Naomi Watts Is Perfectly Imperfect in FX’s ‘Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans’

Pari Dukovic Photography/FX

In a scene from the new eight-episode season of FX’s Feud, writer Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) explains the sobriquet he gave to his inner circle of high-society lady friends.

“They are swans. Beautiful and unruffled above the water, stunning, singular, gliding through the pond of society,” he says. “But God gave them too much baggage, you see. Underneath the crisp surface of the water, they have to paddle twice as fast and vigorously as an ordinary duck just to stay afloat. It’s a great burden only some can bear.”

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (Wednesdays beginning Jan. 31 at 10pm ET/PT) based on Laurence Leamer’s Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, chronicles the In Cold Blood author’s time among The Swans — including Babe Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny), Joanne Carson (Molly Ringwald), Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart) and Ann Woodward (Demi Moore) — and how a thinly veiled exposé he published shattered their trust and led to his exile.

Watts, who is also an executive producer, filled us in on the top-shelf experience of Feud.

A Blind Spot
It’s puzzling that the sophisticated Swans would bring a master storyteller into their deepest confidence and then be shocked and appalled when he actually does what writers do. “The Swans loved to have Truman’s attention to create a sort of muse experience, but at the same time, they loved him because he was such an incredible entertainer, a true eccentric,” Watts says. “But for these women — they were smart, yet I think there was this naivete or a blind spot. They assumed he would never go for the jugular and do the dirty on them. As an outsider to this story, I would have thought that this was something that they could recover from and continue their friendships, but I’m not a grudge holder.”

The Guest List
Feud has moments in which one can’t help but to step out of the story and realize the magnitude of talent seated at a single table or mingling in one frame of action in a party scene. “I was googly eyed, with not just the talent on camera, but the talent behind the scenes as well,” Watt says. In addition to the remarkable cast, Feud boasts what Watts calls “a brilliant, blow-your-doors-down kind of trio” in EP Ryan Murphy, director Gus Van Sant and writer Jon Robin Baitz. “And then you’ve got this incredible cast,” Watts says. “I’ve also grown up watching and admiring all of these actresses, endlessly, for different reasons.” Watts also praised Hollander for his take on the role that Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for in Capote. “I think Tom had the opportunity in this longer format to do something quite special, and I know he will move audiences in extraordinary ways.”

Up in Smoke
“It was horrible, with a capital H,” Watts says, describing the chain-smoking that the characters fervently enjoyed and the actors dutifully endured. “If I didn’t drink enough water, I would find myself getting a cracking migraine about halfway through the day. My character had double lung cancer, so I had to smoke and smoke and smoke. I mean, I must have smoked 200 cigarettes a week. It was horrible. And the smell for everyone was grotesque, and it really interferes with your vocal capabilities as well. Everyone hated it. But it was necessary.”

The Black and White Ball
The third episode focuses on Capote’s sensational soiree of 1966, a lavish masquerade party with a large but carefully curated guest list. Much of the party is filmed in black and white as a Maysles brothers (Grey Gardens) documentary. “This was a fantastic idea because it gave us the opportunity to be performative while performing,” Watts says. “Once the camera is on anyone, it changes you. You transform in ways that sometimes work and sometimes don’t, and the awkwardness made it funny, and particularly for these ladies who were all about presentation.” Watts demonstrates this divinely when Babe is asked on camera about being perfect, and she puts on an outward smile and answers diplomatically while she is being crushed internally by her imperfection.

Treat Williams’ Final Role
Treat Williams plays Bill Paley, Babe’s husband, president of CBS and a serial philanderer. Shortly after wrapping Feud, Williams was tragically killed in an accident while riding his motorcycle. He was 71. “What stood out to me behind the scenes is how much gratitude Treat had for playing this role. He kept saying that this was the best role he had had in a long time,” Watts says. “As complex as Bill Paley was, at times, playing him was still a wonderful opportunity for Treat. He was very humble, and full of gratitude to play the part. I’m so beyond sorry that he will not get to see how truly magnificent his work is because it’s quite a memorable performance.”