Honestly, if you look at the career trajectory of Naomi Watts, it’s kind of a miracle she’s here at all. Most people think of her as this established A-list blonde, but for nearly a decade in Los Angeles, she was basically a "professional auditioner" who couldn't catch a break. She was actually about to pack it all in and head back to Australia when a certain David Lynch saw her headshot and decided she had the right "energy" for a pilot that eventually became one of the greatest movies of the 21st century.
That’s the thing about movies with naomi watts. They aren’t just credits on an IMDb page; they are usually intense, often traumatizing, and always deeply felt experiments in human suffering. She doesn't do "light and breezy" very well, and frankly, we don't want her to.
The Breakout That Changed Everything
It’s impossible to talk about her work without starting at Mulholland Drive (2001). If you haven't seen it, it's a trip. Literally. She plays Betty, a wide-eyed aspiring actress, and then... well, then things get weird. There is a specific audition scene in that movie where she transforms from a bubbly amateur into a seductive, dangerous woman in the span of thirty seconds. It’s the kind of acting that makes other actors want to quit.
Following that up with The Ring (2002) was a genius move. While most "serious" actors avoid horror like the plague, Watts leaned into it. She brought a grounded, gritty realism to the role of Rachel Keller that made a movie about a cursed VHS tape feel genuinely terrifying instead of campy. It’s probably the most successful Japanese horror remake for a reason: her face. Specifically, her ability to project absolute, bone-chilling dread without saying a word.
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Heartbreak and The Oscar Years
By the mid-2000s, she was the go-to person for "women on the edge of a nervous breakdown."
- 21 Grams (2003): This is a heavy one. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, it earned her a first Oscar nomination. She plays a grieving mother, and she is raw. Like, skin-turned-inside-out raw.
- The Impossible (2012): This movie is a lot. It’s based on the real-life story of a family caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Watts spent a huge chunk of the filming time submerged in a water tank, and you can feel the physical exhaustion. She snagged another Academy Award nomination for this, and honestly, she probably deserved the win just for the physical toll alone.
She has this weirdly specific talent for making you feel like you're drowning right alongside her. It’s not always "fun" to watch, but it is undeniably powerful.
The Roles Nobody Talks About (But Should)
Everyone knows King Kong (2005). We’ve all seen her screaming at the giant ape, which, to be fair, is a great performance—she actually managed to have chemistry with a green screen and Andy Serkis in a mo-cap suit. But if you want to see what makes her interesting, you have to look at the weirder stuff.
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Take Funny Games (2007). It’s a shot-for-shot remake of Michael Haneke’s Austrian original. It’s brutal. It’s a home invasion movie that mocks the audience for wanting to watch violence. Most stars would stay 500 feet away from a project that hostile, but Watts produced it. She wanted it to be made.
Then there’s The Painted Veil (2006). It’s a period piece set in 1920s China during a cholera epidemic. She stars opposite Edward Norton, and the two of them have this prickly, uncomfortable chemistry that eventually turns into something heartbreaking. It’s a gorgeous, quiet movie that usually gets skipped over for her flashier thrillers.
Why We Are Still Watching in 2026
Lately, she’s been killing it on the small screen too—The Watcher and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans proved she can do "glamorous but crumbling" better than anyone. In Feud, playing Babe Paley, she captured that specific 1950s socialite elegance while slowly dying of lung cancer. It was devastating.
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But her film work continues to surprise. She just finished The Friend (2024/2025) with Bill Murray, based on the Sigrid Nunez novel about a woman who inherits a massive Great Dane after her friend dies. It's a pivot back to that quiet, internal acting she’s so good at.
And let’s not forget Too Much, the upcoming 2025/2026 project from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and David Cronenberg. Yes, you read that right. The creator of Fleabag and the king of body horror are teaming up, and Naomi Watts is the lead. It's supposed to be a "stylish, gripping drama about ambition and desire" set in the London art world. Given her history with Cronenberg (Eastern Promises), this is basically a cinephile's fever dream.
How to Actually Watch Her Filmography
If you’re looking to dive into the best movies with naomi watts, don't just go by the Rotten Tomatoes scores. Some of her best work is in movies that critics found "divisive" or "too dark."
- For the Thrill: Start with The Ring and Eastern Promises.
- For the Art: Watch Mulholland Drive twice. You won't get it the first time. No one does.
- For the Cry: Put on The Impossible but keep tissues nearby.
- For the "Wait, Is That Her?": Check out St. Vincent, where she plays a pregnant Russian prostitute with a heart of gold. It’s the most fun she’s ever had on screen.
She isn't interested in being the "pretty lead." She’s interested in the mess. That’s why, twenty-five years after her big break, we are still talking about her. She’s one of the few actors who isn't afraid to look ugly, terrified, or completely lost if that's what the story needs.
To get the most out of her work, try watching Mulholland Drive and The Ring back-to-back. It perfectly captures the two sides of her career: the surrealist indie darling and the commercial powerhouse. From there, move into her collaborations with Sean Penn (21 Grams, The Assassination of Richard Nixon) to see how she holds her own against the most intense actors of her generation.