Naomi Watts Says She'd Want Saoirse Ronan to Play Her in a Biopic: 'She's Fantastic'
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Attention Hollywood casting directors, Naomi Watts has a request!
When hitting the red carpet at The Watcher premiere on Wednesday night, the star of the Netflix true-crime series revealed to PEOPLE the actress she'd want to play her in a future biopic.
"Oh gosh, I don't know," responded Watts, who was at first taken aback when asked, before immediately bursting out her answer. "Saoirse Ronan!" Watts, 54, said.
RELATED: The True Story Behind Netflix's 'The Watcher'
Although uncertain of her response at first, Watts was confident in choosing the 28-year-old talent. "Because she's fantastic in everything she does," Watts said of her decision.
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While Ronan is the clear frontrunner for the fantasied film, Watt's does have one request of any actress should they be cast. They have to be "a young one, obviously," she said with a laugh.
Despite being an acclaimed actress who's racked up several Oscar nominations and a number of awards — including best actress in a comedy at the 2018 Golden Globes for her role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird — Ronan has never been cast in a biopic, unlike Watts in 2013.
Watts starred as British icon Princess Diana in Oliver Hirschbiegel's biopic Diana, a film described as a compelling portrait of the Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life. Fast forward nine years later and Watts is stepping into the shoes of another role based on a true story.
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Now, Watts stars as Nora Brannock — opposite Bobby Cannavale — in The Watcher, Netflix's latest true-crime series. Co-created by American Horror Story mastermind Ryan Murphy and creative partner Ian Brennan, the series follows a family that moves into a new home and soon has to deal with ominous letters from a neighbor calling themself "The Watcher."
"Part of the reason why I wanted to do this was because I felt like this story could be anybody's story," Watts told PEOPLE. "We all love to think that we can get our dream home, and then finally you get it and then it's not going the way you want it to go. So, I identified with this family and this couple."
She was able to relate to Nora on a motherly level, especially as a mom of two. "You're always freaked out about the safety of your children," the actress admitted. But unlike roles she's played in the past, she "didn't need to" reach out to the real-life person to further get into character.
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"It's different every time you play someone that is a real person. You sometimes want to [reach out] or you just research it on the Internet," she said of the character-development process — especially regarding "how they speak, how they talk and how they behave."
Watts added: "But we didn't know that much about this family, despite how powerful the story was. So creative license has been taking us."
The Watcher is now available to stream on Netflix.
