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Naomi Watts Plays Valerie Plame Wilson in a New Movie, But They’re Way Beyond That Now

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Watts in Fair Game.

(Photo: Ken Regan/Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)

How do you each deal with the media?
VPW: I’m in such awe. I don’t know how Naomi does this for a job. I find it extremely difficult. And she is always professional and gracious and has a thoughtful answer and it’s fresh every time. You know, I do this and I can go back to Santa Fe and do my thing.
NW: But so do Liev and I, by the way. This is not a natural state for us. We go back to normalcy in the privacy of our own home. But it’s never comfortable doing this side of things. Selling something doesn’t feel like a natural state for an actor. Although some are really good at it.
VPW: Do you think some people like it?
NW: Some do. I don’t know if they are the good ones.
VPW: What is it about that personality that can absorb and carry that?
NW: It’s a whole other art form. They are not connected, really. In fact, most actors are incredibly shy people, and they like to hide. It seems like a contradiction, but it’s true.
VPW: Do you think most actors are shy? And is it to overcompensate?
NW: Yeah, you know, and I’m exposing myself deeply here, but it is a need for validation. Definitely. Like, you know, in the sense of creating that family vibe on the film set.
VPW: It’s very much its own little world. Do you feel that with each film you have, that it creates its own little universe?
NW: Yeah, absolutely. It is. Every time you go and you’re as thick as thieves, and you are like, “I love you” and “We’ve got to stay in touch.” You know, all that eye contact and “This is a serious commitment!”
VPW: And do you?
NW: Rarely. [Laughs.] Sorry to say. But sometimes.
VPW: And the media, how do you deal with it with your children? My rage knew no limits.
NW: Liev knows how to deal with them better than me. We try to negotiate with them. He’ll say, “Okay, little bit of eye contact, we will give you a picture. Hang with us a few blocks, but then you must disappear.”
VPW: And they listen?
NW: Most of the time they will. Anyway, look, it’s not nearly as scary as what your life was out there in the field.
VPW: That all depends on your perspective. [Both laugh.]