Naomi Watts' career post-Mulholland Drive has skyrocketed, with starring roles in the film short Ellie Parker and the blockbuster thriller The Ring, which hit the No. 1 spot at the box-office in its opening weekend and has already made more than $80 million in four weeks of release. She can soon add The Kelly Gang, 21 Grams (with Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn) and Le Divorce (with... ( +expand to view full text )
Naomi Watts' career post-Mulholland Drive has skyrocketed, with starring roles in the film short Ellie Parker and the blockbuster thriller The Ring, which hit the No. 1 spot at the box-office in its opening weekend and has already made more than $80 million in four weeks of release. She can soon add The Kelly Gang, 21 Grams (with Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn) and Le Divorce (with Kate Hudson) to her resume.
At 18, Naomi decided to try her hand at modelling and was hired by an agency in Japan. After a year of struggles, she realized this sort of exposure was not what for her and returned home. Now working in the fashion industry -- behind the camera -- Watts was hired as an editor at Follow Me, a fashion magazine. The acting bug was too strong, however, and Watts landed roles in 1991's Flirting, with Nicole Kidman and Thandie Newton, and in an Australian miniseries alongside Russell Crowe.
With the ultimate desire of being a star in Hollywood, Watts took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles. Bit roles in 1993's Matinee and 1995's Tank Girl gave her experience but not quite the boost she needed to become a recognizable face or name. Even after a few consecutive TV productions with CBS and parts in 1996's Children of the Corn IV, 1998's Dangerous Beauty and 1999's Strange Planet, a breakthrough performance had not yet been achieved.