Naomi Watts On Why She Initially Had Reservations About Playing Princess Diana

Dressed in a white Versace gown, Naomi Watts strode down the red carpet in London on Thursday night at the premiere of her new film, “Diana,” about the late Princess of Wales.

“It’s a nerve wracking evening because any time that you finally get to the point where you’re presenting a film to people is scary, but it’s out of my control,” she told Access Hollywood guest correspondent Tim Vincent in London.

Naomi famously turned down the role a number of times before finally agreeing to star in the movie, and she explained why she initially had reservations.

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“All the reasons I was afraid of doing it were about the fact that she’s the most famous woman of our time and everyone remembers her so well and loved her so much and would I be able to deal with those — with the comparisons and everybody’s opinion if I got it right or not,” Naomi told Tim.

“So that was a scary challenge, but ultimately, I felt that it was an opportunity. This was a fascinating character and it’s quite hard to find complex, rich, interesting women. And, of course, the sensitivity of it was something that was a concern as well,” she said.

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The actress said she worked long and hard to get the voice and mannerisms of Diana just right.

“It took a good six to eight weeks to get the voice down and I was sure I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I found it very, very hard, because it’s one thing getting the voice, but you have to stay relaxed.”

“Diana” will open in U.S. theaters on November 1.

— Jolie Lash