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The fed-up frostiness Watts displays at the films start gives way to powerless desperation.
To them, she might as well be Frankensteins monster, grotesque and unpredictable.
Where did their sweet mom go?
Convinced shes an imposter, they concoct a torturous way to find the answer.
I had heard of the movie, but I hadnt seen it.
While I end up in multiple horror films, Im not an obsessive fan.
But the script is what drew me in.
I then had a conversation with Matt, who I found wildly intelligent.
It was a very successful film, in my opinion they handled it really well.
Then I went back and spoke with him again and really understood the ways he wanted to reimagine it.
Those ideas interested me: reducing the gore and escalating the emotional and psychological side of things.
It turned into a multitude of conversations, and at that point I trusted him.
She has to wear a mask around the house all the time.
An actors greatest visual effect, so to speak, is their face.
What kind of challenge did it pose to you to be covered that way?An extreme challenge.
Of course, the eyes become the most powerful tool.
Particularly in a close-up, you have to be really still and know when to use the eyes.
Also the voice, making it gentle.
I didnt want her to be a monstrous villain.
I wanted us to understand where she was coming from.
To have an emotional core driving a lot of her actions was very key.
And then also the physicality in wider shots, which there were plenty of.
I love how Matt trusted the wide shot.
It was down to the fingertips, these things that would tell the story.
Its something youll do, a little detail that will help us understand this woman.
Did horror-movie opportunities start coming your way as a result of the success ofMulholland Drive?Yeah.
Its funny because I wouldnt call that strictly a horror film.
I would call it more psychological, but yes, there are some horrific moments.
Everything came to me afterMulholland Drive.
ButThe Ringsecured it with it being a commercial success.
But I wanted to do it anyway to learn from him, and I did indeed learn a lot.
So I got there in the end.
In both of those movies, you are bound and taunted and tortured to varying degrees.
I wasnt a mother when I madeFunny Games, and I am now.
There is a difference because of my fears of my children getting hurt or battling dark thoughts.
Theyre seasoned actors, which isnt always the case when you work with children, so that comforted me.
There was a kid involved and lots of screaming.
It was definitely hard.
I was assured these were great kids and high-level professionals.
The fact that the mother in this version ofGoodnight Mommyis an actress adds an interesting layer.
As true as what shes saying may be, she seems like shes putting something on in that moment.
To her own children, theres a performance.
Shes definitely tortured at this point in her life.
Not much is said about why the kids havent seen her and how much time has passed.
Thats all stuff for the audience to figure out.
Is she a sociopath?You have all of these questions, and theyre not all answered.
Those are great questions for the audience to get caught up in.
Were you relieved to see that was not in the script?Yes, I was.
We have a couple of really yucky, bone-chilling moments, but mercifully thats not one of them.
The Tippi HedrentoNaomi Watts pipeline makes total sense.
What happened there?Its such a shame because I really was excited about it.
I loved the original.
There were problems with the film, and I cant remember what they were now.
I remember studying it and thinking there were holes.
I think they just couldnt get the script right.
Thats what it came down to in the end.
Everybody wanted to do it, but the script didnt quite get there.
Its definitely different, but it is a What is going on?
It was quite different.
I remember particularly the end scene being pretty horrible to have to shoot.
