Naomi Watts remembers ‘Mulholland Drive’ director David Lynch

“My heart is broken. My friend Dave…” began Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts on Instagram about the death of that film’s filmmaker, David Lynch.

“The world would not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” she wrote.

“He put me on the map. The world I had been trying to break into for over a decade, failing auditions left and right,” said the British-born actress, whose career took a 180-year turn after her turn in the 2001 Los Angeles film noir that Lynch transformed from an ABC TV pilot into an Oscar-nominated Universal film.

Watts played double roles as Betty Elms and Diane Selwyn alongside co-stars Laura Harring, Justin Theroux and Robert Forster.

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“Finally, I sat down in front of a curious man, radiating light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and putting me at ease. How could he “see” me when I was so well hidden and even lost sight of me?!”

She continued: “It wasn’t just his art that had an impact on me: his wisdom, his humor and his love gave me a special sense of self-confidence that I had never had before.

“Every moment spent together seemed charged with a presence that I have 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 part of. And David invited everyone to get a glimpse of this world through his exquisite storytelling, which has elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers around the world.

I just can’t believe he’s gone. I’m in pieces but I’m forever grateful for our friendship. I shout from the bullhorn: Quick, Buddy Dave! Thank you for everything for you. —Buttercup xox”

Following Mulholland Drive, Watts earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, in 2004 for 21 grams and 2013 for The Impossible. She would continue to work with Lynch in the 2017 Showtime revival. Twin Peaks as Janey-E Jones and as voiceover in the filmmaker’s final feature film, 2006 Inner Empire. Other great film parts for Watts included King Kong, Oscar winner Birdman And The Divergent series: Insurgent. Watts recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Anthology or Movie for Ryan Murphy. Feud: Capote against the swans for his portrayal of Babe Paley.

Mulholland Drive would win Lynch for best director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001 (he tied with the Coen brothers, who had The man who wasn’t there).