Naomi Watts Opens Up About Her Late Father's Drug Overdose
Actress Naomi Watts is sharing new details of her life.
The actress recently opened up to The Guardian about her nomadic childhood, finding friends with fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman and her struggles in Hollywood.
Watts' father was a sound engineer for Pink Floyd and her mom was a model, traveling the world with the band. Having hip parents might sound like a dream for most kids, but for Watts, she craved normalcy.
“I’d had enough of cool," she tells the paper. "I didn’t want cool. I wanted my parents to wear three-piece suits and tweed, not leather pants and four-inch platform boots."
Her parents divorced in 1972, and then, in 1976, her father died of an apparent heroin overdose when Watts was just seven years old, according to her mother. Watts also told The Guardian that a fan recently approached her and showed her a never before seen picture of her late father with the band, leading her to tears.
“You’ve got to understand, I’ve got maybe three photos of my dad, and maybe two memories," Watts explained. "And all of the photos of him are either out of focus or he’s a tiny speck in the background.”
WATCH: Naomi Watts Makes Out With Gal Pal Nicole Kidman on Stage!
After her father's death, the family continued to move around until finally settling in Sydney, Australia, where she met a young Nicole Kidman. Watts says she and Kidman were part of a group that would go out drinking in local bars, and the two became close friends after being cast in the Australian comedy Flirting.
But she faced a series of career struggles in Hollywood.
"I wasn’t getting parts," she admitted. "I was giving myself away. My soul was being destroyed. I was never able to walk in a room and own it by being me."
Luckily, she was discovered by director David Lynch, who picked her headshot out of a pile for an audition in Mullholland Drive. The role was a breakout part for Watts, earning her critical praise and opening doors like never before.
Now, the star is headed to Netflix in Gypsy, starring as a New York therapist who becomes overly involved in her patients lives. She can also be seen later this summer in The Glass Castle, alongside Oscar winner Brie Larson and fellow Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson.
Check out ET's first interview with the star in 1996, before her big break!