JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Happy Birthday Naomi Watts: Revisiting Her 10 Greatest Roles As Actress Turns 56
Take a look back at some of Naomi Watts' most memorable roles as she celebrates her 56th birthday! We examine her versatility, from The Impossible's shudders to The Ring's emotional depths.
Throughout her remarkable career, Naomi Watts has consistently delivered powerhouse performances that showcased her incredible range and depth as an actress. From the chilling thrills of psychological horror to the heartbreaking emotions of true-life dramas, she's captivated audiences and earned critical acclaim.
Today, we revisit 10 of her most unforgettable roles, exploring the versatility that has made her a true Hollywood icon. Get ready to dive into the world of existential detectives, blockbuster romances with giant apes, and journeys into the darkest corners of the human psyche. We'll celebrate Watts' ability to portray vulnerability and strength, raw emotion, and quiet intensity, all within the span of this captivating filmography.
10. King Kong (2005)
Stepping in for a role that has been portrayed by Fay Wray in the original 1933 installment wasn’t an easy choice for Watts, but she delivered an outstanding performance. Her on-screen chemistry with Kong the ape, played by Andy Serkis, reminded fans of Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. The romance filmmaking between an unusual couple is so heartwarming that it makes you break out in goosebumps, especially when Watts confronts a raging Kong that wrecks New York and lets him wrap her tightly in his arms. In this Peter Jackson directorial, Naomi Watts demonstrated the versatile skills as an actor she holds.
9. Eastern Promises (2007)
Eastern Promises is one of the few gangster movies that had a strong female character—portrayed by Watts—which brings a feminist perspective to the storyline. In her intricate part as a British-Russian midwife, Watts delves into the secrets recorded in the diary of a young patient who passed away before childbirth. While the movie's major battle scene draws most of the attention, at the same time Watts' subtle responses to the violence brought a level of compassion that is equally deserving of praise. Viggo Mortensen's performance in the movie obtained him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
8. 21 Grams (2003)
In this Alejandro González Iñárritu directoral, Watts took the role of a drug addict who circled back to taking drugs after her family members were murdered in a sad turn of events. The stories in 21 Grams were told out of chronological order to maintain mystery about how all of them conjugate in the same narrative. The depth of the narrative and its potent message regarding mental health were ahead of time. Watts’s portrayal in the movie was one of her most breakthrough projects in her Hollywood career and gave her a well-deserved nomination for an Academy Award once more.
7. I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Naomi Watts plays the role of Dawn Campbell in David O. Russell's curiously fascinating film, I Heart Huckabees. Campbell is one of the clients of existential detectives Bernard Jaffe and Vivian Jaffe, played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin. These detectives are trying to help their clients find the meaning of their existence. Mark Wahlberg also co-stars with Watts, who steals the show with her portrayal of a silly persona. Watts portrays a deadbeat corporate employee who is dissatisfied with her life. Even though the movie was criticized as a comedy, its portrayal of real-life corporate issues makes it a notable entry in Watts’s acting journey.
6. Birdman (2014)
Birdman tells the story of Riggan Thomson, an actor washed up by fame, played by Michael Keaton. Riggan tries to regain prominence on Broadway by adapting Raymond Carver's short stories into a play. Naomi Watts plays Lesley, an estranged daughter of Riggan who struggles to find her place in society and the world at large. The film is complex and metafictional, exploring themes of identity, fame, and reality. Watts's performance is subtle, but one can sense the inner turmoil as Lesley is torn between her father's ambitions and her own insecurities.
5. The Ring (2002)
In this popular horror movie, Watts plays a reporter investigating a string of deaths that seem to be connected to a mysterious videotape. The film was a box office success, due in large part to Watts’s emotionally charged performance, which heightened the tension and thrill that the story sought to build. Compared to other horror movies of its time, The Ring was more sophisticated in its scares, avoiding cheap jump scares or gore. Instead of spawning numerous successful sequels, the original film remains the most binge-worthy, with Watts’s portrayal standing out as a key element that future installments never quite replicated.
4. While We're Young (2014)
In Noah Baumbach's comedy-drama While We're Young, contemporary culture is skewered with incisive satire. Naomi Watts plays Cornelia, a woman struggling to connect with the younger generation. She and her husband, played by Ben Stiller, become friends with a free-spirited couple in their 20s, portrayed by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried. The film is witty, clever, and incisive—much like the plays of Wilde—as it tackles themes of age, identity, and success. Watts is both comical and poignant in her performance, capturing the feeling of being out of place in a rapidly changing world.
3. Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch's enigmatic mystery, Mulholland Drive, stands as one of the landmark films of the 21st century. Naomi Watts plays Betty, an aspiring actress who arrives in Hollywood with dreams of stardom. Soon, she finds herself drawn into a bizarre, dreamlike world where the lines between reality and fantasy blur. Watts delivers a fragile yet compelling performance as she navigates the film's twisty plot, bringing both innocence and experience to her mystical role.
2. The Impossible (2012)
This film tells the true story of a family caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Directed by J.A. Bayona, The Impossible stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as a couple separated from their children in the chaos of the disaster. Watts delivers an emotionally charged portrayal of a mother desperate to find her children in terrifying circumstances, which gives the entire drama its emotional weight. Her performance earned her a second Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Tom Holland, in one of his early roles, plays the couple's 12-year-old son. The film grossed $198 million worldwide, making it one of Watts's highest-grossing movies.
1. Fair Game (2010)
Fair Game is a political thriller based on the true story of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative whose identity was exposed by the Bush administration. Naomi Watts plays Plame, who must fight to protect her reputation and the safety of her family. The film is a powerful exploration of government corruption and the personal toll of political persecution. Watts delivers a magnificent performance—combining intelligence, emotion, and sensitivity—as she portrays a woman who refuses to be silenced.
ALSO READ: Happy Birthday Avril Lavigne: Revisiting Her Top 10 Tracks As Singer Turns 40
Latest Articles
