Naomi Watts revealed on “Live With Kelly and Mark” (via Entertainment Weekly) that she nearly quit acting before she met the late David Lynch, who cast her as the lead in 2001’s “Mulholland Drive.” The film’s critical acclaim and global success turned Watts into a star after “10 years” of “flunking auditions.

On the same day as the news of his passing, Watts paid tribute to Lynch — whose cause of death was not given, but who had revealed in September 2024 that he was battling emphysema as a result of smoking throughout his life — sharing that her “heart is broken.”

In a recent interview, Naomi Watts revealed how David Lynch saved her career after looking for work in Hollywood for a decade, in light of his death.

“My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave…” began Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts on Instagram about the death of that movie’s filmmaker David Lynch. “The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” she wrote.

David Lynch revolutionized cinema — and now, Hollywood is paying tribute to the legendary auteur, who died Thursday at the age of 78.

The visionary "Twin Peaks" filmmaker is remembered as a complete original and built up quite the list of collaborators since 1984's "Dune."

Naomi Watts wouldn’t be a Hollywood star if it weren’t for David Lynch.Naomi Watts nearly left the acting world before a pivotal meeting with the late director changed her

Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Isabella Rossellini and other collaborators of David Lynch mourned the filmmaker's death on social media.

David Lynch, who died on Jan. 16, directed Naomi Watts in her breakout movie ‘Mulholland Drive’ Naomi Watts is mourning the loss of her Mulholland Drive director David Lynch. The legendary filmmaker died at the age of 78,

David Lynch, who died Thursday at age 78, was remembered by his many collaborators, as well as those he inspired, such as "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly.

After starting her career in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Watts scored her breakout role in Lynch’s 2001 mystery thriller Mulholland Drive. She portrayed lookalikes Betty Elms and Diane Selwyn, the former of which worked to help a woman with amnesia named Rita (played by Laura Harring) unravel the truth of her identity.