Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts
Watts in 2024
Born
Naomi Ellen Watts

(1968-09-28) 28 September 1968 (age 56)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • film producer
Years active1986–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
(m. 2023)
PartnerLiev Schreiber (2005–2016)
Children2
FatherPeter Watts
RelativesBen Watts (brother)
AwardsFull list

Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress.[1] After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama For Love Alone (1986). She appeared in three television series, Hey Dad..! (1990), Brides of Christ (1991), and Home and Away (1991), and the film Flirting (1991). Ten years later, Watts moved to the United States, where she initially struggled as an actress. She took roles in small-scale films until she starred in her breakthrough role as an aspiring actress in David Lynch's psychological thriller Mulholland Drive in 2001.

Watts played a tormented journalist in the horror remake The Ring (2002). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a grief-stricken mother in Alejandro González Iñárritu's film 21 Grams (2003). She had starring roles in I Heart Huckabees (2004), King Kong (2005), Eastern Promises (2007), and The International (2009). For her role as Maria Bennett in the disaster film The Impossible (2012), Watts received a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has since starred in Birdman (2014), St. Vincent (2014), While We're Young (2015), The Glass Castle (2017), and Luce (2019), and appeared in the Divergent franchise (2015–2016).

Watts ventured into television with the third season of Lynch's mystery series Twin Peaks (2017) and the biographical miniseries The Loudest Voice (2019). She then starred in the Netflix thriller series The Watcher (2022), and portrayed Babe Paley in the anthology series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Watts is particularly known for her work in remakes and independent productions with dark or tragic themes, as well as for portrayals of characters who endure loss or suffering.[2] Magazines such as People and Maxim have included her on their lists of the world's most beautiful women. She has served as an ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. Watts is reticent about discussing her personal life. From 2005 to 2016, she was in a relationship with American actor Liev Schreiber, with whom she has two sons. In June 2023, she married American actor Billy Crudup.[3]

Early life and education

Naomi Ellen Watts was born on 28 September 1968, in Shoreham, Kent, England.[4][5] She is the daughter of Myfanwy (Miv) Edwards (née Roberts), an antiques dealer and costume and set designer,[4] and Peter Watts (1946–1976), a road manager and audio engineer who worked with Pink Floyd.[6][7] Watts's maternal grandfather was Welsh.[8][9] Watts's parents divorced when she was four years old.[7][10] After the divorce, their mother moved several times with Watts and her older brother Ben within South East England.[11] Their father Peter Watts left Pink Floyd in 1974 and remarried in 1976. In August 1976, when Watts was nearly eight years old, he was found dead in a flat in Notting Hill, London, of an apparent heroin overdose.[12][13] Following his death, Watts's mother moved the family to Llanfawr Farm in Llangefni and Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, towns on the island of Anglesey in North Wales, to live with her parents, Nikki and Hugh Roberts.[14][15] During this period of three years, Watts attended a Welsh medium school, Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni.[12]

She later said of her time in Wales: "We took Welsh lessons in a school in the middle of nowhere while everyone else was taking English. Wherever we moved, I would adapt and pick up the regional accent. It's obviously significant now, me being an actress. Anyway, there was quite a lot of sadness in my childhood, but no lack of love."[16] In 1978, her mother remarried [17] and moved with her children to Suffolk. (She and her second husband later divorced.)[17] There Watts attended Thomas Mills High School.[11] Watts has said that she wanted to become an actress after seeing her mother performing on stage and from the time she watched the 1980 film Fame.[7][18] In 1982, when Watts was 14, the family moved to Sydney, Australia.[7][19] Her mother Myfanwy established a career in the burgeoning film business, first working as a stylist for television commercials. She turned to costume design, and worked for the soap opera Return to Eden. Watts briefly cameoed as a model in two episodes.[12] Watts was enrolled by her mother in acting lessons in Sydney. She auditioned for numerous television advertisements, where she met and befriended the young actress Nicole Kidman.[12] In Australia, Watts attended Mosman High School and North Sydney Girls High School.[20] She did not graduate from school. After leaving school she worked as a papergirl, a negative cutter, and managed a Delicacies store in Sydney's affluent North Shore.[12]

At the age of 18, Watts decided to become a model. She signed with a models agency that sent her to Japan, but after several failed auditions, she returned to Sydney.[7] She began to work in advertising for a department store. Follow Me magazine hired her as an assistant fashion editor.[7][12] A casual invitation to participate in a drama workshop inspired Watts to quit her job and pursue acting.[12][21] Despite her years in Australia, Watts considers herself firmly British in regards to her nationality. She has said that: "I consider myself British and have very happy memories of the UK. I spent the first 14 years of my life in England and Wales and never wanted to leave. When I was in Australia I went back to England a lot."[22]

Career

Early roles and struggling career (1986–2000)

Watts's career began in television, where she made brief appearances in commercials.[19] She made her film debut in For Love Alone (1986). It was set in the 1930s and based on Christina Stead's 1945 best-selling novel of the same name.[23] In 1990 she appeared in two episodes of the fourth season of the Australian sitcom Hey Dad..!. At the 1989 premiere of her friend Nicole Kidman's film Dead Calm, Watts met John Duigan, who invited her to take a supporting role in his 1991 indie film Flirting.[19][24] The film received critical acclaim and was featured on American critic Roger Ebert's list of the 10 best films of 1992.[25] Also in 1991, she took the part of Frances Heffernan, a girl who struggles to find friends at a Catholic school in Sydney,[26] in the mini-series Brides of Christ.[27] She also had a recurring role in the soap opera Home and Away as the handicapped Julie Gibson.[28] Watts was offered a role in the drama series A Country Practice but turned it down, not wanting to "get stuck on a soap for two or three years". She later said that decision was "naïve".[19][21]

Watts took a year off to travel, visiting Los Angeles and being introduced to agents through Kidman.[11][12] Encouraged, Watts decided to move to the United States, to pursue her career further. In 1993, she had a small role in the John Goodman film Matinee. She returned to Australia temporarily to star in three Australian films: another of Duigan's pictures, Wide Sargasso Sea; and the drama The Custodian. She had her first leading role in the film Gross Misconduct, as a student who accuses one of her teachers (played by Jimmy Smits) of raping her.[19] Watts returned to Los Angeles and the US for good but had difficulty finding agents, producers and directors willing to hire her.[12] She never worked outside the film industry, but had some tight times in which she was unable to pay the rent on time and lost her medical insurance.[12][29]

