NEW YORK - Naomi Watts knew the role of Ann Darrow in "King Kong" was one that demanded a strong set of pipes.
Watts, who stars as Darrow in Peter Jackson's big-budget remake of the 1933 classic, says her character's screams are part of movie lore just as much as the big, plane-swatting ape.
"It's funny, the whole scream thing, because you don't really scream in real life," Watts told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "If there's truly anything scary, then you would almost swallow it. And if there's a mouse nearby, you'd squeal: 'Aaiiee!'
"Where does a scream come from? It's really movies, I think."
The 37-year-old actress said she didn't practice her screams for "King Kong," but did get some prior work in "The Ring" and its sequel. Her screen credits also include roles in "Mulholland Dr." and "21 Grams."
Though Watts certainly lets out a few choice cries, Jackson's "King Kong" isn't quite as filled with the head-flung-backward, throat-rattling shrieks that packed the original or the 1976 "King Kong" that starred Jessica Lange.
"In the other two versions, I think there's a lot more screaming," Watts said. "There are screams (in this version), but it's not all the way through. I don't know, maybe that's reflective of the modern woman. Yeah, she's a damsel in distress, but she's tougher and that's why she negotiates herself out of being killed."
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