Naomi Watts on Sticking With a Film She Knew Would Flop
Naomi Watts opens up about her role in the ill-fated film Diana, revealing she sensed early on it was headed for disaster but chose to see it through despite the backlash.
There’s nothing quite like the letdown of a much-hyped film falling flat, but it’s a different story when you’re the one on screen. For actors, there’s always a bit of a gamble involved—no matter how much effort you put in, some things are just out of your hands. Sometimes, it all comes down to a dodgy script.
Naomi Watts has had her fair share of standout roles, with her performance in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive still talked about for its depth and range. She played two sides of the same coin: a hopeful newcomer and a troubled dreamer. But even the best in the business have a few missteps, and for Watts, one of those came about a decade later, earning her a Razzie nod.
From Acclaimed Roles to Risky Choices
It’s hard to picture the same actor from Mulholland Drive ending up on the Razzie list, but that’s what can happen when the script’s a mess and the direction’s off. In 2013, Watts took on the challenge of portraying Princess Diana—a role bound to stir up opinions. Under Oliver Hirschbiegel’s direction, Diana turned out to be a flop, with critics picking apart every detail. Watts herself has said she saw the writing on the wall early, but decided to stick it out, bracing for the rough reviews.
By the time doubts crept in, she was already locked in to play the ‘People’s Princess’, a figure who’d fascinated the public since her royal wedding in 1981 and whose tragic death in 1997 shocked the world. In a chat with Harper’s Bazaar, Watts shared,
“I got seduced by the fantastic character. Diana did a lot of things that had positive and negative results. She was multifaceted.”
Weathering the Storm
Watts admitted things didn’t go as planned.
“Ultimately there were problems and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for. With risk, there is every chance it’s going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship, so be it.”
Like a captain refusing to abandon ship, she saw it through, even as the project went under. That same year, she also appeared in the much-maligned Movie 43, making 2013 a rough patch in her career. But she bounced back soon after, landing a role in the Oscar-winning Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) in 2014.
Taking on Diana was a big risk for Watts, one she was willing to take even though it didn’t pay off. That’s just how things go in the film industry—there’s no guarantee, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a bad script and a shaky production can sink the whole thing.