinate the president. In no way was this movie going to change anything for me, but I just wanted to be associated with that group and that story. God, I'm exhausted just talking about all these movies!

Q: You look good, considering.

A: I have a girlfriend who always says, "You look good for someone who's had three children in three years."

Q: Now you're in New York making _Stay _with Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling. Those are two of the hottest boys in the world.

A: I know! How lucky am I? And it's directed by Mark Forster, who did Monster's Ball. He's amazing. It's a psychological thriller. There are so many twists in it, so many things you don't see coming. I play Ewan's girlfriend, and he's a psychiatrist and I'm someone who used to be his patient. I play a girl who attempted suicide in my life. And I'll tell you, they put these scars on my wrists and a couple of times I've left the set with them on because I was in a hurry, and you should see the looks people give me. The whole idea is very disturbing to me, very frightening.

Q: Haven't you been tapped to play the girl in Peter Jackson's new King Kong?

A: I don't think it's final yet, but yes. I happen to love Peter. He's a genius--and the story of King Kong is this beautiful love story between the beauty and the beast. It's heartbreaking.

Q: What about clothes? Are you a clothes hound?

A: Yes, I do clothes. I've loved clothes since I was a little kid. My mom works with costumes quite a bit. Today I'm not dressed up, just cord jeans and an old cashmere sweater. I love this old Paul Smith coat. I love New York because you get to dress and in L.A. you don't bother. I love that you can put on layers and boots and scarves. One of the perks of where I'm at now is that you do get some lovely things. [Laughs] Don't I sound like an ass?

Q: Not likely.

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