Naomi Watts was told her career would be over once she 'became unf***able'

Actor Naomi Watts has revealed that was once told she wouldn’t find work once she hit a certain age and became ‘unf**kable’. 

Watts didn’t land her first major role until she was cast in 2001’s Mulholland Drive when she was 33 - an age, she says, that was considered to be ‘old’ in Hollywood. 

The actor, who is set to star in the upcoming Netflix thriller series The Watcher, also pointed out the double standard between the way men and women are treated in the industry as they age. 

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During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Watts revealed she was once left feeling ‘so mad’ after being told she’d struggle to find work when she hit 40. 

Watts told the publication: "I was told, 'You better get a lot done because it's all over at 40 when you become unf**kable’. And I'm like, 'What? What does that mean exactly?' 

“Then you think about it, and you go, 'Oh, right. When you are no longer reproductive, when those organs are no longer functioning, you are not sexy, so, therefore, you are not hireable.' That just made me so mad." 

However, she has since managed to silence anyone who has suggested that she was late to the game - as two decades later she’s got an impressive resume, with roles in King Kong, The Impossible and the Divergent franchise, as well as earning herself two Oscar nominations alongside numerous other awards. 

Watts went on to point out that as men age it tends to be viewed more more positively than when women do. 

"It's such an awkward conversation because, from day one, we begin our ageing process," Watts explained. 

"It's something we just all have to get comfortable with and women are asked to do it more than men.

"We don't talk about a man ageing hardly ever. We don't talk about his grey hair. In fact, if we do, it's like, 'Oh, he gets more handsome, more desirable, more powerful.'

"And why is he powerful? Because he's accumulated experiences. Well, it should be the same for women. We've got important and powerful experiences as well at this age that we should feel proud of."

Watts will return to our screens later this month with her new series The Watcher, based on the creepy real-life story of a family who move into a new home only to start receiving chilling notes written by someone who calls themselves The Watcher and who describes the home as their 'obsession'.

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Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Celebrity

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at UNILAD who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats.