September 28
 Naomi Ellen Watts's Birthday
 

Naomi Watts was born on September 28, 1968, in Kent, England. She lived there with her mother until the age of 14, when two significant things happened: 1. Watts and family moved to Australia. 2. Watts saw and fell in love with Fame (1980). Inspired by the movie, Watts decided she wanted to pursue a career as an actress. While in Australia, Watts attended high school with her bizarro-world doppelganger, fellow Aussie actress Nicole Kidman. If you squint enough, and if Nicole is in one of her blonde periods, you can’t even tell the difference. 

Sadly, while her copper-haired-twin was lighting up the silver screen throughout the nineties, the golden-coiffed Watt’s big break didn’t come until 2001, when continuously confusing, perennially perturbing director David Lynch cast her in the lead role of Mulholland Drive, a film that baffled most of its viewers but was actually pretty straightforward for Lynch. From there, 2002’s Ring, the remake of a 90s Japanese cult horror classic that singlehandedly ushered in the creepy little girl era in Hollywood, ensured that Watts wouldn’t be leaving the spotlight any time soon. 

A gorgeous blonde with a smile as bright as a 100- well, you know, it didn’t take long for Hollywood to cast Watts in higher- and higher-profile roles. In 2005, when director Peter Jackson was fresh off the Lord of the Rings mega-hits and could do wrong, he chose Watts to reprise the role of the most iconic cinema blonde of all time – Ann Darrow, canonized by Fay Wray in the original King Kong. Watts’ relationship with the giant ape was much more nuanced than the original horror film, even sparking some Oscar nomination rumors.  

Watts has continued to shine on the screen since, in both critically acclaimed dramas like 21 Grams and weirdo indie comedy darlings like I Heart Huckabees. Watts certainly doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon, and a good thing too, for the screen would be quite a bit darker without her. Raise a toast to the wonderfully weird movie that brought this British beauty to international stardom with the Mulholland Drive cocktail.

Mulholland Drive Cocktail