Director Vincent Ward denies thinking Samantha Morton was Emily Watson on movie shoot: ‘Impossible’

Ryan ColemanTue, August 4, 2026 at 3:21 AM UTC

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Vincent Ward during the 2005 Toronto Film Festival; Samantha Morton on July 14 in New York CityCredit: J. Vespa/WireImage; Taylor Hill/GettyKey Points -

New Zealand director Vincent Ward has responded to Samantha Morton’s claim that he mistook her for Emily Watson on the set of 2005’s River Queen.

Ward told EW that it “would be impossible to confuse [Morton] for anyone else, and I had pushed very hard to have her in the film even though it caused us some challenges.”

Morton claimed on an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast that while on set, Ward praised her work in Breaking the Waves — which Watson starred in, while a producer told her not to correct him.

A case of mistaken identity has evolved into a case of conflicting memories.

The Odyssey star Samantha Morton claimed in an interview published Monday that Vincent Ward, director of her 2005 period drama River Queen, mistook her for her fellow English screen star Emily Watson while on set.

“I went to New Zealand to do a movie and the director said, ‘We’re so excited to have you, Emily. I’ve loved you since you were in Breaking the Waves,” a bemused Morton recalled at the tail end of a lengthy interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Samantha Morton in ‘River Queen’Credit: 20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

Filming wrapped on the gritty Tītokowaru’s War drama over 20 years ago, and when asked if he recalled the on-set moment, Ward told Entertainment Weekly, “No not at all.”

“She had health issues during the film. But, in fact, I had admired her work in a range of films including Minority Report, In America, and others,” the New Zealand-born director continued. “She is a very unique performer, it would be impossible to confuse her for anyone else, and I had pushed very hard to have her in the film even though it caused us some challenges.”

EW has reached out to a representative for Morton for comment.

Morton named Ward on the podcast while relaying the anecdote: “I was like, ‘Are you joking?’ I said to the producer, ‘I’m Samantha. Does he know that I’m Samantha Morton?’ He said, ‘Don’t tell him. He thinks you’re Emily Watson.’”

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Though the Morvern Callar star described the River Queen shoot as a “sad job,” she did note with pride, “So I always get mistaken for the amazing, the one and only, extraordinary Emily Watson. Or Stella McCartney, which I love, and I’m wearing Stella McCartney.”

Emily Watson in 2026; Samantha Morton in 2026Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty; Christopher Polk/Deadline via Getty

Morton and Watson have led careers that have careened in vastly different directions. But they do share a striking amount in common.

The actresses both hail from England, though Watson was born and raised in London, while Morton was reared in Nottingham, over 100 miles north; they’ve each starred in numerous BBC series (Watson was nominated for an Emmy for her work in Apple Tree Yard, while Morton received favorable notices for her performance in Rillington Place); and they even starred in the same film — Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York.

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And then, of course, there are the Oscar nods. Watson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1996 for Breaking the Waves and in 1998 for Hilary and Jackie. Morton was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Sweet and Lowdown in 1999 and nominated for Best Actress for In America in 2003.

Morton has earned broad acclaim for her latest performance, as Circe in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, while Watson was praised for her turn as Mary Shakespeare in last year’s awards darling, Hamnet.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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