"At first, everything was fantastic and doors were opened to me. But some people who I met through Nicole [Kidman], who had been all over me, had difficulty remembering my name when we next met. There were a lot of promises, but nothing actually came off. I ran out of money and became quite lonely, but Nic gave me company and encouragement to carry on."[30]

When I came to America there was so much promise of good stuff and I thought, I've got it made here. I'm going to kick ass. Then I went back to Australia and did one or two more jobs. When I returned to Hollywood, all those people who'd been so encouraging before weren't interested. You take all their flattery seriously when you don't know any better. I basically had to start all over again. I get offered some things without auditioning today, but back then they wouldn't even fax me the pages of a script because it was too much of an inconvenience. I had to drive for hours into the Valley to pick up three bits of paper for some horrendous piece of shit, then go back the next day and line up for two hours to meet the casting director who would barely give me eye contact. It was humiliating.
–Watts on her early struggles[21]

After nine auditions, she won a supporting role of "Jet Girl" in the futuristic film Tank Girl (1995).[7] The film met mixed reviews and flopped at the box office. It has since become something of a cult classic.[31] Throughout the rest of the decade, Watts took mostly supporting roles in films.[32] Occasionally she considered leaving the business, but: "there were always little bites. Whenever I felt I was at the end of my rope, something would come up. Something bad. But for me it was 'work begets work'; that was my motto."[11][29] In 1996, she starred alongside Joe Mantegna, Kelly Lynch and J. T. Walsh in George Hickenlooper's action-thriller Persons Unknown; alongside James Earl Jones, Kevin Kilner and Ellen Burstyn in the period drama Timepiece; in Bermuda Triangle, a TV pilot that was not picked up for a full series, where she played a former documentary filmmaker who disappears in the Bermuda Triangle;[33] She had the lead role in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, in which children in a small town become possessed under the command of a wrongfully murdered child preacher.[7]

In 1997, she starred in the Australian ensemble romantic drama Under the Lighthouse Dancing starring Jack Thompson and Jacqueline McKenzie. She also played the lead role in the short-lived television series Sleepwalkers.[12] In 1998, she starred alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Debbie Reynolds in the TV film The Christmas Wish, played the supporting role of Giulia De Lezze in Dangerous Beauty,[19] and provided some voice work for Babe: Pig in the City.[12] She said in an interview in 2012, "That really should not be on my résumé! I think that was early on in the day, when I was trying to beef up my résumé. I came in and did a couple days' work of voiceovers and we had to suck on [helium] and then do a little mouse voice. But I was one in a hundred, so I'm sure you would never be able to identify my voice. I probably couldn't either!"[34]

In 1999, she played Alice in the romantic comedy Strange Planet and the Texan student Holly Maddux in The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer. This was based on the true effort to capture Ira Einhorn, who was charged with Maddux's murder.[35][36] In 2000, while David Lynch was developing the rejected pilot of Mulholland Drive as a feature film, Watts starred alongside Derek Jacobi, Jack Davenport and Iain Glen in the BBC TV film The Wyvern Mystery, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu. It was broadcast in March of that year.[12] She had some near misses for roles in her early career: she was considered for significant roles in such films as 1997's The Postman and The Devil's Advocate; all eventually went to other actresses.[37]

In 2002 Watts recalled her early career in an interview. She had lost a role she wanted in "Meet the Parents" in 2000. She said, "It is a tough town. I think my spirit has taken a beating. The most painful thing has been the endless auditions. Knowing that you have something to offer, but not being able to show it, is so frustrating. As an unknown, you get treated badly. I auditioned and waited for things I did not have any belief in, but I needed the work and had to accept horrendous pieces of shit."[30] Watts studied the Meisner Technique. She referred to this again in a 2012 interview. Watts said, "I came to New York and auditioned at least five times for Meet the Parents. I think the director liked me but the studio didn't. I heard every piece of feedback you could imagine, and in this case, it was 'not sexy enough'."[38]

Rise to prominence (2001–2002)

Watts with director David Lynch at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival

In 1999, director David Lynch began casting for his psychological thriller Mulholland Drive. He interviewed Watts after looking at her headshot,[38] without having seen any of her previous work,[39] and offered her the lead role.[38] Lynch later said about his selection of Watts, "I saw someone that I felt had a tremendous talent, and I saw someone who had a beautiful soul, an intelligence—possibilities for a lot of different roles, so it was a beautiful full package."[40] Conceived as a pilot for a television series, Lynch shot a large portion of the film in February 1999, planning to keep it open-ended for a potential series. However, the pilot was rejected. Watts recalled thinking at the time, "just my dumb luck, that I'm in the only David Lynch programme that never sees the light of day."[11] Lynch filmed an ending for the work in October 2000, turning it into a feature film, which was picked up for distribution. Mulholland Drive, also starring Laura Harring and Justin Theroux, premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival to high critical acclaim and marked Watts's breakthrough. Reviewing her performance, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that "Watts's face metamorphoses miraculously from fresh-faced beauty to a frenzied, teary scowl of ugliness.";[41] Emanuel Levy wrote, "... Watts, in a brilliant performance, a young, wide-eyed and grotesquely cheerful blonde, full of high hopes to make it big in Hollywood."[42] The film and Watts received numerous awards and nominations, including the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress and a nomination for the American Film Institute Award for Best Actress.[43] The surrealist film explored the story of aspiring actress Betty Elms, played by Watts. It sparked controversy over its strong lesbian theme.[44][45]

Also in 2001, Watts starred in two short films, Never Date an Actress and Ellie Parker, and the horror film The Shaft, director Dick Maas's remake of his 1983 film De Lift.[12] In 2002, she starred in one of the biggest box office hits of that year,[12] The Ring, the English-language remake of the Japanese horror film Ring. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film, which also starred Martin Henderson and Brian Cox, received favourable reviews and grossed around US$129 million domestically (equivalent to US$218.5 million in 2024).[46] Watts portrayed Rachel Keller, a journalist investigating the strange deaths of her niece and other teenagers after they watched a mysterious videotape and received a phone call announcing their deaths in seven days.[47] Her performance was praised by critics, including Paul Clinton of CNN.com, who said that she "is excellent in this leading role, which proves that her stellar performance in Mulholland Drive was not a fluke. She strikes a perfect balance between skepticism and the slow realisation of the truth in regard to the deadly power of the videotape."[48] In the same year, she also starred in Rabbits, a series of short films directed by David Lynch; alongside several other famous British actors in the black comedy Plots with a View; and with Tim Daly in The Outsider, a western.

