Naomi Watts' son Sasha shows disdain of the paparazzi at Sydney international airport

Early disdain of the paparazzi ... Naomi Watts's with five-year-old Sasha at Sydney International airport departures. Picture: Matrix Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

The things kids do ...

Even having Aussie movie goddess Naomi Watts as a mum doesn't guarantee good behaviour, as evidenced by a cheeky pose from cheeky five-year-old Sasha at Sydney Airport.

A bemused Watts looked on as her eldest son, who flew out of Sydney with mum and little brother Samuel, happily poked his tongue out at photographers - clearly demonstrating an early distaste of the paparazzi.

The showbiz spawn of Watts and husband Liev Schreiber has spent the past few months hanging out on the mid-north coast, where Watts recently finished filming the upcoming romance/drama The Grandmothers opposite Robin Wright.

It's understood Watts wrapped filming over the weekend and is now Europe-bound to start shooting the comedy When We're Young.

The black cat that stopped momentarily filming of the Anne Fontaine-directed The Grandmothers

Scene stealer ... The black cat comes from nowhere and wanders in to the filming of a scene for "The Grandmothers" with Ben Mendelsohn. Picture: John Grainger Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Filming on the Aussie-based romantic drama The Grandmothers was momentarily halted this week when an uninvited visitor strolled into proceedings.

The cast, including Ben Mendelsohn, Naomi Watts and Robin Wright, watched on in bemusement as a black cat wandered on to the Sydney set before scampering away.

But not before animal loving Mendelsohn stopped the traffic to make sure the well-groomed moggie safely negotiated the inner city street.

It temporarily stopped the cameras rolling on the raunchy drama which has been shooting at Seal Rocks for the past three months under the guidance of French director Anne Fontaine, who is making her first foray into English-language filmmaking.

The movie's topic ruffled some feathers. The film, based on the book of the same name, has Watts' and Wright's characters falling in love with each other's sons.

The younger men are played by Australians Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville. Samuel is known from The Twilight Saga series and Frecheville shot to fame in Animal Kingdom.

Naomi Watts and Robin Wright in bikinis frolic with Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville in The Grandmothers at Sea Rocks

Looking sexy ... Naomi Watts (purple bikini) and Robin Wright with Xavier Samuel and James Frecheville finish filming a scene for The Grandmothers at Lighthouse Beach, Seal Rocks. Picture: Robert Mckell Source: The Daily Telegraph

Joel Christie, The Daily Telegraph, reports

For a town known for being little more than a quiet fishing village, Seal Rocks has suddenly got a whole lot steamier.

The picturesque mid-north coast town was again in lights, camera, action mode yesterday amid the second week of shooting for controversial film drama The Grandmothers, with leading ladies Naomi Watts and Forrest Gump actress Robin Wright turning heads during a frolic in the surf with their younger co-stars.

It's the best look yet at a story that is set to polarise - the pair playing best friends who unwittingly start sleeping with each others sons, played by Xavier Samuel (who falls for Wright) and James Frecheville (who falls for Watts).

"It's a confronting story but something a lot of women will be able to relate to, even if that's just on an extremely tiny level," a set source said.

"It's that classic case of giving in to your emotions."

The first English-language film by French director Anne Fontaine, who is renowned for Hollywood hit Coco avant Chanel, the flick is scheduled to continue filming for the next six weeks in a production estimated to inject over $1 million into the local economy.

Naomi Watts and Robin Wright film The Grandmothers at Seal Rocks and Forster on New South Wales' mid-north coast

Lead actresses ... Robin Wright and Naomi Watts filming a scene for 'The Grandmothers' at Seal Rocks on the NSW mid-north coast. Picture: Liam Driver Source: The Daily Telegraph

 

Neil Keene, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Actress Naomi Watts and freshly arrived Hollywood import Robin Wright turned heads on a beach on the mid-north coast yesterday as they shot the first scenes for their upcoming movie The Grandmothers.

