Naomi Watts Generic Interview - Ring 2 INTERVIEWER It's been a little while since you've played Rachel, what was it like to, play Rachel again? And how is she different in The Ring Two from The Ring? NAOMI WATTS Well, emotionally she's obviously in a very different place. And, you know, she's living with this enormous guilt and, there's no one she can talk to. What have I done? Did I do the right thing? She needs so much to, share a connection with somebody else. But she can't, she's too ashamed and so, it's just her and her son. So, the best thing she thinks she can do is move to another environment and create almost  a whole new identity. NAOMI WATTS But it's not healthy living with this secret. And now becoming over protective and not wanting her son out of her sight, if he goes to the toilet she's standing behind him and, her life has changed forever, but she's going to try and create the purest, simplest way to deal with it. And, it's clearly not going to work for her. NAOMI WATTS and it turns out that although she thought she'd tied things up, things were not finished. INTERVIEWER Right, so, she's moved to this idyllic town, Astoria, and, trying to get away from all this stuff and now Samara is back. And, what is she up to, Samara, in this movie? NAOMI WATTS No good!! She's gotten a lot smarter and, she knows that she's dealing with Rachel, who is very clever herself and so she has to up the ante and she gets very creative and, finds an interesting way back into their lives. INTERVIEWER Can you set up the story just a little bit without giving it away? How Rachel comes to find that Samara's back and, and just the beginning of the story? NAOMI WATTS Well, strange things start happening to her son. He's sick, he's cold, he's sweaty, he's behaving very differently and, saying things differently. So, she's doesn't understand and, there's little things that happen, and she thinks that she's just being paranoid to begin with. And then it becomes clearer and clearer that indeed things are not finished with Samara. NAOMI WATTS I think that, the point is  that  from that moment is to discover who this child was. And where she came from and why she's out  to destroy and create so much evil. And, it's not just about destroying her or killing her off, it's about getting to the root of the problem. Of where it all started and, actually nurturing her, what happened to her in order for her to create all this chaos. INTERVIEWER So, Master Dorfman, how was it to work with David? NAOMI WATTS He was wonderful. He had a lot to do in this movie as well. It was a big part and, the emotional stakes were high and, he's a wonderful actor. He's so present and, he really understood the material as well, very focused and, most of the time when you work with kids you think they're just getting through it and want to rush back to the Game boy or, you know, get on the videogames or whatever. But he's very committed to what he does, he likes acting I think. INTERVIEWER Yeah, we have so much great feet, we cut a B-Roll of him. I mean he's just such an interesting guy. He's a character in his own right. NAOMI WATTS Yeah, yeah, yeah, and very smart, very smart. INTERVIEWER And mature it's like to talking to someone my own age. NAOMI WATTS Yeah. He doesn't want to treated like a kid at all, no. INTERVIEWER No. So, I know you set up the story a little bit.  Can you tell more specifically what happens to Aidan in the films, quickly? NAOMI WATTS Without, uh giving it away, I mean. INTERVIEWER So what was it like to work with Simon having you are friends? NAOMI WATTS Simon was great, you know, he's a friend of mine.  I've known him for 10, 12 years or something and he's married to one of my best friends.  And, he's a good Aussie bloke.  He's like my brother, really, and it was important for how, Rachel's someone who's clearly not going to let anyone into  her life because of what's happened, because of the shame she lives with.  But, she has to have some kind of a connection with this guy, because we have to bring  someone in to the story.  He wants to try and understand her, you know,  it was just nice that we already had some history and, um......and, um, he has something going on, just in his face that's gentle, and, he's a strong manly guy.  