Naomi Watts: Diana film was a 'sinking ship'

Naomi Watts as Princess Diana in the 2013 movie Diana.

Naomi Watts has spoken out for the first time about her disappointing role as Princess Diana and has compared the film to a "sinking ship".

The Aussie actor says taking up the role as the late Princess in Diana, which was mauled by critics, was a risk that didn't pay off.

But she's blamed the film rather than her own performance, saying it took a different direction to the one she'd hoped for.

"I got seduced by the fantastic character," Watts tells Harper's Bazaar.

"Diana did a lot of things that had positive and negative results. She was multifaceted.

"But ultimately there were problems with (the film) and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for.

"With risk there is every chance it's going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship so be it.''

The 2013 movie Diana told the story of the last two years of Diana's life including her romances with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and mogul Dodi Fayed.

It had been expected to be an Oscars contender but instead flopped at the box office.

Critics dubbed the film "car crash cinema" and wrote "Wesley Snipes in a blonde wig would be more convincing than Watts' performance".

- AAP