"If you haven't heard of Watts yet, you will. The English born, Aussie-bred blonde's star-making performance as Betty, a naive Hollywood ingenue has Hollywood tongues wagging already.

Reflecting on her casting session, she recalls, 'I went in and met with David, but he never had me do a reading. He just asked me to talk about myself for an hour and cast me based on that.'" -- Lael Loewenstein, May 17, 2001.

Naomi Watts is an accomplished actress, working steadily in the U.S., England and Australia. She has worked with such directors as George Miller, Marshall Herskovitz, John Duigan and David Lynch.

Born September 28, 1968, Shoreham, England, UK, Naomi is the daughter of Peter Watts, sound engineer and tour manager for Pink Floyd until 1974. You will notice they have the same last name -- more proof that he is, in fact, her father...

She recently completed the Showtime movie, The Outsider, directed by Randa Haines (director of Children of a Lesser God).

Earlier this year, Watts produced and starred in the short film Ellie Parker, which screened in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. The film is currently being developed as a feature film. Also, she received the Best Actress in Short Film Award from the Method Fest.

Born in England, Watts moved to Australia at 14 and began acting while attending school.

Watts currently resides in Los Angeles -- a quick helicopter hop from my pad, here in San Francisco.

I "fell in love with Naomi" -- if you will, before I even saw Mulholland Drive. But it was only because of this film that I really ever noticed her. I'd seen her as Rufus Sewell's uptight wife in Dangerous Beauty and in Wide Sargasso Sea, but I didn't remember her from those films. But I was seeing lots of photographs and trailers of her in Mulholland Drive. So gorgeous and sweet and special. The end of my "personal thoughts" section.

Mulholland Drive was originally planned as a TV series, "Mulholland Drive", screened in competition at Cannes, takes us back to familiar Lynchville with its host of Dopplegangers and moody scenes. Director David Lynch, winner of the 1990 Palme d'Or with "Wild at Heart", has assembled much of his regular team (composer Angelo Badalamenti, production designer Jack Fisk, editor Mary Sweeney).

A dark-haired woman (Laura Elena Harring) is left amnesiac after a car crash. She wanders the streets of Los Angeles in a daze before taking refuge in an apartment. There she is discovered by Betty (Naomi Watts), a wholesome Midwestern blonde who has come to the City of Angels seeking fame as an actress. Together, the two attempt to solve the mystery of Rita's true identity. The story is set in a dream-like Los Angeles, spoilt neither by traffic jams nor smog.