Peter Jackson brought the iconic gorilla back to life with King Kong (2005), starring Naomi Watts and Andy Serkis. People had a lot of expectations from this remake as the man behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy himself was going to be responsible for the film. It is safe to say that Peter Jackson did not let the audience down.
King Kong went on to make nearly $563 million at the box office and flaunts an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The lead actress, Naomi Watts, was also praised for her performance as Ann Darrow and she even took home a Saturn Award for Best Actress. However, the actress might have caused some problems on the set of King Kong, through no fault of her own.
King Kong and the Color Orange
People find it difficult not to swoon over beautiful, ocean-like blue eyes and Naomi Watts’ eyes were no exception. In fact, her eyes have always been the center of attention with the blue color mesmerizing anyone who dares to look into them. However, the crew of King Kong had to face some additional challenges due to the same pair of blue eyes.
According to IMDb, anything that was orange in color was not allowed on the sets of King Kong and in the lighting effects. Why? Well, because the orange hues were supposedly creating an odd effect on Watts’ bright blue eyes. Watts looked stunning in King Kong and if the team had to go the extra mile to make sure nothing caused a hindrance to that, then so be it. It was all worth it, wasn’t it?
Also Read: King Ghidorah Would Probably Whoop Kong’s Butt If They Ever Fought
Naomi Watts Talks about King Kong
In an interview with Black Film, Watts opened up about her time on Peter Jackson’s King Kong. When asked if she ever actually fell in love with a “big dumb ape,” Watts stated,
“[Laughs] Yes [Laughs.]… No. I’m just kidding. No, but there’s so many things about that big dumb ape, that it’s just completely, you know, the same as any man, you know, they get jealous they get full of rage, they get protective, they get dark, and then they get compassionate and caring and humorous, you know. There’s a lot of the emotions that match human beings as well.”
Watts then talked about how being a part of Jackson’s passion project was different than being a part of just another film. She stated that it was wonderful to be able to share that excitement. When she met with Jackson for the role, his enthusiasm pushed Watts to say yes to the film.
“Yeah, well that was another thing that just got me going. When someone has that much passion for a project, it’s great, it’s just wonderful to be part of the excitement. And you know he’s loved it for all that time, and he’s so invested. I just – yeah, I mean, from that initial meeting in London when they invited me to dinner, and he had images and could just talk so wonderfully about the characters, and you know, who Kong is, and I just thought yes, I want to do this, I want to work with a man with that much passion and vision.”
It sure looks like Watts had a wonderful time being tossed on the sets of King Kong, working with Jackson and Andy Serkis. She might have even gotten to reprise her role in Skull Island, a sequel that, unfortunately, never made it to reality.
You can stream King Kong on Peacock Premium.