Established actress (2003–2007)

In 2003, Watts took the part of Julia Cook in Gregor Jordan's Australian film Ned Kelly, opposite Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.[49] She also starred in the Merchant-Ivory film Le Divorce. She portrayed Roxeanne de Persand, a poet who is pregnant and abandoned by her husband Charles-Henri de Persand. Roxeanne and her sister Isabel (played by Kate Hudson) dispute the ownership of a painting by Georges de La Tour with the family of Charles-Henri's lover. Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" rating and lamented Watts's performance: "I'm disappointed to report that Hudson and Watts have no chemistry as sisters, perhaps because Watts never seems like the expatriate artiste she's supposed to be playing".[50]

Her performance opposite Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro in Alejandro González Iñárritu's psychological drama 21 Grams (2003) earned Watts numerous award nominations, including her first nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.[51] In the story, told in a non-linear manner, she portrayed Cristina Peck, a grief-stricken widow living a suburban life after her husband and two children were killed by Jack Jordan (Benicio del Toro). She became involved in a relationship with Paul Rivers (Sean Penn), an academic mathematician who was critically ill. She has said of the nomination, "It's far beyond what I ever dreamed for – that would have been too far fetched".[52][53] The New York Times praised her: "Because Ms. Watts reinvents herself with each performance, it's easy to forget how brilliant she is. She has a boldness that comes from a lack of overemphasis, something actresses sometimes do to keep up with Mr. Penn".[54] The San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Watts is riveting, but she's much better in scenes of extreme emotion than in those requiring subtlety."[55]

Watts in Sydney in 2012

In 2004, Watts starred alongside Mark Ruffalo in the independent film We Don't Live Here Anymore,[12] based on short stories by Andre Dubus. It explores the crises of two married couples who are friends and struggling in their lives.[56] She reunited with Sean Penn in The Assassination of Richard Nixon, playing the wife of the would-be presidential assassin Samuel Byck (Penn).[57] She teamed up with Jude Law and Dustin Hoffman in David O. Russell's ensemble comedy I Heart Huckabees.[58] She headlined and produced the semi-autobiographical drama Ellie Parker (2005), which depicted the struggle of an Australian actress in Hollywood.[59] The film began as a short film that was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. Over the next four years, it was expanded into a feature-length production. Film critic Roger Ebert praised Watts's performance: "The character is played by Watts with courage, fearless observation and a gift for timing that is so uncanny it can make points all by itself."[60]

Watts starred in the sequel to The Ring, The Ring Two (2005), which despite a negative critical response,[61] made more than US$161 million worldwide gross (equivalent to US$251.2 million in 2024).[62] In 2005, Watts also headlined the remake of King Kong as Ann Darrow. She was the first choice for the role, portrayed by Fay Wray in the original film, and no other actors were considered.[63] In preparation for her role, Watts met with Wray,[64] who was to make a cameo appearance and say the final line of dialogue. Wray died at the age of 96 during pre-production.[65] King Kong proved to be Watts's most commercially successful film yet. Helmed by director Peter Jackson, who had made The Lord of the Rings, the film won high praise and grossed US$550 million worldwide (equivalent to US$858 million in 2024).[66][67] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer praised Watts's performance: "The third act becomes a star-crossed, "Beauty and the Beast" parable far more operatic and tragic than anything the original filmmakers could have imagined, exquisitely pantomimed by Watts with a poignancy and passion that rates Oscar consideration."[68] Watts reprised her role as Darrow in the video game adaptation of King Kong,[69] for which her voice performance garnered her significant praise. She was nominated for a Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Female. Watts and the game's other cast members also won an award for Best Cast.[70][71][72][73] Her other 2005 film release was Marc Forster's psychological thriller Stay, alongside Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling and Bob Hoskins.[12]

At this point in her career, Watts said the following:

You'd better know why you're here as an actor ... I'm here to work out my shit, what my problems are and know who I am, so by cracking open these characters perhaps that shines a light on it a little bit better ... I know myself. I mean, of course I know myself better but the journey and search continue because hopefully we're evolving and growing all the time.[74]

In the romantic drama The Painted Veil (2006), based on the novel of the same name by Somerset Maugham, Watts played the daughter of a lawyer and his wife. She is under pressure to marry and chooses a physician (Edward Norton) known as a bacteriologist.[75] She is not prepared when her husband goes to Hong Kong, then a British colony, for work and then forces her to mainland China to a region suffering a cholera epidemic. Comparing her portrayal with Greta Garbo's in the original movie adapted from the same novel, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Watts makes the role work on her own terms–her Kitty is more desperate, more foolish, more miserable and more driven... and her spiritual journey is greater.[76] Watts also provided the voice of a small role, Suzie Rabbit, in David Lynch's psychological thriller Inland Empire.[77] In the same year, she was announced as the new face of the jewelers David Yurman and completed a photoshoot that was featured in the 2007 Pirelli Calendar.[18]

In David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007), Watts portrays a Russian-British midwife, opposite Viggo Mortensen. She delivers the baby of a drug-addicted 14-year old prostitute.[78] In its review, Slate magazine observed that she "brings a wounded radiance to the overcurious midwife Anna. Though it's a bit of a one-note role, it's a note she's long specialised in, a kind of flustered moral aggrievement".[79] Eastern Promises grossed US$56 million worldwide, (equivalent to US$87.4 million in 2024).[80][81] Also that year she was a producer and starred in Michael Haneke's Funny Games (2007). She played a mother who, with her family, is held hostage by a pair of sociopathic teenagers. It was a remake of Haneke's 1997 film of the same name.[82] According to the UK's The Daily Telegraph, the director said that he agreed to make the film on condition that he be allowed to cast Watts.[83][84][85] but The film was largely unnoticed by critics and audiences.[86][87] Newsweek said that Watts "hurls herself into her physically demanding role with heroic conviction".[88]

