Naomi Watts has been gracing our movie screens for over 25 years, earning the respect of her peers as well as multiple industry accolades, including two Oscar nominations for best actress.
To celebrate Watts’ birthday, Variety is ranking her 15 best film performances so far.
Born in England and raised in Australia, Watts was sprinkled in smaller roles throughout the ‘90s before being cast in David Lynch’s thriller “Mulholland Drive” (2001), which earned critical acclaim. Despite Lynch landing a surprise Oscar nom for directing, Watts failed to nab attention for her breakthrough role.
The industry made it up to her the following year when she starred opposite Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro in Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s “21 Grams” (2002), playing a grief-stricken wife and mother. For her efforts, she picked up her first Oscar nom for best actress, ultimately losing to Charlize Theron’s work in “Monster.”
The blonde bombshell effortlessly bounced back and forth between quirky comedies like “I Heart Huckabees” (2004), independent dramas like “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” (2004), and even big budget blockbusters like “King Kong” (2005).
Her return to the Oscar ceremony would come with her physically demanding turn as a mother fighting for survival during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in J.A. Bayona’s “The Impossible” (2012), starring opposite Ewan McGregor and a young Tom Holland. She comfortably garnered a nom for best actress.
Since then, she’s found herself to be a close dark horse on multiple occasions, nabbing SAG nominations for “St. Vincent” as a hilarious pregnant Russian prostitute and as a struggling stage performer in the best picture winner “Birdman” (2014).
Nowadays, she’s been consistently shepherding dynamic roles in films such as “Luce” and “Penguin Bloom.”
Aside from two smaller features earlier this year – “Infinite Storm” and “Goodnight Mommy” — Watts will next be seen in Ryan Murphy’s new true crime series “The Watcher,” which drops on Netflix in October. In addition, she’s set to play Babe Paley in the next iteration of FX’s “Feud” in 2023.
Read Variety’s list of Naomi Watts’ 15 best performances so far below. Make sure to watch the best clip from each of the films selected.
Honorable mentions: “Mother and Child” (2010); “Fair Game” (2010); “The Glass Castle” (2017)
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‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)
Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Anna “Anya” Ivanovna Khitrova
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer(s): Steven Knight
Distributor: Focus Features
The scene that proves it: “Ordinary people.”
Much of the attention for David Cronenberg’s 2007 gangster film went to the now infamous naked fight scene involving Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen. Too quickly overlooked was Watts’ work as Anna, a midwife who discovers the diary of a teenage girl who dies during childbirth. Watts’ steadfast turn gives the viewer the required emotional edge to connect to Steven Knight’s script.
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‘Sunlight Jr.’ (2013)
Image Credit: ©Samuel Goldwyn Films/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Melissa Winters
Director: Laurie Collyer
Writer(s): Laurie Collyer (inspired by “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich)
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn
The scene that proves it: “I miss you.”
A smaller gem that has flown under the radar, Watts stars as Melissa, a store clerk who is involved with Richie (Matt Dillon), a paralyzed man who is struggling with his new life situation. Watts and Dillon offer a compelling peek into the struggling lives of low-wage workers.
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‘Luce’ (2019)
Role: Amy Edgar
Director: Julius Onah
Writer(s): J.C. Lee, Julius Onah (based on “Luce” by J.C. Lee)
Distributor: Neon
The scene that proves it: “Your son scares me.”
As the adopted mother of Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a former African child soldier, Watts is the bird’s eye lens for the viewer as they decide to trust or believe the darkness that lives within her child. In masterful exchanges with Luce’s teacher (Octavia Spencer) and her suspicious husband (Tim Roth), Watts dives head-first into a tricky role, producing incredible results.
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‘The Painted Veil’ (2006)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Kitty Garstin Fane
Director: John Curran
Writer(s): Ron Nyswaner
Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures
The scene that proves it: “Talking to the nun.
Watts’ first outing with Edward Norton, and her second with director John Curran, show the Aussie actress operating under the words of Ron Nyswaner in his adaptation of the famous 1925 novel. As the London socialite Kitty, who married Walter (Norton), she displays female empowerment during a time when it was most conspicuous.
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‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection Role: Lesley Truman
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writer(s): Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., Armando Bó
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures (now Searchlight Pictures)
The scene that proves it: “You’re an actress, honey.”
The best picture winner, which almost earned Watts an Oscar nomination (based on the surprise SAG nom she received for “St. Vincent”), has the actress playing Lesley, a stage performer who struggles to deal with her boyfriend Mike (Oscar-nominated Edward Norton) while working on an upcoming Broadway adaptation directed by Riggan Thompson (Oscar-nominated Michael Keaton). Her co-star Emma Stone picked up a nom for her work, but Watts’ debutante remains one of the film’s bright spots.
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‘While We’re Young’ (2015)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Cornelia Srebnick
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer(s): Noah Baumbach
Distributor: A24
The scene that proves it: “Baby cult.”
The dramedy from Noah Baumbach looks at a marriage between two filmmakers, with Watts and her co-star Ben Stiller swinging for the fences. While the film display got lost in the shuffle after debuting at the Toronto and New York Film Festivals the year prior, later revisits show two devoted actors at the top of their game.