But also there's a gentle spirit to him, and in order for Rachel to trust she needs to know that he's a safe person,  and so it was great having him. INTERVIEWER It felt like a good match in terms of your energies and stuff and I'm sure the familiarity helped with that. NAOMI WATTS Yeah, definitely. NAOMI WATTS And he's a great actor. INTERVIEWER ...yeah. NAOMI WATTS He's, he's such a great actor. INTERVIEWER I'm a fan. NAOMI WATTS Yeah. INTERVIEWER This was obviously very emotionally and physically demanding for you. In the well and just everything that happened, and the deer sequence. How do you prepare for such a demanding role? NAOMI WATTS Well, just having an understanding of the material and the emotional content of what the character goes through. You know, like the journey, it's, enormous, you know, we touched on all that stuff in the beginning. And in the first one but then the second one obviously the stakes were already at quite a high point. NAOMI WATTS and it's about building from there, physically, yes.  But it wasn't every day charged with physical stuff I mean  some days were harder than others.  Stuff in the well was always quite hard,  I don't know how you prepare for that. Work with a trainer! INTERVIEWER (OVERLAPPING) Yeah. NAOMI WATTS I worked with, I, always spend a lot of time breaking down the script and trying to understand the trajectory. INTERVIEWER Cool. So, what was it like  working with Hideo? You had worked with Gore on the last film. NAOMI WATTS It was great, 'cause, you know, he was there. The guy behind the original one, and he knows the material better than anyone and, I found out that Gore wasn't doing the first one, I mean the second one,  and I, at first, I was a little bit panicked about that 'cause, it had gone so well, the first experience. And, and I was hoping that we would get tocontinue the journey together. NAOMI WATTS but, not much later I found that Hideo was doing it and was, it made such sense. So I felt really good about that and he was great. And he had a wonderful understanding of the emotional relationship between the mother and the son because that's kind of how Hideo grew up and, um, just him... NAOMI WATTS ...and his mom. INTERVIEWER So Sissy Spacek she was in a movie that to, for it's time was iconic as is The Ring. What was it like? Do you have any stories you guys? NAOMI WATTS Oh, again, making perfect sense, you know, I always knew  that in the script that that was a great scene. And it was a great moment, to have fun with another actor. But who knew we'd get as lucky as having Sissy. You know, the queen of the genre, she is also one of my favorite. And just irrespective of the genre, I mean, Badlands is one of my favorite movies and Coal Miner's Daughter, like so many fantastic movies. And, such huge admiration, so when it came down to the day I was just like this is the fun. This is one of those great moments that you look forward to in your career. NAOMI WATTS A face-off with, with... INTERVIEWER Okay, so this will be my last question. I'll combine my last two. Can you talk a little bit about the phenomenon that The Ring has become and why do you think that this is so scary? What do you think it is about this concept and this idea that is so scary? NAOMI WATTS It was a surprise that The Ring did so well. And, in some ways, how it became such a phenomenon it's, it's made such an impact on the genre. And, people still talk about it, people are kind of riding on the coattails of it as well, and creating their movies. And, what a huge form of flattery that is. NAOMI WATTS But, I think what was so great about the first one was that it trusted itself. And it took its time and it was less about blood and guts and gore, and more about the psychological themes and the moral dilemmas and, the creep factor. Rather than the boo factor, you know... NAOMI WATTS ...not, not just shocks every five seconds and trusting the audience and knowing that they can, they need and want more than, just those things. INTERVIEWER Right. NAOMI WATTS Yeah, I know its, its fantastic that its, its come so well. NAOMI WATTS Yeah, because they keep thinking something's going to happen and it doesn't and just when they think oh, I can relax here, BAM, something happened. INTERVIEWER Alright so, just in a couple words what can fans of The Ring expect from Ring Two? NAOMI WATTS a lot more of Samara,  with a lot more evil intentions.  What else?  TV !! INTERVIEWER The ring. NAOMI WATTS ...obviously, The Well.		Home Interviews Antoine Fuqua Interview King Arthur Interview Arv Grewal Interview Asia Argento Interview Behind the Scenes of "War of the Worlds" Bernie Goldmann Interview Clive Owen Interview Dakota Fanning Interview Dennis Hopper Interview George A Romero Interview Greg Nicotero Interview The Hulk Press Conference Ang Lee Press Conference Ioan Gruffudd Interview John Leguizamo Interview Kathleen Kennedy Interview Keira Knightley Interview Hideo Nakata Interview