WATT A CHANGE!
SHE’S HAVING A MIDLIFE REBOOT AND ISN’T AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
Naomi’s age of reason
It was a problem faced by many women that first made Naomi Watts truly consider the inevitabilities of ageing.
While making the TV series Gypsy in 2016, the BritishAustralian beauty first noticed something wasn’t right with her skin – 16-hour days, hot lights and multiple re-applications of make-up had wrought chaos on her face, and she was dealing with a severe case of rosacea.
In that moment the actress found herself pondering implications that were more than skin deep. “I think for many women, from their mid40s, life can become more complicated – [because of] ageing, hormones, anxiety, sleep, the whole thing,” she tells.
“We get more vulnerable. We get more delicate and fragile as we face our mortality. I know it’s dark thinking, but it’s honest.
“The idea we’re invincible – that’s long gone in my world. I definitely operated on that level of thinking for a long time, and possibly abused myself in the process with not enough sleep and being resilient for the sake of determination. Now I have to force myself to not operate like that, and give myself a break and let myself admit that I’m not going to be on my game at all times.”
Naomi’s certainly been through the emotional wringer in the last few years – the King Kong star split with longtime partner Liev Schreiber in 2016 after 11 years together. While the divorce was of course tough, Naomi says she’s “pretty proud” of their continued friendship, and how they’re parenting children Sasha (12) and Kai (11).
“We’re doing things very differently,” she nods. “We’ve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to each other and we’re absolutely committed to that.”
Though she’s now happily in a relationship with fellow actor Billy Crudup (51), Naomi and Liev (52) still spend time together – both with and without their kids – and are often spotted on coffee runs together in New York.
“Having a good relationship has always been our endgame,” she says. “We’ve put a lot of energy and effort into making that so. It’s not always a cakewalk, as they say in America, but it makes absolute sense, because it really matters to the children. You can see how there are so many things that can make a kid feel anxious, and knowing that their parents can be in the same room, and joyfully, means a lot to them.”
As well as thinking of her kids, Naomi has also recently been putting a lot of effort into herself – both aesthetically, and entrepreneurially. Not only has she put in some of her best performances of late – her role as Gretchen Carlson in miniseries The Loudest Voice has been critically lauded – Naomi’s also branched out into business, helping to found ONDA, a “clean beauty” brand.
“I’m 51 and I haven’t spent a lifetime looking after my skin,” she says, referencing Australia’s harsh climate. But what she and her business partners quickly realised is that, along with a growing desire for natural products, women in their 40s and 50s were looking for a chance to “recalibrate” – just like Naomi herself was.
She’s gone down the therapy route – “I’ve definitely... got some proper help at points of crisis,” as she calls it, referring to a chaotic childhood where her father, a sound engineer for Pink
Floyd, died of a heroin overdose, and she moved frequently with her mother around England and Wales, ending up in Australia.
Though she generally feels on an even keel today, Naomi says she’s going through the same issues any 51-year-old woman suffers through – including the onset of menopause, describing it as a “journey”.
“Menopause should not be a dirty word. It’s such a shame that society has made it so,” she tells. “We need support from each other, and not made to feel like unsexy, infertile, crabby old ladies that should be sent out to pasture.
“We actually have wisdom and compassion that far outweighs youthful arrogance. Along with some mood swings and floods of tears on the side.”
Amen!