Naomi Watts looked glowing with energy at the premiere of her new film The Impossible last night, despite describing filming as the “most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done”.
The actress stepped onto the red carpet in a daring backless, knee-length dress that showed off the 44-year-old’s enviable figure to best advantage.
Billowing black sleeves and a high collar on the Tom Ford gown cut a demure contrast, and with her blonde hair in a simple bun, Watts was every inch the glamour queen – appropriate for the actress currently playing the lead role in a biopic of Princess Diana.
She was joined by co-stars Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland for the charity premiere at the BFI Imax in aid of Indian Ocean Disaster Relief, which helps families affected by the 2004 tsunami.
Watts plays the lead in the true story of Maria Belon and her family, who were holidaying in Thailand in when the wave struck.
Watts, a mother of two, praised Ms Belon's determination to stay alive and save her sons.
She said: "Every mother wakes up with fear of her children's safety, so I just cannot imagine how she dealt with it. That was the thing that struck me - how courageous and heroic she was.
Directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona, who also directed the horror film The Orphanage, The Impossible follows Ms Belon, her husband and her three young sons in their fight for survival.
McGregor said the film was not about glorifying heroes but telling the story of the disaster through one family's eyes.
He said: "People didn't survive because they were brave, people survived because they were lucky, and people died because they were unlucky."
The Impossible is due out in cinemas on January 1.
