Naomi Watts on her split from Liev Schreiber: ‘transitions are scary’

73rd Venice Film Festival - 'The Bleeder' - Photocall
Naomi Watts has handled her split from Liev Schreiber like a boss. TMZ reported that had been separated for months before they made the announcement, meaning they had plenty of time to prepare and to time the announcement for the least publicity. They waited until they were done promoting their movie, they waited until awards season was over and they were kind to each other during that time and on social media afterwards. While there were rumors about what may have preceded the split no other parties came out of the woodwork and there wasn’t even the whiff of a scandal. So that’s why it’s notable that Naomi is talking about her breakup from longterm partner, Liev, even if she’s doing it in a general kind of Hallmark-card way:

“I feel I’m in a good place in my life and I want to make sure my kids are healthy, my kids are happy and things are going to go well,” Watts, 48, told The Daily Telegraph Australia in an interview published on Saturday. “Those are my hopes for me and for all of us.”

The actress went on to discuss that in or out of the spotlight, the breakup has been a time of change for their family of four.

“I feel, whether you’re famous or not, transitions are scary for anybody,”she said. “I feel like change is always scary, but that’s only because transition for anyone is new and you wonder how things are going to go.”

Even logistical decisions, like where and how to celebrate the holidays, is something Watts admits she needs to resolve.

“I’m still figuring out Christmas plans for this year,” Watts added. “I obviously want to get back to Australia, but I’m currently working on a TV show, Gypsy, and I’ve only got a limited amount of time off.”

[From People]

Once you’re out of a bad relationship it can be like ripping a bandaid off and you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Of course that depends on if you’re the one whose idea it is to split or if it’s mutual. I get the sense that Naomi is the one who wanted out, that she is the one who ended it and that Liev is the one who forced her hand with his general messiness. That’s just my feeling based on some of his interviews and I could be wrong. Whatever happened, Naomi is going to remain general enough that I doubt we’ll get more of the story from either side. That’s not that good for gossip but it’s masterful from a PR perspective.

Watts hired a chef to do Thanksgiving for her and she Instagrammed it!

Happy thanksgiving!! Thanks to this guy👉 @littlegemnyc #calltheexperts #knowyourlimits #thanksgiving

A photo posted by Naomi Watts (@naomiwatts) on

Learned how to make butternut squash ravioli. Happy thanksgiving to everyone!! ❤️@littlegemnyc

A photo posted by Naomi Watts (@naomiwatts) on

Stars On The Set Of 'Gypsy' In NYC

Some photos are from the NY set of Gypsy earlier this month. Credit: Fame, WENN and Instagram/Naomi Watts

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16 Responses to “Naomi Watts on her split from Liev Schreiber: ‘transitions are scary’”

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  1. Jayna says:

    Liev is starring in a Broadway play and she attended. She said really nice things about always supporting him.

    I think it was a distance thing that over the years affected the relationship. Liev spent a good part of the time in LA filming Ray Donovan. They lived in NYC where the boys went to school. She was away a lot on location shooting movies. He said in Interviews he didn’t like LA and was lonely and missed his family when they weren’t with him.

    • Sabrine says:

      Liev said she had no time for him so the transition shouldn’t have been all that difficult for her. The boys, however, are a different story.

  2. minx says:

    Love her Thanksgiving hashtag #knowyourlimits.

  3. Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

    Love them both as actors, wishing them all the best for the future. Breakups are never easy, esp with children involved.

  4. Alix says:

    Why make an announcement at all?

  5. Sixer says:

    Take note, celebrities: this is how you do it.

  6. suze says:

    Good job on the discretion!

    I am even more impressed that she was completely honest about having someone else make her Thanksgiving dinner.

    I would so totally do that.

    Team #knowyourlimits all the way.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      I am impressed with the relationship discretion and blown away by the Thanksgiving honesty! I admire her more every time I read about her. Just grace personified!

  7. Sage says:

    Meh, I’m sure one of them will release more details when they have something to promote.

  8. Snowflake says:

    Finally someone gives props to the people who actually did the work, instead of trying to pass it off as their own. Classy!

    It is scary being single again if you’ve been with someone for a long time.

  9. Penelope says:

    Supposedly, Liev has always had a wandering eye and routinely cheated on her. Good luck to both of them and the kids. They always seemed more down to earth than most celeb couples.

  10. Sister Carrie says:

    Saw the play over the Thanksgiving holiday . . . Liev and Janet McTeer gave great performances.

  11. megan says:

    She looks scary skinny.

    What I would give to have someone (a chef) cook my holiday dinners for me! Good for her.

  12. emilybyrd says:

    I love, love Naomi–and her face is so beautiful. Of course every person should do what’s best for them, so I’m not knocking interventions, but it impresses the hell out of me that she chooses not to. Reminds me of my own mother’s natural beauty.

  13. Ladiabla says:

    Love Naomi too. For someone who seems like a pretty smart guy, this is a dumb move on Liev’s part. Naomi seems like such a gem. Wishing her and her sons the best during this transition.