Naomi Watts said on Tuesday that she almost quit acting before David Lynch cast her in Mulholland Drive.

Naomi Watts remembers David Lynch and how “instrumental” he was in her Hollywood career. In a new interview, the Mulholland Drive star revealed how the filmmaker kept her from quitting acting. “[Lynch] was very instrumental to me even being in America,

Below, get to know Naomi Watts’ kids, Sasha and Kai Schreiber.

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.”

The actress talks about the Los Angeles area blazes, as well as her childhood and her new book on menopause.

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.