In an exclusive interview, Naomi Watts explains why Billy Crudup’s romantic remark prior to their first night together was everything

In an exclusive interview, Naomi Watts explains why Billy Crudup’s romantic remark prior to their first night together was everything

In ‘Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known About Menopause,’ the 56-year-old actress talks candidly about sex, aging, and her experience going through menopause.

As the mother of two teenagers, Naomi Watts has experienced some difficult situations.

Like when one of them discovered her brand-new, multi-speed, glow-in-the-dark vibrator on her bed. Watts tells PEOPLE, “Yeah, it was embarrassing for me and my teenager.” “But it wasn’t that shocking.”

This is because her children, Sasha, 17, and Kai, 16, whom she has with her ex-partner Liev Schreiber, have grown accustomed to having a mother who doesn’t hesitate to discuss topics that are frequently taboo, such as her own difficult menopausal journey, which she details in her new book.

“I think there are moments where they’re like, ‘Rock on Mom,’ and there are moments where they’re completely grossed out,” Watts, 56, says of her teenagers’ response to her candor.

It took years before the Mulholland Drive actress felt comfortable sharing her story, despite the fact that she is now one of the most well-known voices on the subject. She discovered she was experiencing early menopause at the age of 36, just after starring in Peter Jackson’s 2005 hit King Kong, and as she was attempting to conceive.

The actress remained silent in a field where a woman’s age has long been seen as a liability. She admits, “I lived in shame and secrecy for a long time.”