I really admire Naomi Watts (and not just for her ethereal beauty), who does not get that much attention, as she does so much independent film work (such as Mulholland Drive and 21 Grams, and The Painted Veil--with Edward Norton). As I have noted before, she really hit her stride in her early 30's as far as getting some real recognition from filmmakers, and she continues to work hard towards being a leading lady into her early 40's, including in The International with Clive Owen in February of last year.
In Hollywood, she is considered one of the best investments: for every dollar that she earns (and she is not one of the overpaid actresses), her movies earn a high return for their producers and backers. In contrast, Naomi Watts' best friend, fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman (Naomi moved to Australia from the UK when she was 14), is notorious for getting paid a lot for movies that did not do well at the box office.