Nicole Kidman got permission from Naomi Watts to act as Liev Schreiber’s wife

Nicole Kidman got permission from Naomi Watts to act as Liev Schreiber’s wife

GettyImages-2150504162 Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts

Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for AFI

Nicole Kidman has revealed that she asked for her boyfriend Naomi Watts‘ permission to shine as Dear Schreiber‘s wife in The perfect couple.

Kidman, 57, and Watts, 55, have been friends for more than 30 years. Watts dated Schreiber, 56, from 2005 to 2016.

During an interview with Entertainment weekly which was announced via the site’s Instagram account on Saturday, September 7, Kidman and Schreiber revealed that Kidman consulted with Watts before signing on to play the role of Schreiber’s wife in the new Netflix miniseries.

Schreiber began the conversation by sharing that he had “heard a story” where Kidman “first asked Naomi if it was OK” to have a romantic relationship with him on the show, to which Kidman replied, “Of course!”

Kidman’s honest answer earned him nothing but praise from the In the spotlight actor. “Isn’t that great?” he told the interviewer. “They’re so close together.”

The duo plays the roles of Greer and Tag Winbury, a seemingly perfect, extremely wealthy couple who become entangled in a murder mystery as one of their children prepares to get married in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

The series is a small-format film adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand‘s acclaimed book of the same title.

GettyImages-602351316 Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

During the interview, Kidman said she had to “chase” Schreiber to get the role alongside her.

“I had to beg him to marry me,” said Kidman, who is married to Keith Stedelijk since 2006 and shares two daughters, Sunday Rose, 16, and Faith Margaret, 13, with the singer, the interviewer told before turning to Schreiber himself. “You’re a little hard to get. You had to be chased.”

Schreiber, who has two children with Watts, Sasha (17) and Kai (15), has had a dedicated and supportive co-parenting arrangement with Watts for years.

The actor, who married Taylor Neisen in July 2023 and has a 1-year-old daughter, Hazel, together, was last spotted spending quality time with Watts and Sasha, as evidenced by a series of family selfies Watts posted to Instagram on June 22.

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For Watts’ role in The perfect couple‘s casting process, the actress said Entertainment weekly at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 8, that Kidman had indeed contacted her before signing with Schreiber.

“We always check in, we’re best friends,” Watts told the outlet. “That was really nice of her to do that.”

Watts, who married Billy Crudup In June 2023, she added that she planned to look The perfect couple on time.

“I’m dying to (see it) because everyone’s raving about it,” Watts said. “I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve seen the trailer. It looks fantastic.”