Biographical and independent films (2009–2014)

After a short hiatus from acting following the birth of her two children, Watts returned to acting in 2009, starring alongside Clive Owen in the political action thriller The International, in which she played a Manhattan assistant district attorney who partners with an Interpol agent to take down a merchant bank.[89] The production was a moderate commercial success,[90] grossing over US$60 million (equivalent to $85.2 million in 2024) worldwide.[91] She next appeared in the drama Mother and Child,[92] portraying the role of a lawyer who never knew her biological mother.[93] ViewLondon found her to be "terrific as [her character], delivering a powerful performance that [...] isn't afraid to be unsympathetic".[94] She was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Australian Film Institute Awards[95] and for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.[96]

Watts at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2011

Her next film, the Woody Allen-directed dramedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, opened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival,[97] and saw her portray Sally, a woman who has a troubled marriage with author Roy (played by Josh Brolin).[98] It made over US$26 million (equivalent to $36.3 million in 2024).[99] Her portrayal of Valerie Plame in the biographical thriller Fair Game followed,[100] and marked the third pairing of Watts with Sean Penn after 21 Grams and The Assassination of Richard Nixon.[101][102] The film earned Watts a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress.[103] In 2011, she appeared with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in Jim Sheridan's psychological horror film Dream House, as the neighbour of a murdered family,[104][105] and with Leonardo DiCaprio in Clint Eastwood's biographical drama J. Edgar, playing secretary Helen Gandy.[106][107] While Dream House flopped,[108] J. Edgar had a more favorable reception.[109]

Watts starred in The Impossible (2012), a disaster drama based on the true story of María Belón and her family's experience of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; she played the lead role, with her name changed to Maria Bennett. The film was a critical darling, had the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film in Spain,[110] and made US$180.2 million (equivalent to $238.9 million in 2024) globally.[111] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter stated that "Watts packs a huge charge of emotion as the battered, ever-weakening Maria whose tears of pain and fear never appear fake or idealised,"[112] while Justin Chang of Variety magazine remarked that she "has few equals at conveying physical and emotional extremis, something she again demonstrates in a mostly bedridden role."[113] Damon Wise of The Guardian felt that "Watts is both brave and vulnerable, and her scenes with the young Lucas [...] are among the film's best."[114] Watts earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, in addition to her second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[115]

In Adore (2013), Watts starred with Robin Wright as two childhood friends who fall in love with each other's sons. On the film, critics concluded that Watts and Wright "give it their all, but they can't quite make Adore's trashy, absurd plot believable".[116] She obtained the FCCA Award for Best Actress in 2014 for her role. The anthology comedy Movie 43 (2013) featured Watts as a devoted mother, alongside Liev Schreiber.[117] Movie 43 was universally panned by critics, with Richard Roeper calling it "the Citizen Kane of awful".[118]

In Laurie Collyer's independent drama Sunlight Jr. (2013), Watts starred with Matt Dillon as a struggling working-class couple.[119][120][121] The San Francisco Chronicle, praising Watts and Dillon, wrote in its review for the film that they are "formidable actors at the top of their game here [...] exhibiting a remarkable chemistry".[122] Watts portrayed the title role in Oliver Hirschbiegel's Diana (her final film released in 2013),[115] a biographical drama about the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. Released amid much controversy given its subject, the film was a critical flop.[123][124] James Berardinelli found the film to be a "dull, pointless" production and remarked that while Watts did a "decent job encapsulating the look and feel of Diana", her portrayal was "a two-dimensional recreation".[125]

Alejandro González Iñárritu's dark comedy Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) featured Watts as the actress of a play mounted by a faded Hollywood actor (played by Michael Keaton).[126][127][128][129] The film was the subject of widespread acclaim,[130] and won four awards at the 87th Academy Awards including Best Picture;[131] Watts and the other cast members earned the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.[132] Her other two awaiting projects were screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The dramedy St. Vincent starred Watts as a Russian prostitute. She learned the accent by spending time with Russian women in a West Village spa during a six-week period.[133] Los Angeles Times reported a dividing reaction towards her performance, asserting that her part "put off some critics with its outrageousness", but "earned plenty of plaudits too".[134] Watts earned a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. In While We're Young, Watts starred with Ben Stiller as a New York City-based married couple who begin hanging out with a couple in their 20s. That film was an arthouse success and Watts received praise for her on-screen chemistry with Stiller.[135][136][137]

Film and television work (2015–present)

Watts at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

Watts played rebel leader Evelyn Johnson-Eaton in Insurgent (2015), the second film in The Divergent Series, which is based on Veronica Roth's best-selling young adult novel of the same name.[138] Despite mixed reviews, the film was a commercial success, grossing US$274.5 million worldwide.[139][140] Watts reprised her role in the series's third instalment, Allegiant, released on 18 March 2016, to negative reviews and lackluster box office sales.[141][142]

Watts starred in Gus Van Sant's mystery drama The Sea of Trees, opposite Matthew McConaughey, as the wife of an American man who attempts suicide in Mount Fuji's "Suicide Forest". The film premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d'Or, but was heavily panned by both critics and audiences, who reportedly booed and laughed during its screening.[143][144] Critic Richard Mowe stated the audience reaction should "give the film's creative team pause for reflection about exactly where they went so badly awry."[145] Justin Chang of Variety also criticised the film, but commended Watts's performance for being "solidly moving and sometimes awesomely passive-aggressive."[146] The Sea of Trees did not find an audience in theaters.[147]

Like St. Vincent and While We're Young the previous year, Watts starred in two films—Demolition and Three Generations— which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, in 2015. In Demolition, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Watts played a customer service representative and the interest of a grieving investment banker (Gyllenhaal).[148][149] The Wrap felt that she "empathetically captures [her] harried single mom" role as she played "both the wit and the sadness with grace".[150] In Three Generations, directed by Gaby Dellal, she appeared with Susan Sarandon and Elle Fanning as the mother of a young transgender man (Fanning). Pulled from the schedule days before its intended initial release,[151] the film subsequently opened on selected theatres in May 2017.[152]

