Naomi Watts' nerves have stopped her from going on stage.

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts

The 'Gypsy' actress would love to take on a theatre role but has always been to anxious about being in front of a live audience, but she insists it's an ambition she'll definitely fulfil at some point in the future.

She said: "I still haven't done theatre. I've got to pluck up the nerve. I'm not very good on stage.

"Even when you do those talk shows and you have a live audience, it fills me with fear. But I'm not one to let fear get the better of me."

The 48-year-old actress - who has sons Sasha, nine, and eight-year-old Sammy with former partner Liev Schreiber - believes the entertainment industry has changed a lot over the years and there are now much better roles available to older women.

She said: "There used to be a theory that it was all over by 40 but things have changed.

"There's a lot more to be done, but it does feel like the voices of women are becoming more heard. And TV has definitely helped with that. There's a movement."

Naomi has enjoyed being in her 40s and says it has given her a fresh wave of "energy".

She explained to Red magazine: "In your twenties, you're always looking forward and in your thirties you're just sort of in the moment.

"Now, you're looking in both directions. You can look back and ask, 'What haven't I done?' as well as look forward to, 'What could I do?' And with this, you get a new injection of energy I think."

The 'Book of Henry' star is close friends with the likes of fellow actress Nicole Kidman and director Sam Taylor-Johnson and loves the fact her pals are so supportive.

Asked what she looks for in her friendships, she said: "Kindness, generosity. We just root for each other.

"I look at my peers and they're going like gangbusters, with ideas, with energy."