Digging deep for Diana - Naomi Watts reveals how she uncovered the real People's Princess

Naomi Watts as Diana, Princess of Wales in a scene from the film Diana. Source: Supplied

 

 

Neala Johnson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

It's the day before the world premiere of Diana in London and the movie's star, Naomi Watts , though looking sleek in a black Victoria Beckham dress, is clearly a nervous woman.

Her promotional schedule in the days prior to the premiere has been cut back and she's joined by the calming figure of director Oliver Hirschbiegel for every interview.

The pair admit to being "concerned" what the royal family will think of the biopic charting the Princess of Wales' romance with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. But, the director shrugs, "You try not to p--- somebody off without reason".

It's not the royals the team behind the movie should have been worrying about. When the reviews from British critics break after the premiere, they are vicious. "A special class of awful," went one. "Fabulously awful," went the next. Princess Diana, said another, "has died another awful death".

Hirschbiegel has since pointed to a more positive reaction in other European countries; concluding that the British are just too close to the subject: "Diana is a trauma they haven't come to terms with."

Watts was 28 when Diana died. Having moved from England to Australia at 14, she wasn't bombarded with stories about the Princess as she might have been had she stayed. Still, she remembers clearly where she was when news of that crash in a Paris tunnel broke.

"I do remember the news ... and being quite traumatised by it. I was in Canada, probably filming a bad TV movie. And I was with, funnily enough, Rob Lowe and his wife.

"We were at dinner when we were told Dodi was dead. In the time that we left the restaurant and got back to the hotel, the bad news was revealed."

Watts has played real-life characters before - she was Oscar-nominated earlier this year for her portrayal of a mother caught in the Boxing Day tsunami in The Impossible.

"Of course with Diana I had the responsibility of telling the story in a truthful and sensitive way, but with the additional pressure of looking as close to her as possible and getting the voice right and all those things.

"Playing the most famous woman of our time is incredibly high-pressured because everyone feels they know her, so therefore she belongs to them. How can you take possession of a character that everybody knows so much about? That's a daunting thing."

While initially reluctant, once on board the film, Watts threw herself into the role.

"I saturated myself in all of the information available: I read every book, every old news article, watched every piece of footage I could find."

A couple of breaks in the shooting schedule - one before filming sequences in Mozambique, another due to Naveen Andrews (who plays Khan) being injured - caused the production to lag a little.

"The stopping and starting made it difficult. So by the time we got to the finish line, I was ready to finish," Watts laughs. "Being obsessed with that character, it was exhausting."

Hirschbiegel calls Princess Diana "the most complex character I've had to tackle to date". This from a man whose most famous film, Downfall, was about Hitler.

"No really, this woman does not cease to amaze me," he insists. "And there's way more, even, that could be shown, but that would be too much for the two hours that we have."

Watts' admiration for certain aspects of Diana's personality grew the more she learnt.

"I discovered things like her great wit. It was there on the page, but the people I spoke to that knew her also endorsed that. She had a really cheeky sense of humour and liked to crack icebreaker jokes.

"I liked the rebellious streak in her. And there's no question that her compassion and empathy were huge parts of her personality. She did some groundbreaking work, starting back in the early '90s when we didn't know much about AIDS and we saw her holding somebody; that was a big thing." (Watts has worked with the UN on AIDS awareness programs.)

Asked whether she believes Diana was a brave or a tragic person, she replies, "Well, tragic ending, of course. But she was very courageous, very bold and brave. There are certain things that she did like the Bashir interview which had to have taken a lot of courage."

It was the 1995 Martin Bashir interview - in which Diana spoke of her split with Prince Charles - that became Watts' bible for nailing Diana's voice. "It was the most candidly I heard her speak, really. I would listen to that all day long."

A voice coach also had her master the British "stiff upper lip" by putting "cocktail sticks in my mouth to paralyse my face".

But getting those posh vowel sounds right wasn't overly hard for one reason: "I am British," says Watts. "People think of me as Australian and my voice is Australian now as well. But I do have an open ear having grown up in those two countries."

At 44, Watts is now largely based in New York with her partner, actor Liev Schreiber, and their two sons, Sasha and Sammy. But when it comes down to it, is she British or ... "I'm both! Don't get me in trouble!" Watts cries, anticipating the question.

Still, how does Watts describe her connection with Australia these days?

"Oh, very strong. I'm just both. I grew up here, I do feel very British. My mother still lives here, well, between here and France and Australia. She's got a good life!