Watts played Linda, the second wife of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner (played by Liev Schreiber) in the biographical sport drama The Bleeder (2016), revolving around the life of Wepner and his 1975 fight with Muhammad Ali. Variety wrote in its review: "Slightly out of place as the feisty bartender who gives Wepner a second chance at his downest and outest, a spirited Naomi Watts nonetheless gives proceedings her best Amy Adams in The Fighter."[153] She headlined the thriller Shut In (also 2016), playing a psychologist isolated with her child in a rural house during a winter storm. The film received largely negative reviews and made US$8 million worldwide.[154][155][156]

Watts in 2017

Watts appeared in Twin Peaks, a limited event television series and a continuation of the 1990 show of the same name. It was broadcast on Showtime in 2017, to critical acclaim.[157] Watts starred as "a therapist who begins to develop dangerous and intimate relationships with the people in her patients' lives" in the Netflix drama series Gypsy (also 2017), and served as one of its executive producers.[158][159] While response was mixed, Gypsy was cancelled by Netflix after one season.[160] In The Book of Henry (2017), Watts portrayed the mother of young genius who plans save the girl next door from abuse. The film polarized critics and audiences, but Rolling Stone described her as "a plus in any movie" and found her to be "excellent" in the role.[161] In her other 2017 film, The Glass Castle opposite Brie Larson, and Woody Harrelson. An adaptation of Jeannette Walls's best selling memoir of the same name, Watts played the nonconformist mother of the author.[162]

She played Queen Gertrud in Ophelia. In 2019, Watts portrayed Gretchen Carlson in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice based on the book The Loudest Voice in the Room about Roger Ailes's sexual harassment of Carlson.[163] She next starred in the films Penguin Bloom, Boss Level, and This Is the Night.[164][165][166] In 2022, Watts played a lead in Netflix's The Watcher as Nora Brannock alongside Bobby Cannavale, who played Dean Brannock. In 2024, she starred in the anthology series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans as Babe Paley, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nomination.

Other work

Watts received an endorsement deal with David Yurman jewelry.[167][168] She served as the ambassador to Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance from 2008[169] until 2011 when Eva Mendes overtook the role.[170] The pair later coincidentally fronted a campaign for Pantene hair care products.[171] Watts also appeared in a campaign for Ann Taylor in 2010.[172] She was announced as a new 'face' of L'Oréal in 2014.[173] Watts also founded the skincare company Onda Beauty in 2016[174] and appeared in a campaign for Fendi in 2020.[175][176]

In January 2021, it was announced that Watts was an early investor in Thirteen Lune, an e-commerce site focused on makeup, skincare, haircare and wellness products owned by people of color and ally brands.[177] In October 2022, Watts launched Stripes, a beauty and wellness brand focused on menopause health.[178] The brand was acquired by L Catterton in June 2024.[179] In October 2024, Watts was announced as an ambassador and designer for Coyuchi linen.[180]

Philanthropy

In 2006, Watts became a goodwill ambassador for Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, which helps raise awareness of issues relating to the disease. She has used her high profile and celebrity to bring attention to the needs of people living with this disease.[181] Watts has featured in campaigns for fundraising, events and activities, including the 21st Annual AIDS Walk.[182] On 1 December 2009, Watts met United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a public event commemorating World AIDS Day 2009.[183]

In 2011, Watts attended a charity polo match in New York City along with Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Isla Fisher, which was intended to raise money to help victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[184] In 2012, she became an ambassador for Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, a programme that donates real-hair wigs to women with cancer. She has visited the St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney to meet some of the women the programme helps.[185]

In 2016, Watts collaborated with Sportscraft and children's charity Barnardos to produce a range of namesake coats, with a percentage of sales going to the charity,[186] and was one of the public figures photographed by Italian photographer Fabrizio Ferri for Bulgari's digital campaign "Raise Your Hand".[187] In November 2018, she hosted the Worldwide Orphans 14th Annual Gala in NYC, and teamed up with McDonald's, to serve as a McHappy Day ambassador, making a special appearance and stepping behind the counter in Haberfield, Sydney.[188]

Personal life

Watts with her then-partner Liev Schreiber in 2012

Watts converted to Buddhism after becoming interested in the religion during the shooting of The Painted Veil (2006), and became a strong proponent of Transcendental Meditation.[189][190]

Watts had a relationship with Australian actor Heath Ledger from August 2002 to May 2004.[191] In 2005, Watts began a relationship with American actor Liev Schreiber. Their son Sasha was born in 2007, and their daughter Kai, who was assigned male at birth,[192] was born in 2008.[193][194][195] On 26 September 2016, Watts and Schreiber announced their split after 11 years together.[196] Watts began dating American actor Billy Crudup in 2017, after they met on the set of the Netflix drama series Gypsy.[197] The couple married on June 9, 2023.[3][198] In June 2024, Watts and Crudup celebrated their nuptials in a second ceremony surrounded by their family in Mexico.[199]

In 2016, Watts became the honorary president of Glantraeth F.C., a small football club in Malltraeth, Anglesey, Wales. The club is near her grandparents' farm, where she spent time as a child.[200]

