{"id":897816,"date":"2026-09-19T14:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T14:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/897816\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T14:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T14:10:17","slug":"naomi-watts-on-playing-a-nazi-in-the-housewifewe-must-be-vigilant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/897816\/","title":{"rendered":"Naomi Watts on Playing a Nazi in ‘The Housewife’:’We Must Be Vigilant’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBritish actor Naomi Watts<\/a>, at the San Sebasti\u00e1n Film Festival<\/a> to receive this year\u2019s prestigious Donostia Award, spoke about opportunities in the industry for women over 50. Talking a week after Sarah Paulson told Variety about the lack of film offers following her spellbinding portrait of Marcia Clark in \u201cThe People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,\u201d<\/a> Watts said, \u201cthings have changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWatts recalled entering the industry late \u201cby Hollywood standards,\u201d starring in David Lynch\u2019s lauded \u201cMulholland Drive\u201d at 31 years old. \u201cI was told at the beginning that I better get my skates on because it all finishes at the age of 40. And here we are today. I\u2019m in my late 50s. Look at the Emmys last week [and] the number of women in strong categories over 50. That\u2019s heartening to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNominees over the age of 50 included Rhea Seehorn (\u201cPluribus\u201d), Jean Smart (\u201cHacks\u201d), and Allison Janney (\u201cThe Diplomat\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI do think things have changed,\u201d she added. \u201cWomen are consumers of film and TV, and their stories should be reflected. That narrative had to be shifted. And I am grateful to be a small part of that shift.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor is also at the Basque festival with Ben Shirinian\u2019s feature debut \u201cThe Housewife<\/a>.\u201d The film, the Donostia Award Screening, stars Watts, Tye Sheridan, Luke Evans, Michael Imperioli and Lena Olin. Set in 1964 and based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a young journalist who tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in New York and befriends the suspect\u2019s charming wife.<\/p>\n

\n\tProdded about the parallels between a film about World War II and the Holocaust and the ongoing wars today, specifically the ongoing war in Palestine, Watts said: \u201cIt\u2019s a very, very scary time what is going on in the world globally.\u201d \u201cWe must be vigilant, we must pay attention, and not let that happen again. Hopefully this film sparks a dialogue. We don\u2019t give answers; we hopefully send you away with questions of how did this happen and, who do you relate with in this story, and how we can avoid this happening ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have to tell these stories; storytelling is important, particularly now,\u201d she reiterated, noting how she vows to continue supporting minorities and representation on screen. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community. Minorities are being attacked right now, and it\u2019s frightful and unacceptable. My heart is with these communities, particularly my family. I\u2019ll do whatever I can to stick up for minorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for playing an immigrant in the U.S. as an immigrant to the country herself, Watts said she \u201cmoved to America with hopes and dreams,\u201d all of which she has already \u201csurpassed.\u201d \u201cHermine, the woman I play in this story, was there post-World War II, when things were much more sunny and bright. Her story was about trying to find a new place and erase the past, which she was able to do for a period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn terms of me, I have American children, I do love America, and what\u2019s going on today is complicated and certainly nerve-wracking, but I have faith that things will work out in time,\u201d she added about the U.S.\u2019s current political climate.<\/p>\n

\n\tWatts noted how the role was \u201cvery complicated,\u201d and she had a \u201chuge amount of fear\u201d when taking on the adaptation of the harrowing true story. \u201cIt was like nothing I ever played before: this duality of this woman who had done horrific things, heinous crimes, and yet blending into society as a normal person \u2013 very much a good citizen, a good wife, baking cookies, showing up to church. That duality and living with that secret was interesting to me as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI am always looking to do new things even though I might have a repetitive theme in my work \u2013 grief and identity\u2014 things that are meaningful to me,\u201d she continued. \u201cThis character is like nothing I\u2019ve ever played. I\u2019m at an age now when some might joke I\u2019m in my villain era, but this is an extreme one and not a joke. I felt compelled to play this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen asked about the similarities between her role in \u201cMulholland Drive\u201d and \u201cThe Housewife,\u201d especially how both characters broach these notions of duality, Watts said both roles are \u201cdeeply psychological and confronting,\u201d but while she didn\u2019t particularly enjoy playing Hermine, she has nothing but wonderful memories of her time on set with the late Lynch, who died early last year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2018Mulholland Drive\u2019 was nothing but fun,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was coming at a time in my life when I didn\u2019t have any breaks after years of struggle, so every day on set was just a wonder. Getting to learn how Lynch works and directs was truly wonderful. I\u2019ll never forget those days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor called working with Lynch \u201can incredible break.\u201d \u201cI had been working to get a film role for a good 10 years before that lucky break came. I was very much a journeyman actor, working wherever I could, but I had a lot of rejection. really was quite shut down, not bringing good energy into rooms I was asked to audition in. It took someone like David Lynch to see through the veneers I had created. We had a beautiful conversation, and he gave me the role of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m forever indebted to David Lynch; he is in my heart forever,\u201d she went on. \u201cThis is a film that has remained in people\u2019s consciousness for decades, and I think it really launched me because every great filmmaker saw this film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe San Sebasti\u00e1n Film Festival runs Sept. 18-26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"British actor Naomi Watts, at the San Sebasti\u00e1n Film Festival to receive this year\u2019s prestigious Donostia Award, spoke…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":897817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134,60097,110203,466504],"class_list":["post-897816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-naomi-watts","tag-san-sebastiu00e1n-film-festival","tag-the-housewife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}