Naomi Watts warned this Saturday at the San Sebastián Film Festival about the escalation of hatred at all levels. "I'm afraid of what is happening, we have to be vigilant," said the British actress when asked about the current situation and about Nazism, which is the subject of her film 'The Housewife.'

Without wanting to go deeply into the political questions posed to her at the press conference, Watts referred to the Holocaust as something we cannot "allow to happen again," or about the problems of immigrants in the United States: "I have faith that things will be resolved in time," she said.

In the film, she plays Hermine Braunsteiner, an Austrian woman who worked as an SS guard at the Ravensbrück and Majdanek concentration camps and who was the first Nazi war criminal extradited from the United States to be tried in West Germany.

Watts moved to the United States to pursue her dream of being an actress, and the film's protagonist also wanted to build a new life in that country and erase the atrocious crimes she committed.

"I have American children, I love the United States. What is happening today is complicated, but I have faith that things will be resolved in time," she said.

For that to happen, it is necessary that we do not forget the past, and that is what 'The Housewife' aims to contribute to. It is the first film by Canadian director Ben Shirinian and also stars Tye Sheridan, Michael Imperioli, Luke Evans, Lena Olin and Debi Mazar.

When she read the script eight years ago, she was in a state of "shock" and many questions arose for her, which is what she wants to happen now when audiences see the film.

"I love the idea that this film gives people the opportunity to have a conversation, to look back, at what happened, how and why," said the actress, who also highlighted the fact that there are very few films about Nazi women.

That is why she said yes to doing it, because it is an extreme story that shows that "monsters may not look like an ogre that is under the bed and appears at night. They really are among us."

That was how Hermine was, someone who passed as a perfect wife, a kind woman who helped at church and baked cookies. "It was hard to get into that mentality every day," admitted the star of films such as 'Mulholland Drive' (2001).

It was a film that gave her the role of a lifetime when she was just starting out and after many years struggling to make a place for herself in the film world. And she did it alongside David Lynch, whom she remembered with emotion today.

"There are people who spend their whole lives looking for their big role, and I did that with that film," said the actress, who recalled everything she learned with Lynch. "He is in my heart forever," she said.

Watts, who will receive the festival's Donostia Award this Saturday for her entire career, has two Oscar nominations, for 'The Impossible,' by Juan Antonio Bayona, in 2013, and for '21 Grams,' by Alejandro González Iñárritu, in 2004.

"It is incredible to receive this honor at this moment in my life, after having worked hard over the last four decades," said the actress when speaking about the award.

This type of recognition for an entire career "is wonderful." "I continue looking for interesting things in my work, such as better understanding the human psyche," said the actress, before adding: "I love my work, I love acting, telling stories and being part of this film community."

She also seeks to collaborate, even in a small way, in the change that is taking place in cinema regarding increasing the presence of older women on the big screen.

"Before, everything ended at 40, and now I am in my late fifties — I turn 57 in a few days — and women have strengthened their presence in many categories, their stories must be reflected, that narrative has to change, and I like being part of that change."