How David Lynch Cast Naomi Watts in ‘Mulholland Dr.’ (video)

by Michael Calia, The WSJ


*Credit: The WSJ/Criterion Collection

David Lynch’s 2001 noir “Mulholland Dr.” explores the dark side of Hollywood and, like classics such as “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Player,” it stands out in this subgenre. It helped Lynch snag his third best director Oscar nomination, and came in at No. 28 in the most recent edition of the prestigious Sight & Sound list of the greatest films ever made.

“Mulholland Dr.,” which originally started out as a TV pilot before becoming a feature, plunges deep into the horror of the movie industry. It tells the story of wannabe starlet Betty (Naomi Watts), her mysterious new friend (Laura Harring), as well as the loosely connected narrative of film director Adam Kesher’s (Justin Theroux) power struggle with the shadowy forces behind the business.

Since “Mulholland Dr.” is a Lynch movie, though, things are a lot more mysterious and unclear than that. There’s a creepy homeless guy lurking behind a Dumpster who may or may not possess the key to horrors both cosmic and personal. An enigmatic figure named The Cowboy threatens Theroux’s character to play ball with evil film financiers. Billy Ray Cyrus shows up as a lecherous pool guy.......(read more)

The narrative playing out onscreen may not even be the real story, and various clues point at much of it being a nightmare state for Diane Selwyn (also played by Watts), a character who emerges in the movie’s harrowing final act. It was a breakout performance for Watts, who went on to earn two Oscar nominations of her own for 2003’s “21 Grams” and 2012’s “The Impossible.”

In the exclusive clip above, which is taken from the bonus features on the new Criterion edition of “Mulholland Dr.” (out next week), Watts and Lynch talk about how she was cast in the film – an anecdote that has eerie similarities to what happens in the movie.