Naomi Watts Enjoys Mothering Boys

When Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber enjoy a parents’ night out during her premiere of Mother and Child held Monday at NYC’s Paris Theater, their sons Sasha, 2, and Samuel, 16 months, are top of mind.

Raising sons is natural for the 41-year-old actress.

“I grew up a tomboy,” Naomi tells me. “I had a big brother, so I never had dolls or girly things. Despite the fact that they’re the opposite sex, I feel that I can relate.”

She laughs, “The only thing I miss about not having girls is the pretty dresses, but I can do that with my niece.”

Although Sasha and Samuel are home for the evening, they’ve had a fun time in NYC.

“Yesterday it was raining, so there wasn’t a lot to do – Play-doh,” she admits. “We went out to breakfast, which is always difficult, doing restaurants, because they’re both at an age where they’re throwing forks. We never really get to eat.”

Liev, 42, continues, “It’s been a lot of the zoo recently. It’s been a lot of swimming and zoo.”

Naomi adds, “Sasha’s obsessed with animals.”

Raising children keeps Naomi present.

“There’s nothing like children to keep you in the moment, and they always do,” she says. “You can’t think about anything but what’s going on at that time, no matter how much you try.”

Just two months after Samuel was born, filming began on Mother and Child.

“Our baby was eight weeks old, so I wasn’t really thinking about keeping fit,” she says. “I was just feeding my baby at that point. It was very early on, and it was quite hard because my character is so ferocious and scary and sexually promiscuous, and there I was feeling at my most maternal, soft state.”

Co-star -- and mother of four -- Annette Bening admits Naomi didn't need her motherhood advice.

“She’s in the groove,” she says. “She knows the whole 'being exhausted and going and getting up anyway' routine, which is what we all do when we’re moms.”

Mother and Child hits theaters May 7.