"But I go back as often as I can to Australia. I try to go for Christmas. I've got my grandmother there, I've got my aunts there, I've got cousins there. And it's very important for me to have the children feel that connection.

"I never had an Australian passport and that's why, when I fill out those forms every time I enter a country, I write 'British'. But I'm working on getting an Australian passport," she laughs.

"And my heart is in both countries. That's how I can answer it."

Ultimately, Hirschbiegel reckons the Diana he has put on film is "what I would call a 'cool chick' ".

Watts captured that cool in front of moving and still cameras, recreating famous images of Diana such as her Mario Testino shoot and sitting with her legs dangling off the diving board of Dodi's boat.

"It's definitely eerie," says Watts, of seeing herself transplanted into those images.

Hirschbiegel takes that feeling and doubles it: "For me it was like watching a ghost."

However, for all the red carpets, gorgeous gowns and media attention on her own life, Watts says she can only relate to Diana's fairytale/nightmare "on a minor, minor scale".

"I've had my frustrations and my altercations with paparazzi, but nothing to that level."

Stars like Ronan Keating and Laura Dundovic hit the blue carpet for Diana premiere but leading lady Naomi Watts fails to show

Storm Uechtritz and Ronan Keating arrive at the Australian premiere of Diana. Picture: Getty Images

Briana Domjen, The Daily Telegraph, reports

There was one noticeable absence at the Australian premiere of Diana last night - homegrown leading lady Naomi Watts.

Those who did turn up to Event Cinemas on George Street for the film were Ronan Keating and his girlfriend Storm Uechtritz, Laura Dundovic and X Factor contestants Cat Vas and Barry Southgate.

The film, which is about the final two years of the Princess's life, her secret romance with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and its demise just weeks before her death in 1997, has received mixed reviews since its launch.

However Watts is crossing her fingers that it scores two thumbs up from Diana's sons.

"Hopefully if they get to see the film, they will feel that we have done it in a respectful and sensitive way," Watts told BBC TV.

"We try to honour the depiction of her character in the best possible way.''

Diana is out October 10.

Critics savage Diana, calling it atrocious and a 'car crash'

Naomi Watts in a production photo from the movie Diana. The script was 'embarrassing'.

 

Guy Jackson, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Critics have savaged Diana, a biopic of the late Princess of Wales, just hours after its world premiere.

Australian actress Naomi Watts, who plays Diana, has already defended her involvement in the controversial film, which follows the princess's romance with London-based Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan.

Within hours of the premiere, a string of merciless reviews in the British press shattered the party spirit.

The Times praised Watts for doing "her level best with a squirmingly embarrassing script'' but concluded that the film was still "atrocious and intrusive''.

"Poor Princess Diana,'' wrote Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw.

"I hesitate to use the term 'car crash cinema'. But the awful truth is that, 16 years after that terrible day in 1997, she has died another awful death.''

The Daily Telegraph gave the film two stars - one more than both The Guardian and The Times - but was also withering in its assessment.

"What's the point of Diana?'' reviewer David Gritten asked rhetorically.

Based on Kate Snell's 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love, the film suggests that Diana started dating Dodi Fayed, whom many friends of the princess say was her real love, to make Khan jealous.

That is a claim challenged by many close to the princess.

Diana and Fayed died when the Mercedes in which they were travelling slammed into a pillar in a Paris road tunnel in 1997 while being pursued by press photographers.

Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996 after 15 turbulent years of marriage which produced two sons, Princes William and Harry.

Watts, dressed in a figure-hugging white gown, was joined on the red carpet at London's Leicester Square by British-Indian actor Naveen Andrews, who plays her on-screen lover.

Asked if she felt the film would offend Diana's sons, she told BBC TV: "Hopefully if they get to see the film, they will feel that we have done it in a respectful and sensitive way.

"We try to honour the depiction of her character in the best possible way.''

FIRST LOOK: Naomi Watts stuns as Princess Di in Diana biopic

Check out Naomi Watts as the late Princess Diana in the trailer for the new film, Diana. Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

The first teaser trailer for Diana, the 2013 biopic focusing on the last years of Princess Diana's life has been released online.

In the compelling clip, Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts bears a striking resemblance to the late Princess of Wales, complete with her signature cropped hairstyle and iconic wardrobe.

The minute-long preview promises one thing: "The legend is never the whole story."

The biopic will highlight Diana's humanitarian work, her constant battle with the paparazzi and her highly publicised relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan, played by Naveen Andrews.

Told from the point of view of her bodyguard, Diana was directed by German filmmaker Oliver Hirschbiegel.