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‘St. Vincent’ (2014)
Image Credit: ©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Coll / Everett Collection Role: Daka Parimova
Director: Theodore Melfi
Writer(s): Theodore Melfi
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
The scene that proves it: “Selling pills.”
As the Russian sex worker Daka in Theodore Melfi’s dramedy, Watts brings her comedic chops once again, stealing various scenes from co-stars Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy. The role landed Watts one of the two shocking SAG noms she’s acquired over the years. However, she came up short with the Academy.
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‘We Don’t Live Here Anymore’ (2004)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Edith Evans
Director: John Curran
Writer(s): Larry Gross (based on short stories from “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” and “Adultery” by Andre Dubus)
Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures
The scene that proves it: “I’m leaving because I did…”
Part of an all-star cast, Watts’ work as Edith, a woman who begins an affair with Jack (Mark Ruffalo) is riveting and equally complex throughout John Curran’s underappreciated drama. In her interactions with her husband Hank (Peter Krause), Watts and her co-star Laura Dern display how the women of the tale own every beat in one of her most criminally overlooked performances.
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‘The Impossible’ (2012)
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection Role: Maria
Director: J.A Bayona
Writer(s): Sergio G. Sánchez
Distributor: Warner Bros.
The scene that proves it: “I’m scared too.
It’s hard to keep physical pain and anguish from appearing overblown. However, Watts brings the story of a mother and her family caught in a Thailand tsunami with grace and respect. Alongside a sensational Tom Holland in his big breakout role, Watts creates the most tear-jerking magic on screen as we feel every cut and bruise from the actress, while also feeling the relief when she feels she can safely leave this world after the big reunion.
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‘Funny Games’ (2007)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Ann Farber
Director: Michael Haneke
Writer(s): Michael Haneke (based on the 1997 Austrian film “Funny Games” by Michael Haneke)
Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures
The scene that proves it: “Getting undressed.”
Michael Haneke’s shot-for-shot remake of his own 1997 Austrian psychological thriller of the same name introduced the auteur to mainstream audiences. Its reflection of violence features Watts as Ann Farber, whose family is captured and tortured by two young criminals while on vacation. While many may scoff at remaking an already masterful film, “Funny Games” takes on new meaning when set in the United States. Watts goes for every terrifying beat and it’s a home run.
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‘I Heart Huckabees’ (2004)
Image Credit: ©Fox Searchlight/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Dawn Campbell
Director: David O. Russell
Writer(s): Jeff Baena, David O. Russell
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures (now Searchlight Pictures)
The scene that proves it: “Fuckabees!”
It doesn’t get much funnier than Watts’ outing as Dawn, girlfriend to Brad (Jude Law), who is the face and voice of the big box chain Huckabees. Showing she can be equally funny and dramatic, her interactions with a sprawling cast that includes Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert and an Oscar-snubbed Mark Wahlberg help elevate the zany and quirky gem to life.
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‘The Ring’ (2002)
Role: Rachel Keller
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer(s): Ehren Kruger (based on “Ring“ by Hiroshi Takahashi and “Ring“ by Koji Suzuki)
Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures
The scene that proves it: “Nightmare”
Thrown into the bin of “mindless” horror at the time, Gore Verbinski’s horrifying introduction into the world of Samara, the dead girl who kills her victims after watching a video tape, is heightened by Watts’ committed turn. Elevating the “scream queen” for the modern era, she breathes new life into nearly every beat of the inaugural entry. Plus, she blazed the trail for a hilarious parody performance by Anna Faris in “Scary Movie 3.”
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‘King Kong’ (2005)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Ann Darrow
Director: Peter Jackson
Writer(s): Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson (based on “King Kong” by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace)
Distributor: Universal Pictures
The scene that proves it: “Central park.”
In Peter Jackson’s first outing following an Oscar night sweep for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003), Watts channels the spirit and heartache of Ann Darrow, a Great Depression-era actress who becomes enchanted with Kong (performed by Andy Serkis) on Skull Island. Pain and anguish never looked so beautiful, as everyone can understand how “beauty killed the beast,” as said by film director Carl Denham (Jack Black).
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’21 Grams’ (2003)
Image Credit: ©Focus Films/Courtesy Everett Collection Role: Cristina Peck
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Writer(s): Guillermo Arriage
Distributor: Focus Features
The scene that proves it: “At the hospital (after Michael and the girl’s accident)”
There’s bravery, deep cuts of emotion and vulnerability that Watts rarely has the opportunity to showcase. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s drama looks at grief, revenge and redemption. Watts earned her first Academy Award nomination for her role and, by some measures, was challenging front-runner Charlize Theron’s Aileen Wuornos in “Monster.” Stealing the show alongside her Oscar-nominated co-star Benicio del Toro, this remains her most audacious work.
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‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
Role: Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn
Director: David Lynch
Writer(s): David Lynch
Distributor: Universal Pictures
The scene that proves it: “Betty’s Audition”
If you ask any cinephile what film they consider a perfectly directed endeavor, you’re likely to hear director David Lynch’s 2001 California thriller mentioned. Much of that praise is due to Watts’ invigorating and fierce turn as aspiring actress Betty Elms, who befriends an amnesiac woman (Laura Harring) following a car accident. Her breakout turn picked up wins from major critics groups including the National Society of Film Critics, but, unfortunately, went unnoticed by the Academy — something the cinematic community may never forgive the institution for.