Before starring in the 2001 film directed by Lynch, Watts had starred in 1995’s Tank Girl and 1996’s Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering. Watts noted that due to the lack of big opportunities, she had “planned on going home multiple times” and then got a call from Lynch.

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

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.

With the passing of beloved director David Lynch, many of the actors he worked with – along with countless staunch admirers – have shared emotional tributes and testaments to his legacy.

“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.

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.

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

David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.” Naomi Watts starred in Lynch’s 2001 “Mulholland Drive,” which began as an aborted television pilot, only to be retooled into a feature film, one of the director’s ...

The visionary filmmaker is remembered as a complete original and built up quite the list of collaborators since 1984's "Dune" The post David Lynch in Photos: Milestones With Laura Dern, Cannes With Naomi Watts,

Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Harring, Questlove, and more shared tributes following the death of one of Hollywood’s most relentlessly experimental filmmakers

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

Oscar-winning director and Happy Days star Ron Howard paid tribute to Lynch on social media, writing: “#RIPDavidLynch, a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”