Filming of the Anne Fontaine-directed movie got under way on Monday at Shelley Beach near Forster before moving to the isolated hamlet of Seal Rocks yesterday.

Sean Penn’s ex-wife appeared deliriously happy as she cavorted on the sand with Watts, whose husband Liev Schreiber has remained in Sydney minding the couple's two children during the shoot.

Based on a short story by UK author Dorris Lessing, The Grandmothers follows two life-long friends who fall in love with each other's sons, played by Aussies Xavier Samuel (from The Twilight Saga) and James Frecheville (Animal Kingdom).

Locals have pitched in to join the production team in transforming a hillside home into a movie set.

Watts and Wright are understood to be staying in luxury rented digs at Boomerang Beach, north of Seal Rocks, while the rest of the crew has booked out a local resort.

But resident Graham Bramble was nonchalant about the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the stars.

"As long as they're finished by April (when the mullet season starts) we don't care," he said. 

 

 

Grannies with real glamour star in new Hollwood flick The Grandmothers

All-stars: Naomi Watts features in The Grandmothers Source: Getty Images

 

The Daily Telegraph reports

A ROLL-call of Aussie stars has been announced for the next locally-based Hollywood flick The Grandmothers.

Ben Mendelsohn and Gary Sweet are to join Naomi Watts and Robin Wright-Penn in The Grandmothers, which began filming on the mid-north coast this weekend.

With the Sydney production of The Great Gatsby wrapping up, The Grandmothers is set to be the next big Tinseltown production in town.

Watts and Wright-Penn will be joined by Aussie up-and-comers James Frecheville and Xavier Samuel who play their unlikely paramours.

Mendelsohn and Sweet lead the supporting cast and are joined by Sophie Lowe (Beautiful Kate, The Slap) and Jessica Tovey, making her feature film debut.

The eight-week shoot will begin in Seal Rocks and move to central Sydney.

It will be directed by Anne Fontaine, who had a major Hollywood hit with Coco avant Chanel.

Both French and Australian producers are also behind the flick, which is expected to inject thousands into the local economy and continue a strong run of Aussie-based productions putting Australia back on the film map.

Based on the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, The Grandmothers is described as a "heart-wrenching story of two lifelong friends who fall in love with each other's teenaged sons".

Frecheville, who found fame in his feature debut Animal Kingdom, will play the love interest of Wright-Penn and told Confidential this week that he is in good company.

"We have a very good team. It's going to be a great experience," he said.

The film's production begins as The Great Gatsby -- which has filmed in Sydney since last August -- finally wraps up.

Watts gang to have summer in Sydney

Aussie actress Naomi Watts and her beau Liev Schreiber arrive in Sydney with their sons for the summer. Picture: Oceanic Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

HAVING endured a white Christmas and New Year at their New York townhouse, Naomi Watts and her family returned to Oz this week for what will be an extended stay in Sydney.

The 43-year-old actress, her partner of almost seven years Live Schreiber and their two sons Sasha, 4, and Sammy, 3, were all smiles as their long-haul flight landed at Kingsford-Smith, although we are yet to give them the summer they hoped for.

They enjoyed an Australia Day lunch at the Point Piper apartment of Big Apple friends Kristy Hinze and her husband Jim Clark (plus their newborn daughter Dylan) and Confidential understands Watts et al are searching for an eastern suburbs rental to settle in to for the next few months.

J. Edgar star Watts, who recently signed as the new ambassador for Jacobs Creek wines, is due to begin filming The Grandmothers in Sydney with Forrest Gump's Robin Wright next month.

Watts spoke out in an interview last week about how she and Schreiber plan everything around their children.

"No matter what, mothers will always punish themselves if they work," she said. "Liev and I try to take turns (to make films) and it's worked so far."We've probably only overlapped by a couple of weeks once or twice which is very fortunate because our family is the most important thing," she said.

"Our children go everywhere with us. But then my sister-in-law, who works at least 10 hours a day, only gets to see her daughter for two hours in the morning and then she's asleep at night when she comes home. So we probably spend more time with our kids than the average person."