Filmography and accolades

See also

References

  1. ^ Pringle, Gill (30 March 2015). "Naomi Watts on 'While We're Young', her roots and being a mum". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2015. The truth is that I've spent more time in America out of all three countries. I spent the first 14 years in England, just under 10 in Australia and then the rest in America. I've still got only one passport and that's British and my mum still lives between there and Australia. I feel very much a part of both countries.
  2. ^ Lamont, Tom (15 July 2017). "Naomi Watts: 'My soul was being destroyed'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup Are Married: 'Hitched'". Yahoo! Entertainment. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television: A Biographical Guide Featuring Performers, Directors, Writers, Producers, Designers, Managers, Choreographers, Technicians, Composers, Executives, Dancers. Gale/Cengage Learning. 2005. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-7876-9037-3.
  5. ^ Johnston, Sheila (15 March 2008). "Naomi Watts on Funny Games". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  6. ^ Sams, Christine (23 February 2004). "How Naomi told her mum about Oscar". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2003.
  8. ^ "How Naomi told her mum about Oscar – SpecialsEntFilmOscars2004". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Naomi Watts on 'While We're Young', her roots and being a mum". themorningbulletin.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  10. ^ Heller, Scott (23 November 2003). "A role filled with rage and anguish reveals the fearless side of an actress who respects the power of emotion". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e Brockes, Emma (19 October 2007). "Work begets work: that is my motto". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Naomi Watts Biography". TalkTalk. Tiscali UK Limited trading. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  13. ^ Blake, Mark (2008). Comfortably Numb - The Inside Story of Pink Floyd. Di Capo Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-306-81752-6.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Naomi Watts' Unpronounceable Town Name". 6 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "Best of Late Night TV: Chris Hemsworth's Musical Beers and Naomi Watts' Crazy Hometown (VIDEO)". Moviefone. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Naomi Watts". BBC North West Wales. BBC. November 2009. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008.
  17. ^ a b "Naomi Watts". BBC. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Naomi Watts". People. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "Naomi Watts Biography". The Biography Channel UK. A&E Television Networks. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  20. ^ "Lower North Shore's top Aussie legends". The Mosman Daily. News Community Media. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  21. ^ a b c Sischy, Ingrid (December 2003). "For Anyone who Ever Needed a reminder of what can happen when you hold onto your dreams – here she is". Brandt Publications. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  22. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie (5 July 2011). "Warning: Naomi Watts Is ... Secretly British". BBC America. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  23. ^ Hal Erickson (2008). "For Love Alone (1986) Overview". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  24. ^ "Naomi enjoys her shot". Iofilm.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  25. ^ Ebert, Roger (31 December 1992). "The Best 10 Movies of 1992". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  26. ^ "Brides of Christ: episode guide". Australian Television Information Archive's Official Site. Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  27. ^ "Brides of Christ description on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's shop". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 April 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  28. ^ Kent, Melissa (8 February 2009). "Cast and fans of Home and Away well on the way to belonging forever and ever". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  29. ^ a b Carpenter, Cassie (24 November 2003). "Late Bloomer". Backstage.com. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  30. ^ a b Pearce, Garth (6 January 2002). "Film: Naomi Watts interview". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  31. ^ "Tank Girl (1995) on Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  32. ^ "Naomi Watts: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  33. ^ "Bermuda Triangle (1996)". Encyclopedia of fantastic Film and television. Kim Newman. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  34. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (19 December 2012). "Naomi Watts on The Impossible and Her Weirdest Film Credit". Vulture.com. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  35. ^ "Strange Planet (1999)". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  36. ^ "The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999)". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  37. ^ "Naomi Watts: Biography". Encyclopedia of World Biography. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  38. ^ a b c Stern, Marlow (21 December 2012). "Naomi Watts on 'The Impossible,' Personal Tragedy, and Playing Princess Diana". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  39. ^ David, Anna (November 2001). "Twin Piques". Première. 15 (3): 80–81.
  40. ^ Cheng, Scarlet (12 October 2001). "It's a Road She Knows Well; 'Mulholland Dr.' star Naomi Watts has lived the Hollywood metaphor behind the fabled highway". Los Angeles Times. p. 20. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  41. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 January 2002). "Mulholland Drive review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  42. ^ Levy, Emanuel (28 March 2006). "Mulholland Drive review by Emanuel Levy". Emanuel Levy. Emanuel Levy's Official Site. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  43. ^ "Mulholland Dr. (2001) Awards". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  44. ^ Bernard, Jami (10 April 2001). "Dangerous curves on Lynch's 'Drive'". Daily News. Retrieved 7 July 2011.[dead link]
  45. ^ Symons, Red (6 July 2002). "Man in spirit-led, Mulholland-riddle miracle!". The Age. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  46. ^ "The Ring at Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  47. ^ "The Ring (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  48. ^ Clinton, Paul (18 October 2002). "Review: 'The Ring' gets under your skin". CNN. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  49. ^ "Ned Kelly (2003)". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  50. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (5 August 2003). "Le Divorce". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  51. ^ "Nominees & Winners for the 76th Academy Awards". Academy Awards- Official Site. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  52. ^ Clinton, Paul (11 February 2011). "Watts bath to fame". The Age. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  53. ^ "21 Grams (2003) Awards". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  54. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (18 October 2003). "21 Grams (2003) movie review". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  55. ^ Meyer, Carla (26 November 2003). "Gloomy '21 Grams' for weighty souls". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  56. ^ Scott, A. O. (2007). "We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  57. ^ "The Assassination of Richard Nixon". AllRovi. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  58. ^ "I Heart Huckabees: Cast & Details". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  59. ^ "Ellie Parker Synopsis". AllRovie. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  60. ^ Ebert, Roger (16 December 2005). "Ellie Parker". Chicago-Sun Times. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  61. ^ "The Ring Two (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  62. ^ "The Ring Two". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  63. ^ Brian Sibley (2006). Peter Jackson: A Film-maker's Journey. London: HarperCollins. pp. 526–542. ISBN 978-0-00-717558-1.