The long-awaited biopic doesn't have an official release date yet but is slated to open in the UK in September.

Awards hype is already in full swing about Watts's performance, saying she's sure to get some nods during next year's awards season.

How do you think Watts measures up as The People's Princess? Let us know in the comments below.


Check out the trailer here: http://video.dailytelegraph.com.au/2391005744/Trailer---Diana

Diana movie strikes pap deal to rid itself of pap problem

These paps are actors and are part of the scene. The real ones, though, are headache for the film's makers. Picture: Splash NewsSource: Supplied

News.com.au reports

As a profession, the paparazzi isn't one known for its irony.

But the paps have managed to take it to a new level with its coverage of the Princess Diana movie.

The makers of the film, which chronicles the last two years of the hounded princess's life, are sick of photographers invading their sets to get snaps of Naomi Watts as Diana.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ecosse Films has struck a deal with Splash News & Picture Agency to give it access to the best photo angles in order to head off further tabloid intrusions.

"We knew we would have to deal with the situation, so we got out in front of it," a publicist for the film told the Hollywood Reporter.

The paparazzi problem had become a particularly acute during filming of scenes that recreated Diana's yacht trip with her lover Dodi Fayed.

Diana will be released next year and is directed by Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel.

Watts has said of playing the princess: "This is a first, but I find myself dreaming about her.

"I felt like I was spending time with her. One particular time, I felt that permission was granted."

She said she was hesitant to take on the role of "one of the most famous, if not the most famous, women of my time".

"An awful lot of pressure comes with that, so you want to get it right," she said. "I was dreading people saying, 'she looks nothing like Diana', and 'why her and not somebody else?'. But I couldn't not do it."

Man on Fire

Hot properties ... doting parents Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber. Photo: AP

Helen Barlow, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

Aussie accents aside, little can slow down Liev Schreiber these days.

When actor Liev Schreiber first came to Sydney in 2005 with his new girlfriend Naomi Watts, he was called ''Naomi's beached whale'' in the local press. You can't blame him for being offended.

''It was just after Naomi had done King Kong and she had been dating Heath [Ledger] and I showed up and they were not pleased,'' the genial 44-year-old recalls. ''Some Sydney newspaper ran a picture of me on Bondi Beach when I was quite out of shape and pale and hairy, and this is what she was with. That was my introduction to Australia. But that's a uniquely Aussie thing. After they have taken you down a couple of pegs, then they like you.''

Indeed, over time we've come to see what our Naomi sees in her Liev. He's smart, educated, handsome in a burly way, has a killer smile (and sense of humour), and brings substance to every role he plays.

Schreiber says both he and Watts endured a ''difficult and painful'' gypsy hippie upbringing and now the couple is determined to be devoted parents to their sons, Sasha, 5, and Samuel Kai, 3. ''If anything, we could be accused of spoiling our children wildly,'' he says. ''I think we are both very paranoid about how profound an effect you can have on your children if you are not careful.''

Now their kids are old enough, they are going for broke with movies. Watts has recently played Princess Diana in the feature film Diana and also stars in the tsunami thriller The Impossible, which just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. ''She's on fire,'' Schreiber says proudly.

I spoke with Schreiber at the world premiere of his latest movie, Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, at the Venice Film Festival. The film follows the rise of a talented Pakistani financial analyst (Riz Ahmed) on Wall Street and his return to his homeland after the September 11, 2001, attacks. He meets Schreiber's journalist for an interview and the story is told mostly in flashbacks.

At first, Nair wanted Schreiber to play Ahmed's cunning boss (ultimately played by Kiefer Sutherland). Yet as someone who has lived in the region and respects Muslim culture, Schreiber ''felt the journalist was the only opportunity in the film to have an American character of conscience and it was very important that someone represent that''.

What comes as a surprise is that Naomi's brainy beau should portray a brash Aussie, a shark hunter called Trevor Blundell, in P.J. Hogan's Mental, the director's most over-the-top movie since Muriel's Wedding.

''I don't know what P.J. was thinking,'' Schreiber says. ''He has all these wonderful Australian actors and then he gives the most Australian role to a New York Jew!

''I am very good with dialects, but the two that I can't do for some reason are the South African and Australian. I guess P.J. assumed that because I am with Naomi I could do it. It was … really fun and scared the piss out of me. I've never been so nervous in my life than on my first day on set surrounded by that Aussie crew, speaking my first words of Australian.''

Schreiber bonded with his colleagues over sport: ''I am a surfer and there were a lot of surfers on the crew, so these guys took me in and helped me a lot. I'm actually a very bad surfer, which is good because everybody likes a bad surfer. Nobody likes a good surfer.''

