Just like any other couple, actors Naomi Watts and her husband Liev Schreiber have had their misunderstandings. While Liev reportedly wanted to slow down and focus on their kids, Naomi is believed to have wanted to travel the world and focus on her career. When rumours surfaced that Liev was cheating on her with the family nanny, it was already too late to save the relationship. Read on for a complete recap of their history as a couple.
Who Is Naomi Watts?
British actress Naomi Watts is best known for her roles in The Ring, King Kong and Mulholland Drive. She has deep roots in the Philanthropy community from raising awareness for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS in 2006. She also became an ambassador of Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths in 2012, an organisation that gives away real-hair wigs to female cancer patients.
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Who Is Liev Schreiber?
Liev Schreiber is a Hollywood actor, director, and voice actor whose career launched after making his debut as Cotton Weary in Scream. He starred in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Salt, Spotlight, and The Sum of All Fears. When he’s not in front of the camera, Liev looks after his two sons with his ex-fiancé Naomi Watts.
Naomi And Liev’s Relationship
Naomi and Liev spent 11 years together, building a home and a family. Throughout their relationship, relatives and friends believed their deep connection would last a lifetime. Although Naomi and Liev have both moved on, the people close to them can’t exactly say the same. An insider close to the couple said, “They’re perfectly matched, and you can tell when they’re around each other that the magic spark between them is still there. Put simply, they’re soulmates who belong together.”
How They Met
Recalling the night that they first met at the Met Gala 2005, Liev shared how Naomi invited him to an after-party. He went but quickly felt ignored when she ran into some friends. He added, “She was there with Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, and I’m kind of standing around like a bump on a log, waiting for my turn.” Embarrassed, Liev told her he had to head home. But Naomi didn’t let him and chased Liev down so they could swap numbers.
How They Started Dating
Right after their first date in New York, Liev began working his charm on Naomi. In the 2016 August issue of Esquire, Liev expressed, “Then she went back to LA. and I wrote her all the time. Lots of emails. I think that was it – seduced by email.”
Living Together
After months of dating, a love-stricken Naomi moved to New York to be with Liev. Two years later, they had their first son, Sasha, in 2007 and their second son, Samuel the following year. A lot of people thought they were married since we spotted Naomi wearing an engagement ring, but it turns out they weren’t. They lived together for more than a decade until things started getting rocky.
Cheating Rumours
The couple split in 2016, amidst rumours Liev had become involved with the family nanny. Liev continuously denied the rumours.
The Break-up
In an interview with People, Naomi and Liev released a joint statement: “Over the past few months we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple, it is with great love, respect, and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship.” Fans were understandably sad about what happened but supported the couple’s decision knowing that they still care for each other.
Co-Parenting
After they split, Liev struggled with adjusting to the new family dynamic. He said in an interview with Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, “It’s always hard, you know? You build a life with someone and things change. And I think the way that we’ve looked at it is that we’ll always be partners and that’s what kind of keeps us together and keeps us amicable.” With time, they outgrew this rough patch and put their differences aside to co-parent their children together.
It’s clear the former couple have put their children first and worked hard to create a healthy co-parenting family unit. Both Liev and Naomi, plus their respective partners are often photographed celebrating their children’s milestones together and when Naomi and Billy announced via Instagram they had tied the knot, Liev was quick to comment: “Congratulations!!! Gorgeous!!!”
Naomi’s Relationship History
Stephen Hopkins (1999 – 2001)
Before Naomi got her big break in Hollywood, she dated director Stephen Hopkins. They first met when he directed a kiddie commercial and when she grew up they saw each other in a romantic light.
Heath Ledger (2002 – 2004)
Naomi and Heath dated for two years before his tragic death in 2008. When asked about her late ex, a nostalgic Naomi had this to say about their time together, “he was a very special soul”, and that it was “nothing but good times”. Though short-lived, they had a wonderful relationship, full of love, laughter, and bliss.
Billy Crudup (2017 – present)
Naomi first met Billy Crudup on the set of the Netflix series Gypsy.
While they shot the series, we spotted them going out a lot together, which sparked rumours of an on-set romance an after six months of speculation, the two finally made it official at the Vogue UK BAFTAs 2018 after-party in London.
More than six years later, their love is still going strong, with the pair confirming in June 2023 that they had tied the knot!
To the delight of fans, the typically low-key couple attended their first major awards ceremony in January 2024 for the 81st Golden Globe Awards.
Speaking to Variety on the red carpet, the pair also teased that they may potentially co-star in a romantic comedy, with Billy joking, “I’ve always been great at those.”
Liev’s Relationship History
Kristin Davis (2000 – 2003)
Liev and Kristin were private about their dating life, but they enjoyed watching Shakespeare at local parks. They were also in plenty of photos together throughout the early 2000s. Kristin was the last woman Liev would date before meeting Naomi Watts two years later.
Taylor Neisen (2016 – Present)
Briefly after Liev’s break-up with Naomi Watts, a rumour spread that he was with the 24-year-old former Miss South Dakota, Taylor Neisen. She also worked as their nanny while he was still with Naomi. Taylor resembled a younger version of Naomi and got along with the kids, especially Liev Schreiber’s son, Samuel. They’ve been together since 2016 and in April 2023, Daily Mail reported the couple were expecting a child.
Liev’s Career
At the start of his career, Liev had minor roles in indie films, most notably the movie Scream where he played the framed killer, Cotton Weary. After his split with Naomi, he’s taken on fewer movie roles to focus on being a great dad to his two sons. Today, Liev stars in the Netflix series Ray Donovan, playing a fixer for the LA elite. Liev has also lent his bassy, sultry voice to commercials and documentaries.
His Films And TV Shows
- Scream 2 (1997)
- RKO 281 (1999)
- The Sum of All Fears (2002)
- The Omen (2006)
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2007)
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
- Repo Men (2010)
- Salt (2010)
- Ray Donovan (2013)
- Spotlight (2015)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Compromise Is Key
Even with their separate lives, they still spend time with their kids together. Liev and Naomi know that maintaining their friendship means a lot to their children, and we respect them for making the most out of a bad situation.
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