When the first trailer for Diana appeared online, many predicted that a third Oscar nomination for Naomi Watts was all but inevitable. After all, here was a world-class actress doing a dead-on impression of one of the most popular and beloved figures of the modern era under the direction of the filmmaker that gave us the monumental Downfall. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, a lot of things, apparently. The movie turned out to be a massive flop, grossing just $335,359 in North America. It also received some of the harshest reviews of recent memory, scoring an embarrassing 8% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the new issue of Harper’s BAZAAR Australia, Watts reflects on the film’s failure. “I’ve felt with my career it was worth taking risks and addressing controversial ideas — I’m not like that in all areas of my life. And it’s worked for me in the past; I’ve had a really good run,” she tells the magazine. “I don’t know … I got seduced by the fantastic character. Diana did a lot of things that had positive and negative results. She was so multifaceted. But ultimately there were problems with [the film] and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for. With risk there’s every chance it’s going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship, so be it. You tried.”
Despite the movie’s failure, Watts has continued to take risks. This year, The Impossible star has finally tackled her fear of doing comedy by starring in three of them—Birdman (also starring Michael Keaton), St. Vincent (also starring Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy), and While We’re Young (also starring Ben Stiller). “It was scary being among that crowd — people who know what they’re doing. [Each movie] was a scary couple of weeks,” she says. “[But] it was time to change gears. And accept laughter.”