  64. ^ Ian Spelling (December 2005). "Peter Jackson proves with King Kong that the director, not the beast, is the true eighth wonder of the world". Science Fiction Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  65. ^ Paul A. Woods (2005). "Kong Cometh!". Peter Jackson: From Gore to Mordor. London: Plexus Books. pp. 176–187. ISBN 978-0-85965-356-5.
  66. ^ "King Kong BoxOffice". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  67. ^ "Naomi Watts BoxOffice". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  68. ^ Arnold, William (13 December 2005). "A bigger, better 'Kong'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  69. ^ King Kong cast bananas for game Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  70. ^ "Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Review".
  71. ^ "Peter Jackson's King Kong PC Review | GameWatcher".
  72. ^ Carless, Simon (25 October 2005). "Spike TV Announces Award Nominees, Presenters". Gamasutra. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  73. ^ DeMott, Rick (22 November 2005). "Spike TV Video Game Awards 2005 Winners Announced". Animation World Network. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  74. ^ Fischer, Paul. "Naomi Watts – King Kong Interview". girl.com.au. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  75. ^ "The Painted Veil". AllRovie. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  76. ^ LaSalle, Mick (29 December 2006). "Will you marry me? And live unhappily ever after in China?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  77. ^ "Inland Empire". AllRovie. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  78. ^ Turner, Matthew. "Eastern Promises". View London. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  79. ^ "David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises reviewed". Slate. 13 September 2007.
  80. ^ "Eastern Promises". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  81. ^ "Eastern Promises". The-numbers.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  82. ^ Tilly, Chris (17 October 2007). "Top 10 Films at the London Film Festival". IGN UK. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  83. ^ Sukhdev Sandhu (4 April 2008). "Film review: Funny Games". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022.
  84. ^ "Eastern Promises – Naomi Watts interview". IndieLondon.
  85. ^ "Naomi Watts Interview, Funny Games". MoviesOnline.
  86. ^ "Funny Games". Rotten Tomatoes. 14 March 2008.
  87. ^ "Funny Games (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  88. ^ Ansen, David (15 March 2008). "A Rottweiler, Now in English". Newsweek.
  89. ^ Borys, Kit (13 July 2007). "Watts has passport for Col's 'Int'l'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  90. ^ "The International (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  91. ^ "The International". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  92. ^ McCarthy, Todd (16 September 2009). "Review: 'Mother and Child'". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  93. ^ "Mother and Child – Cast and Crew". Allrovie. Rovie Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  94. ^ "Mother and Child". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  95. ^ "2010 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards Nominees & Winners". AFI Awards. Australian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  96. ^ "Mother and Child – Awards". Allrovie. Rovie Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  97. ^ "Cannes Film Festival – Selection List". Le Festival International du Film de Cannes. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  98. ^ "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  99. ^ "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  100. ^ "Fair Game". Le Festival International du Film de Cannes. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  101. ^ Fleming, Michael (23 February 2009). "Sean Penn in talks for Plame 'Game'". Variety. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  102. ^ Hammond, Pete (22 May 2010). "A taut retelling of the scandal that exposed Valerie Plame". Box Office magazine. Box Office Media. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  103. ^ "'Winter's Bone' Tops Indie Spirit Award Noms". Warner Bros. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  104. ^ "Dream House Trailer Starring Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  105. ^ "Dream House". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  106. ^ Weinstein, Joshua (3 August 2011). "'J. Edgar' Slips into Theaters Nov. 9 With Limited Bow". The Wrap News, Inc. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  107. ^ "Movie Projector: 'Immortals' poised to conquer box office". Los Angeles Times. 10 November 2011.
  108. ^ "Weekend Report: 'Dolphin Tale' Leaps Into Lead – Box Office Mojo". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  109. ^ "J. Edgar (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  110. ^ "Spanish Box Office Weekends For 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  111. ^ "The Impossible". Chicago Sun-Times. 19 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  112. ^ Young, Deborah (10 September 2012). "The Impossible: Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  113. ^ Chang, Justin (10 September 2012). "The Impossible". Variety. Reed Elsevier Properties Inc. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  114. ^ Wise, Damon (12 September 2012). "The Impossible". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  115. ^ a b "Naomi Watts". Allmovie. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  116. ^ "Adore". Rotten Tomatoes. 6 September 2013.
  117. ^ Popovic, Aleksandar (27 December 2012). "MOVIE 43 TV Spot No3 – FilmoFilia". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  118. ^ Roeper, Richard. "Movie 43 Movie Review & Film Summary (2013) – Roger Ebert". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  119. ^ Frank Scheck (21 April 2013). "Sunlight Jr.: Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  120. ^ "5 Norman Reedus Performances You Need to Seek Out – Tribeca". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  121. ^ Levin, Robert (14 November 2013). "Movie review: 'Sunlight Jr.' – 3 stars". Archived from the original on 1 December 2014.
  122. ^ "'Sunlight Jr.' review: Love in dismal surroundings". San Francisco Chronicle. 14 November 2013.
  123. ^ "Diana film slammed by British press". BBC News. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  124. ^ "Diana". Rotten Tomatoes. 1 November 2013.
  125. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Diana – Reelviews Movie Reviews". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  126. ^ "Naomi Watts trades Oscar-bait for a lighter career". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 October 2014.
  127. ^ Brooks, Xan (10 July 2014). "Birdman to hatch on opening night of Venice film festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  128. ^ "Weekend Report: 'Fury' Topples 'Gone Girl,' 'Birdman' Soars in Limited Release – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  129. ^ "Birdman". Rotten Tomatoes. 17 October 2014.
  130. ^ Lasalle, By Mick (23 October 2014). "'Birdman' review: Inarritu's fine showbiz satire of ex-superhero". Sfgate. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  131. ^ "Oscar Winners 2015: Complete List". 23 February 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  132. ^ "SAG Awards 2015: 'Birdman' wins for cast in a motion picture". Los Angeles Times. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  133. ^ "Naomi Watts on how she conquered fear of working with Bill Murray". CBS News. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  134. ^ "Naomi Watts chooses comedic roles to lighten up her career". Los Angeles Times. 29 October 2014.
  135. ^ "'While We're Young': Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  136. ^ Debruge, Peter (7 September 2014). "Toronto Film Review: 'While We're Young'". Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  137. ^ Scott, A. O. (27 March 2015). "Review: In 'While We're Young,' a Coupling of Gen X and Y". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  138. ^ Jessica Derschowitz (4 June 2014). "Naomi Watts joins cast of "Divergent" sequels "Insurgent," "Allegiant"". CBS News. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  139. ^ "The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  140. ^ "33 Horrible Insurgent Reviews That'll Piss Fans the Eff Off". 18 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  141. ^ Graser, Marc; Siegel, Tatiana (18 October 2007). "Naomi Watts set for 'Birds' remake". Variety. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  142. ^ Elavsky, Cindy (4 August 2014). "Celebrity Extra". King Features.
