28
The actor had relocated from Australia to pursue acting, but hadnt yet landed a breakout role.
At first, Watts seemed to be on the fast track to success.
So I met a lot of great people.
I actually already knew Nicole, but we all became friends really good friends on that.
I was over in America, far away from where I was raised.
I just felt displaced.
Twenties is really young, you don’t have to have it all figured out.
Take me back to 1996, when you were 28.
I was just panicked.
How were you feeling about your career?
So I was a little bit lost and comparing myself to other people.
What was it that pushed you to keep going?
Looking back I really feel like, Wow, I cannot believe I kept going.
I must have had some kind of incredible resilience.
And also the notion that I didn’t know what else to do.
I didn’t have another skillset that I’d spent a lot of time developing.
Youve spoken about your close friend Nicole Kidman really being your rock during your early years in Hollywood.
How did the two of your support one another?
There was just a lot of encouragement from her, and other people as well.
Comparing yourself to others is the easiest trap to fall into at that point in your life.
It takes growing emotionally and trusting yourself to come out of that.
I don’t know that anyone is absolved from that, its almost like a rite of passage.
Or what would they think?
What are some ways youve been able to pull yourself out of that rabbit hole?
It’s so destructive, but so human.
Whereas before, I was always looking at the other people in the class.
I always had a little bit of a paunch.
Well, guess what?
I don’t have a six-pack now, either.
In fact, I’ve got stretch marks and almost like a paper bag of a stomach.
But I will take my top off if I’m too hot because I feel better.
I don’t care that I don’t have a six-pack anymore.
What was your day-to-day life like in Hollywood at 28?
I was auditioning a lot.
I would get a job that would pay off bills, debt, and things like that.
I kept wrestling with the idea of, Should I go home?
America felt like a hard place to crack for me.
Were there things you took solace in outside of work?
I managed to get a good group of friends.
Lots of wine and good food.
Youre in a very different place in your career today than you were in your late 20s.
What do you think your 28-year-old self would think about your life now?
I mean, she would be in shock.
This is way beyond what I thought was reasonable to dream for.
It was only a couple of years later that things changed.
We shot the pilot, which was two hours [long].
Has there been a moment where you really felt like you made it?
It was a life changing moment.
Then the two most fantastic reviews in bothThe Hollywood ReporterandVariety[came out], which changed my life.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onJune 29, 2023
