Summary
- Naomi Watts experienced childhood trauma, including the death of her father from a suspected overdose when she was seven years old.
- The loss of her father deeply affected Naomi Watts and influenced her career in Hollywood, as she often gravitates towards roles that explore themes of grief and identity.
- Naomi Watts recently married actor Billy Crudup in a low-key ceremony, and they chose to keep their relationship private to maintain their professional success.
Naomi Watts has opened up about her childhood trauma and how it completely transformed her life. When the King Kong star was just four years old, her mom, Myfanwy 'Miv' Edwards Roberts, an antiques dealer and costume designer, split from her dad, Peter Watts. Four years later, Peter, a roadie for the British rock band Pink Floyd, died of a suspected heroin overdose.
It's no surprise that Naomi Watts admits, "There was quite a lot of sadness in my childhood."
Star of Netflix's The Watcher attended "nine different schools in England" before her family headed to Australia. This rocky childhood has shaped her into the Hollywood star she is today, dictating how she chooses her roles and lives her life.
"So, a lot of moving, a lot of new schools, a lot of reinventing myself. 'How do I get into that group? How do I get accepted? Who should I be? Who do you want me to be?'"
In the following, we take a look at how the death of Naomi Watts' father affected her childhood. We also look at how her grief may have influenced some of Naomi Watts' acting roles and her personal life choices.
Naomi Watts' Father Died When She Was Seven Years Old
Naomi Watts admits that she will never get over the death of her father, Peter Watts. He was a sound engineer for the rock band Pink Floyd and died of an apparent heroin overdose at the age of 31, when Naomi was seven years old. Pink Floyd helped Naomi Watts and her mother financially to “get things underway” after Peter’s death, but Watts admits she and her mother still struggled.
Watts previously spoke to the media about dealing with grief decades after losing her father. The Funny Games star told Vogue Australia in 2021, “Having grown up losing my dad at a very early age, I think that’s a story I know well; it’s still sorting itself out at the ripe age of 52."
“Through that, you lose a part of yourself… you feel like you’re not fully formed in a way.”
Naomi Watts admits her sadness at having no real photographs of her father, as well as having very few memories of the late man. She shared with Tatler, "Every now and again, I come across a new photo and I'm like, ah, I think I remember that day, or I think I can feel where we are… Triggers."
How Losing Her Dad Influenced Naomi Watts' Future
Naomi Watts' mom, Miv opened up to the Daily Mail Australia about coping with the loss of her ex-husband and how it inspired her famous daughter. “It left scars. It was a shock. His death made Naomi incredibly determined. It had a profound effect on her, as it did on the entire family,” she explained.
“It’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone, especially at that age when she needed her dad. We had no inkling he was using heroin at all.”
Naomi Watts also opened up to the media about the effect Peter Watts' death had on her successful career in Hollywood.
“The grief never goes away, but playing [different roles in movies], you find new ways of understanding it,” the actress told Marie Claire Australia.
“Still to this day as a 55-year-old woman I wish I’d witnessed what it was like to have a father to speak to at various times in my life. I wish that he’d been there to pat me on the back when I’ve had successful moments or complex moments that I’ve been troubled by.”
The Ring actress also told Tatler in September 2023 how her tragic loss has influenced her to act in projects about grief. "If there is a thematic thread, my choices of work have sort of always been honing in on things like identity and grief," she said.
"Those are two big things in my life that I've struggled with – identity, I think, because of moving around all the time. And then the grief thing, obviously, my father."
Why Naomi Watts Rushed Down The Isle With Husband, Billy Crudup
Naomi Watts recently married The Morning Show actor Billy Crudup. The couple have reportedly been together since 2017, after they worked together on Netflix‘s Gypsy. Although the pair met in 2009, taking part in the 24-Hour Plays on Broadway benefit. At the time, Naomi Watts was married to Liev Schreiber, with whom she has two children. Crudup had previously split from Mary Louise Parker and previously dated Claire Danes.
In 2016, Naomi Watts and Schreiber announced their split after 11 years together. However, Billy Crudup and Watts started dating in 2017 and only made their first official red carpet-appearance in 2022. They have thanked each other in acceptance speeches over the years but kept a low profile about their personal life.
In a June 2023 Instagram post, Watts confirmed her marriage to Crudup. She shared a photo of the pair smiling outside a Manhattan courthouse with the caption, "hitched." She later admitted they married in a rush because they were both so "keen."
"It just happened that way," she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ceremony. The couple is believed to have become engaged in early 2023, but they kept their engagement under wraps, with Naomi Watts even dodging questions about her ring during interviews.
The Watcher actress added, "We knew we wanted to do it. It was something we were very keen on doing quickly. It's an efficient way to do it."
"It was really lovely. It was a classic New York day. You ran into all kinds of people, some were dressed to the nines, some were walking quickly in and out."
Billy Crudup previously explained why he tries to keep his personal life under wraps. He believes his acting career will be much more successful if people don't know about his private life.
"I try to make it a point of not commenting publicly one way or the other about my personal life. I don’t particularly see the advantage of people knowing too much about me if I’m constantly trying to trick them into thinking I’m someone else."