  143. ^ "Gus Van Sant's 'Sea of Trees' Booed at Cannes Premiere". Variety. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  144. ^ Reinstein, Mara (15 May 2015). "Matthew McConaughey's Film The Sea of Trees Booed, Laughed at During Cannes Film Festival". Us Weekly. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  145. ^ Mowe, Richard (15 May 2015). "The Sea of Trees (2015) Review". eyeforefilm.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  146. ^ Chang, Justin (15 May 2015). "Cannes Film Review: 'The Sea of Trees'". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  147. ^ "The Sea of Trees". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  148. ^ "Demolition". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  149. ^ "Demolition (2016) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  150. ^ "'Demolition' Review: Jake Gyllenhaal Grapples With Delayed Grief in Dark Dramedy". 8 April 2016.
  151. ^ D'Alessandro, Anita Busch, Anthony (15 September 2015). "'About Ray' Pushed From This Weekend's Release Schedule By TWC".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  152. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (13 February 2017). "Weinstein Co. Finally Puts Transgender Teen Drama 'Three Generations' Back on Schedule (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  153. ^ Lodge, Guy (2 September 2016). "Film Review: 'The Bleeder'".
  154. ^ "Shut In". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  155. ^ "Shut In (2016) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  156. ^ "Shut In (2016) – International Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  157. ^ "Twin Peaks: Naomi Watts". Deadline Hollywood. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  158. ^ "Billy Crudup To Star in Netflix Drama Series 'Gypsy'". Deadline Hollywood. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  159. ^ "Naomi Watts To Star in Netflix Psychological Thriller Series 'Gypsy'". Deadline Hollywood. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  160. ^ "'Gypsy' Canceled By Netflix After 1 Season". Deadline Hollywood. 11 August 2017.
  161. ^ Travers, Peter (15 June 2017). "'The Book of Henry' Review: Boy Meets Girl, Ends Up in WTF Tearjerker-Thriller". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  162. ^ "The Glass Castle". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  163. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (25 June 2018). "Russell Crowe To Star As Roger Ailes In Limited Series Greenlighted By Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  164. ^ Galuppo, Mia (31 July 2019). "Jacki Weaver to Join Naomi Watts in 'Penguin Bloom'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  165. ^ Weintraub, Steve (31 January 2020). "Exclusive First Images from Joe Carnahan's 'Boss Level' Find Frank Grillo Trapped in a Time Loop". Collider. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  166. ^ Kit, Borys (15 May 2018). "Naomi Watts, Frank Grillo to Star in Blumhouse Drama 'Once Upon a Time in Staten Island' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  167. ^ "Angel face: Naomi Watts". Elle Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  168. ^ "Naomi Watts New Face of David Yurman". www.femalefirst.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  169. ^ Arguelles, Kate Ahlborn and Alannah. "Naomi Watts Earns Her Wings". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  170. ^ "Eva Mendes replaces Naomi Watts as Thierry Mugler's 'Angel'". fashion.telegraph.co.uk. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  171. ^ "Eva Mendes, Naomi Watts for Pantene". People. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  172. ^ "Naomi Watts to Front Ann Taylor Fall 2010 Campaign". InStyle. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  173. ^ "Naomi Watts is the new face of L'Oréal Paris". Harper's BAZAAR. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  174. ^ Mason, Melissa (18 May 2021). "The 7 Best Skincare Clinics In Sydney For Facials & Treatments". Elle. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  175. ^ "Naomi Watts' New Fendi Commercial - Naomi Watts Fendi Peekaboo". www.lofficielusa.com. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  176. ^ Shapiro, Bee (4 May 2021). "Naomi Watts on the Joys of Post-Covid Beauty". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  177. ^ Chikhoune, Ryma (15 January 2021). "Thirteen Lune Raises $1 Million, Invested by Sean Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts". WWD. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  178. ^ Roby, India (18 October 2022). "Naomi Watts Launches Stripes, a Beauty and Wellness Brand Focused on Menopause Health". Fashionista. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  179. ^ Segran, Elizabeth (24 June 2024). "Naomi Watts' menopause brand, Stripes Beauty, is acquired by LVMH-backed L Catterton". Fast Company. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  180. ^ "If These Sheets Are Good Enough for Naomi Watts, They're Going Straight in My Shopping Cart". Yahoo Life. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  181. ^ "UNAIDS goodwill ambassador Naomi Watts" (PDF). UNAIDS. United Nations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  182. ^ "UNAIDS goodwill ambassador Naomi Watts" (PDF). ACQC Voices. AIDS Center of Queens County. Summer 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  183. ^ "Light for rights: World AIDS day 2009". The Foundation for AIDS Research. The Foundation for AIDS Research's Official Site. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  184. ^ McMahon, Kate (6 June 2011). "Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Naomi Watts attend charity polo match in New York". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  185. ^ Battenbough, Gemma (17 June 2016). "Naomi Watts on health, fitness and motherhood". BodyandSoul.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  186. ^ Wallace, Francesca (29 April 2016). "This is the most valuable beauty lesson Naomi Watts learnt from her mum". Vogue. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  187. ^ Eytan, Declan (11 July 2016). "Naomi Watts, Meg Ryan and Other Celebrities, Raise Their Hand for Charity". Forbes. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  188. ^ Stephenson, Alison (5 November 2018). "Naomi Watts to step behind McDonald's counter". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  189. ^ "Watts trying out Buddhism". The Himalayan Times. 4 February 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  190. ^ Pringle, Gill (30 March 2015). "Naomi Watts on 'While We're Young', her roots and being a mum". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  191. ^ "Scoop: Watts opens up about loss of Ledger". Today.com. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  192. ^ Quihuiz, Ariana (28 June 2024). "Naomi Watts' 2 Children: All About Sasha and Kai". People Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  193. ^ "Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber Have a Baby Boy". People. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  194. ^ "Naomi Watts Steps Out With Samuel Kai". People. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  195. ^ Aradillas, Elaine (12 February 2009). "Naomi Watts's Body After Baby Secret – Her Son!". People. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  196. ^ Nessif, Bruno (26 September 2016). "Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts Split After 11 Years Together". E! News. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  197. ^ McKay, Rhys (17 February 2020). "What Was Naomi Watts' Relationship Like With Liev Schreiber?". Who. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  198. ^ Reslin, Eileen; Ryan, Tamantha (11 June 2023). "Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup Tie the Knot in New York City." News.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  199. ^ "Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup Have Second Wedding in Mexico". E! Online. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  200. ^ "A-lister Naomi Watts links up with Anglesey football club". BBC News. 2 February 2016.