Watts said "the chips were down" and she was "desperate" for work after "10 years into flunking auditions" in Hollywood before Lynch agreed to work with her.

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

David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker renowned for works like Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, has died. He was 78. In 2024, Lynch disclosed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema,

Lynch broke through in the 1970s with the surreal “Eraserhead” and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences, peers and critics in the following decades.

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.

Naomi Watts credits the late David Lynch with saving her Hollywood career. The "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" star shared that the director — whose family announced his passing on Jan. 16 — rescued her stalled career by casting her in 2001’s Mulholland Drive.

Actor Naomi Watts shares how filmmaker David Lynch gave her a career-changing opportunity, just when she was ready to quit acting.