An actor with a powerful presence, Schreiber, most famous for co-starring alongside Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and who won a Tony on Broadway for Glengarry Glen Ross, is a big softie. But when he first got together with Watts, emotions got the better of him when dealing with the paparazzi.

''I didn't behave well in the beginning,'' he says. ''Naomi kind of taught me how to behave.''

So what was the secret? ''Don't hit people; don't let it get you too angry; remember that everything you do can and will be used against you. And take a breath and have some perspective.

''I am actually better with it than she is now. She gets angry too fast and I am the one who is calm.''

Maybe he just has to watch what he's saying? ''I know, I never do, that's the problem. Naomi will give me a whole lecture about this interview.''

Mental is out on October 4.

Watts 'dreading' Diana reaction

Naomi Watts as Princess Diana. Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

British-born Aussie beauty Naomi Watts has said she is "dreading" being judged over her turn as Princess Diana.

Although not due for release until next year, the 43-year-old is already worried that Diana will offend the late royal's army of loyal fans.

"I am dreading the reaction amongst the pubic to my playing her," Watts told The Daily Express. "You know people will complain that you don't look enough like her, that you're not tall enough. It's very difficult to play someone who had such a deep impact and left such a lasting memory on the public.

"Our memory of her is still very fresh and you have to be respectful of that."

Watts said she remembers the day Diana died.

"We were shooting a move in Canada and I was in a room full of people watching the news about Diana's death and we were all crying and deeply upset," she said. "It's one of those events you never forget."

Naomi Watts on playing Diana in upcoming movie

The hair, the jewels... the look. Watts has felt the presence of the late princess while making Diana. Picture: Splash News/Laurie Sparham Source: Supplied

Neala Johnson, news.com.au, reports

Naomi Watts' portrayal of Princess Diana has won the ultimate endorsement, the late royal bestowing her approval upon the Aussie actor in a dream.

"This is a first, but I find myself dreaming about her," Watts told News Ltd on location outside of London.

"I felt like I was spending time with her. One particular time, I felt that permission was granted."

Watts' upcoming film, simply called Diana, focuses on the former Princess of Wales life after her divorce from Charles, in particular her romance with Dr Hasnat Khan (played by Lost star Naveen Andrews).

Watts, 43, was initially extremely hesitant to take on the role of "one of the most famous, if not the most famous, women of my time".

"An awful lot of pressure comes with that, so you want to get it right,"she said. "I was dreading people saying `she looks nothing like Diana', and `why her and not somebody else?'. But I couldnt not do it."

Watts' transformation into the peoples' princess has involved six weeks' training with a dialogue coach, repeated viewings of Diana's infamous interview with Martin Bashir, as well as four wigs and a prosthetic nose piece courtesy of the same make-up artist who years ago turned Meryl Streep into Lindy Chamberlain.

Watts also wears several Jacques Azagury dresses that belonged to Diana, while Versace custom-made a replica of the famous one-shouldered, blue silk dress that Diana wore to a benefit for Dr Victor Chang's Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney in 1996.

Watts said she felt Diana's presence especially keenly when wearing her original gowns.

"Theres one particular Azagury dress that was completely unaltered. I was surprised how short she wore it, quite risque! There's been a few eerie moments and that was one of them. There's been moments of a presence felt."

Director Oliver Hirschbiegel believes his leading lady has more than captured Diana's essence.

"Its scary. Sometimes it's as if you're watching the ghost of Diana," he said.

Diana's children with Prince Charles, William and Harry, do not play a big part in the film, but Watts admits to worrying about how the princes will react.

"Were not trying to destroy any memory. We're trying to show her in the best possible light as a human being, though, full of different layers. It's a story that should be told. A piece of history. But its tricky because they are here, the boys. I think about that a lot."

The royal family's approval of the production has been implied, however, with permission granted to film outside the gates of Kensington Palace and in Kensington Gardens.

Though Watts is widely considered an Australian, the team behind Diana seem pained to assert they have an Englishwoman playing this most iconic of English women, as though having a colonial in the role would be bad for business.

Watts diplomatically offered that her time spent out of the UK (she moved to Australia when she was 14) gives her a good perspective on the Diana story.

"I never wasn't English. I was born here, I still have a British passport, but I've lived in Australia and I have Australian blood in me. Maybe being a little removed is a good thing."

Diana will continue shooting in London until late August, then wrap with a week in Mozambique in late September. A release date is yet to be confirmed.