Naomi Watts on Her Relationship with Heath Ledger

As Naomi Watts prepares for next week's release of Dreamhouse -- in which she stars alongside newlyweds Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz -- the actress opens up to More magazine about her past relationship with Heath Ledger.

Watts reveals fond memories of the late actor in the October issue: "We had a beautiful relationship, only a couple of years, but he was a man who was completely full of joy, and there was a lot of laughing and affection. He was really a very special soul and made a great impact on my life. And a great actor, but I know there was so much more to come. And it’s a tragedy for his little daughter."

The actress -- who also stars alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in an upcoming J. Edgar Hoover biopic -- has two sons with partner Liev Schreiber and said she's glad she didn't rush motherhood. "I think I'm a better parent. I had a lot I wanted to do when I was younger, and perhaps I wouldn't have been as focused; I got a lot out of the way in terms of my own dreams."

She tells the magazine that she wooed Schreiber at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual costume ball: "I was wearing Calvin Klein, a very flirty, feminine dress." She said sparks flew and, free from earlier entanglements, the two exchanged numbers before she went back to Los Angeles. "We spoke on the phone for several weeks and emailed," Watts said, adding: "and then I made up some excuse to come to New York and the rest is history."

Watts also speaks about her father, whom she lost at a young age: "Not knowing my father (Peter Watts, a sound engineer and road manager for the rock group Pink Floyd), always made me feel like a piece of myself was missing or unknown," she said. "Not reachable. And growing up, there was this wondering what he would think of me or what I would think of him."