It feels like Naomi Watts is doing the heavy lifting on the promotion for this upcoming Divergent movie, the third Allegiant, out March 16th. (Yet another Divergent movie is scheduled to come out next year, just FYI.) We’ve barely heard from the star, Shailene Woodley, but Watts has been doing talkshows and interviews and she seems perfectly happy to get out there. Watts plays the villain from what I’ve seen in the clips. (I saw Insurgent, the second Divergent movie, on HBOGo this weekend. Watt’s character seemed wooden to me but it was likely the writing.)

Watts is not particularly controversial and I think that’s by design. She’s on Instagram and she posts cute pics of her kids but you get the sense that she’s pretty careful about it. She recently opened up her home to Architectural Digest but she’s usually somewhat guarded about the things she says. That’s why it’s interesting to me that she’s admitting relationships are hard work. On the surface it’s a general, true quote but we’ve heard that she’s having problems with Liev. (It was a tabloid rumor but still.) Watts seemed to open up quite a bit in a recent interview with Los Angeles Confidential. It’s worth reading for the details and she sounds pretty wise:

Her father, a sound engineer for Pink Floyd, died of a heroin overdose when she was 7
“I wish I could say otherwise but I don’t have any clear memories of my father. Mum was young and did not have much of a plan. I think there’s a combination of grit and perseverance and tricking yourself into believing things are okay even if you’re not getting the results you want—that’s what I learned from her. Even if you’re being batted around, you keep going. It’s basic human determination.”

Watts met Nicole Kidman in acting classes in the early 90s
“Nic was incredibly generous in introducing me to people and showing me that an Aussie girl from around the corner can make it big.”

On struggling to get jobs before she was hired for Mulholland Drive
“I would play mental games with myself. Rather than dwell on why I didn’t have this role or that opportunity, I would say, ‘Well, I do have a SAG card and I do have an agent and I am perfectly fine until the right something comes along.'”

Her philosophy on work and life
“Even if you feel completely connected to the material it often doesn’t go the way you think it will. It’s no different than anything else in life. You can’t calculate how things will turn out. All you can do is try to have fun, push yourself to do well, be with people you love being with, and stay in the moment. The rest is basically out of your hands.”

She was “asked if coupling is harder when both people are well-known”
“Relationships are hard whether you’re famous or not. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have to work on it. Being an actor doesn’t change anything. I’m sure it’s the same if you’re a doctor or a couple of lawyers. You have high-pressure jobs, lots of hours, stresses that come at you unexpectedly—and you have to figure out how to be present in the midst of it all.”

[From LA Confidential]

I didn’t know about her father dying when she was seven, that’s very sad. She’s not saying anything that’s very revealing, but just by acknowledging that relationships are work you get the sense that she’s struggling with that. It must be hard being two busy actors, but I like how she brings up the fact that it’s hard for everyone. This was a great interview. The editorial is quite good too, they put her in some cute designer dresses and she looks both young and elegant. There’s only one dress that’s fug, a tiered white and black Proenza Schouler that makes her look like a cake topper.

photos credit: LA Confidential and FameFlynet