Who is Naomi Watts dating? A look at 'Penguin Bloom' star's love life once linked to the late Heath Ledger
Netflix's latest movie release is the Australian film, 'Penguin Bloom', based on the book, 'Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family', written by Cameron Bloom. The book tells the story of how his family found an injured magpie chick that they named Penguin, who became very close to his wife, Samantha Bloom, who had had an accident and become paralyzed. Inspired by Penguin, Sam then began to push herself further and beat her depression.
In 'Penguin Bloom', British actress Naomi Watts plays Samantha Bloom — a role for which critics have praised the actress in early reviews of the film. Watts herself is not new to critically acclaimed roles. She received two Academy Award nominations for best actress for her roles in '21 Grams' and 'The Impossible'. Watts has many acclaimed films in her credit as well including, 'Mulholland Drive' and 'The Ring'.
On the dating front, Watts is usually quiet about her personal life, however, there have been reports of the actress and her dating life in the media.
Who did Naomi Watts date previously?
Watts had dated late Australian actor Heath Ledger ('The Dark Knight', '10 Things I Hate About You') for nearly two years between August 2002 and May 2004. The two met when they were making the Australian film, 'Ned Kelly'. According to USA Today, she told Parade magazine, "When I got to the set and did that first scene with him, I was like, ‘Wow! This guy is alive.’ It was just something deep in his eyes. You could look into them, and they would tell a thousand stories in one glance."
She continued, "There was a wonderful mixture of power and fragility at work in everything he did, which just pulls you in. His strength didn’t scare you. It intrigued you. And his fragility touched you.” Though they broke up in 2004, they remained friends, with Watts saying of Ledger's death that it was "incredibly difficult".
In 2005, Watts started dating actor Liev Schreiber ('X-Men Origins: Wolverine', 'Ray Donovan'). With Schreiber, Watts has two sons, Alexander "Sasha" Pete and Samuel "Sammy" Kai. She told Parade magazine of their relationship in 2009, "We’re very much together. We just don’t have that certificate, and that’s okay with both of us. He gave me a beautiful ring, although I’m not wearing it right now.”
Watts and Schreiber separated in 2016, and the two actors released a statement saying, "Over the past few months we've come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple. It is with great love, respect and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship."
Who is Naomi Watts dating now?
Since 2017, Naomi Watts has been dating actor Billy Crudup ('Watchmen', 'The Morning Show'), whom she met on the sets of Netflix's drama series, 'Gypsy'. The relationship is still going strong and the couple was photographed enjoying lunch in New York City with Watts' sons.
'Penguin Bloom' is available to stream on Netflix on Wednesday, January 27, at 12 am PST.