Liev Schrieber tests to see if people are listening to him.
The 48-year-old American actor has admitted he often quizzes people to see if they have been "paying attention" to him and to help him discover who he can trust, according to his 47-year-old wife Naomi Watts.
Speaking to Esquire online about her spouse – with whom the couple have sons Alexander, eight, and seven-year-old Samuel – the blonde beauty said: "He often ‘tests’ people to make sure they are paying attention.
"He wants to always trust that their intentions are as pure as his. Otherwise, he doesn’t want to waste his time with them. I think ultimately he is looking for authenticity–within others and himself."
However, the ‘Ray Donovan’ star has revealed his personality can offend people, although he doesn’t intend to "hurt anyone".
The dark haired hard man – who was cast as Sabretooth in the Marvel Comic film adaptation ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ – explained: "I’m accustomed to speaking my mind and I always do. But I’ve been through this so many times now, where people are hurt or offended or insulted. I don’t mean to hurt anybody. I never intend to hurt anyone’s feelings."
Meanwhile, Liev – who married Naomi in 2005 – has revealed it was love at first sight for him and his wife, although he was terrified when he arranged to meet her.
Speaking about their first meeting, he said: "[She was] a ray of light.
"She said, ‘What are you doing later on – you want to go dancing?’ And I was like, yeah. So I went down to this club that she told me to meet her at, and of course she was there with Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro, and I’m kind of standing around like a bump on a log, waiting for my turn.
"I think I was nervous, and I felt very embarrassed being there, and self-conscious, because all these movie stars were hovering, and I felt awkward and out of my element. And I wasn’t going to make a good impression. So I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I gotta go home.’
"She chased me outside and said, ‘Don’t you want my digits?’"
And the mother-of-two has never ushered the phrase since.
She explained: "It was the first thing that came to me. I’ve never said those words before in my life and never since."
Liev Schrieber tests to see if people are listening to him
