October 29, 2007 Leigh Singer

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has become the go-to actress for tortured roles, from David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. to a giant ape’s plaything in Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Next up, more on-screen abuse in the LFF-featured US remake of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games – and just maybe the upcoming remake of Hitchcock’s The Birds
Q: Funny Games is a notorious shocker. What did you make of the Austrian original?

Watts: I saw the film at home with a girlfriend and was utterly shocked by it. I found myself having to talk a lot through it just because it was so damn creepy and difficult. It’s not like you can say ‘I loved the film’ but you can have a really extreme reaction. What makes it worthy to me is that you think and talk about it for days afterwards.

Q: What’s Michael Haneke’s point about violence on film?

Watts: I felt he’s speaking to us as an audience, saying we have blood on our hands. And he really messes with you – he sets everything up in that genre way and then never gives it to you. I think he’s making you feel guilty for all the films you’ve bought into before and cheered on those violent moments.

Q: You’ve made a few remakes recently – The Ring, King Kong – why this one too?

Watts: Michael said that he originally made the film to reach American audiences and the fact that it didn’t was a shame. So when he was offered this second opportunity to do it with English-speaking actors…

Q: Did a shot-for-shot remake make sense?

Watts: I did think it was odd but the whole point of this is it’s an intellectual exercise. As an actor it’s very hard because I knew his shots were the same and everything was blocked to work within those shots. So for lack of a better term I felt I was acting blindfolded and tied up, there wasn’t anything organic about it.

Q: Isn’t that very frustrating?

Watts: It’s fun working with a director who really knows what they want, even if it’s slightly annoying and difficult. There are many directors you work with who want to shoot something twenty different ways and you’re like, ‘Wait a second what am I doing here?’ So it’s nice to have someone that confident.

Q: Mullholland Dr., 21 Grams, Funny Games, even King Kong, you do seem to suffer a lot on screen…

Watts: It’s actually fun to me. I’m not this dark twisted person. Yes. I have my demons and this is my way of exorcising them, it gets them out and better out than in. Actually I think that it’s the comedians who are the darkest people on the planet, because they think life’s just bloody hilarious!

Q: What’s next, The Birds? Because that’s more abuse and suffering.

Watts: It’s under discussion – and another remake! Sorry!

Q: Did you not hear about Tippi Hedren almost losing an eye making the original?

Watts: Yeah, they threw birds at her across the lens, right? Hopefully things will be a little more sophisticated today!

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The published article can be read on IGN – ‘Naomi Watts Q&A’