‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ star Naomi Watts remembers David Lynch: “He put me on the map”
Naomi Watts has shared an emotional and poignant tribute to late filmmaker David Lynch.
Lynch’s death was announced by his family on social media yesterday (January 16) – he was aged 78. Lynch, who is celebrated for films like Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and the iconic TV series Twin Peaks, revealed his emphysema diagnosis last year, which was caused by smoking for most of his life. In November, he revealed he required supplemental oxygen to walk.
Following the tragic news of his death – which anonymous sources say happened after he was “forced to relocate from his house” due to the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires – actor Naomi Watts has paid homage to her former collaborator.
Watts and Lynch connected in the early 2000s, when she auditioned for a role in his film Mulholland Drive. Unbeknownst to her – or Lynch – at the time, the film would be a critical success and would launch her career to great heights. Later, in 2006, they re-teamed for his final feature film Inland Empire before she was cast in 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return. She also briefly voiced a character for his experimental 2002 short film Rabbits.
Remembering Lynch, Naomi Watts wrote: “My heart is broken. My buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even ‘see me’ when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!”
She continued: “It wasn’t just his art that impacted me – his wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before. Every moment together felt charged with a presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because, yes, he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel beyond lucky to have been a small part of. And David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.”
She ended her tribute noting: “I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship.”
Lynch was best known for titles such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Elephant Man and the less-than-favourable Dune. His longtime collaborator and friend Kyle MacLachlan has since paid tribute to the late filmmaker, saying he “owes” his life and career to Lynch. The pair have worked on numerous titles together including Dune, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks.
Outside of his work in film and TV, Lynch also had a music career, predominantly in his later years. He released the album ‘Cellophane Memories’ with Chrystabell in August, the third album they had created together. They also worked together on Twin Peaks: The Return, in which the latter took on the role of Agent Tammy Preston.
Prior to that, he released an album with Jocelyn Montgomery, ‘Lux Vivens’, in 1998 and ‘BlueBob’ with John Neff, in 2001. Lynch also had two solo albums to his name, 2011’s ‘Crazy Clown Time’ and ‘The Big Dream’ in 2013.
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Surej Singh
NME
