Naomi Watts about the death of her mentor: David Lynch was still full of drive

More than 23 years after David Lynch (1946-2025) had significantly shaped her career with the film “Mulholland Drive”, Naomi Watts (56) saw him for the last time. After the director’s death in January of this year, the actress now remembered this last encounter in November 2024.

“We had a wonderful lunch in his house,” says Watts. “I knew he was sick, but he was in a great atmosphere. He wanted to go back to work.” Laura Dern (58), another from Lynch’s long -time companions, and they would have motivated him to take this step. “Laura and I said: ‘You can do it! You could work from the caravan.’ He was by no means ready.

David Lynch’s death at the age of 78 was therefore particularly surprising for Watts. “I thought I would see him again a few weeks later because I was in LA,” she remembers. “There is a lot that I could share, but I want to keep it privately, out of respect for his family. But it was a really powerful meeting that filled me with so much love and hope.” Lynch’s cause of death was heart failure, before his death he suffered from a chronic lung disease.

Naomi Watts owes her breakthrough in Hollywood to the director, as she also emphasized in the US talk show “Live with Kelly and Mark”. The then 33-year-old actress had previously fought for recognition in the industry for years until Lynch offered her main role in his cult film “Mulholland Drive” in 2001. After this success, she also participated in his short film “Rabbits” (2002) and was later seen in “Inland Empire” (2006) and in the new edition of “Twin Peaks” (2017), Lynch’s last project.

After his death, Watts described him as “a real mentor and friend” and explained: “He was very important for me to be in America myself. I would not have stayed if I hadn’t met David Lynch.”