Naomi Ellen Watts

• 2009–2013: Independent film acting
After a short hiatus from acting following the birth of her two children, Watts returned to acting in 2009, starring alongside Clive Owen in the political thriller The International. She played a Manhattan assistant district attorney who partners with an Interpol agent to take down the bank. During an interview, Watts commented on her role: "She was operating in this fast-moving world and was a great bouncing board for her colleague, Salinger, but also trying to balance that with motherhood as well, and I think I definitely relate to that now and hopefully other career mothers will too." The International was well received by critics, and grossed over US$60 million (equivalent to $66.2 million in 2016) worldwide. The same year, she appeared in the American drama Mother and Child, which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She portrayed the role of Elizabeth, a lawyer who never knew her biological mother. Watts co-starred the film along with Annette Bening, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. Mother and Child received several favourable reviews, and Watts' performance was praised by Tom Long of Detroit News, who stated that she "has the ability to make such a ragged transition somehow work." She was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Australian Film Institute Awards and was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Supporting Female.
Her next film, the Woody Allen comedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, opened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2010. She portrayed Sally, a woman who has a troubled marriage with author Roy, played by Josh Brolin. Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch and Anthony Hopkins also co-starred in the film, which received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over US$26 million (equivalent to $28.2 million in 2016). Also in 2010, she starred as Valerie Plame in the film Fair Game, which opened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, and was later released in the United States on 5 November 2010. Based on Plame's memoir, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, it also marked the third pairing of Watts with Sean Penn after 21 Grams and The Assassination of Richard Nixon. Watts was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. Boxoffice magazine wrote: "Watts doesn't get the big emotional scenes that have characterised much of her past work, instead she plays Valerie as a woman suddenly in a corner when her identity goes public. It's brilliantly understated and admirable work." In July of that year, she was announced as the new face of clothing retailer Ann Taylor.
In January 2010, she was cast in the thriller film Dream House, which was released in September 2011. Directed by Jim Sheridan, Watts starred in the film along with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. In October 2010, it was announced that Watts had landed the role of Marilyn Monroe in the film Blonde, which was set to start shooting in January 2011, but has been delayed. In early 2011, Watts was cast in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. Watts played Edgar's secretary Helen Gandy. The film was released in December that year, to generally mixed reviews and modest earnings at the box office, with a $84 million worldwide gross over a production budget of $35 million. About Watts' performance, The Hollywood Reporter remarked that she "has little opportunity to express much beyond dogged loyalty" and while Los Angeles Times called her "talented", it also noted that her part was a "thankless one" for the actress.