Naomi Watts has played her share of real people.
In addition to appearing in biopics like “Ned Kelly” and “J. Edgar,” Watts starred as Valerie Plame in “Fair Game” and she’ll be playing Princess Diana in a 2013 film.
J.A. Bayona’s new disaster film “The Impossible” tells the true story of a family of tourists who are separated from each other in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, with Watts’ Maria and son Lucas (Tom Holland) split off from husband Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their younger sons (Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast).
The real-life Maria Belon worked hand-in-hand with screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez to bring the story to the big screen and took an active role in guaranteeing the story was told properly, making her perhaps the most invested and available of the actual people Watts has played over the years.
I sat down with Watts a couple weeks ago to talk about the role Maria Belon played in shaping her character, as well as the preparation that went into the harrowing film. [Check out the behind-the-scenes footage that plays with the interview. It’s insane.]
Watts, who has subsequently been nominated for a SAG Award and a Golden Globe for her performance, also talked about her confidence in sharing most of her scenes with movie-acting neophyte Holland and with the challenges of crafting a character like this when working out-of-sequence.
Check it out…
“The Impossible” opens Friday (December 21) in limited release and goes nationwide on January 4.