Naomi Watts gives a speech at the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

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https://www.maximotv.com  Actress Naomi Watts gives a speech at the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 6201 Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles, California, USA.  This video is available for editorial use in all media and worldwide. To ensure compliance and proper licensing of this video, please contact us at https://www.maximotv.com.  🇺🇸

Transcript

00:00Today, you will join that pantheon with star number 2825.

00:09Now, even though it's really a sacred place and a place of imagination,

00:14it's also a real place in the city of Los Angeles.

00:18And so on behalf of the City Council of Los Angeles and the council member who represents this district, Hugo Soto-Martinez,

00:26the city wishes to present you with a plaque, so now it's photo op time.

00:32Wait, let me put this down. I hope it doesn't. Oh.

00:36You can help it?

00:38We'll give it back.

00:40Okay.

01:14It is now my pleasure and honor to declare today, Naomi De,

01:20Naomi De in Hollywood.

01:28Thank you, Steve.

01:32Thank you, everyone.

01:34As soon as I learned that I was going to receive this honor,

01:38I felt overcome with gratitude for everyone who's helped me to get to this moment.

01:44So I'd like to highlight three special people.

01:47My mother, Miv, who taught me about the joys of make-believe.

01:54David Lynch, who taught me that art has no limits.

01:58And Ryan Murphy, who taught me there's still so much more to learn.

02:03My mom used to give my brother and I, she channeled through to us this creative spark.

02:09We used to peek through the windows of abandoned houses and imagine who lived there.

02:14And what would the house look like if we lived there?

02:17The first time I saw her acting up close, I was four years old,

02:20sitting in the front row watching my mom play Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

02:26She was so gorgeous, gliding across the stage in her wig

02:29and talking in this funny voice in this special dress.

02:32And I kept waving at her.

02:35I was confused as to why she wasn't waving back at me.

02:38But finally she gave me this little hand gesture, a little wink, and went back to playing her part.

02:45But in that moment I understood the world of make-believe.

02:49And I wanted to be a part of it.

02:51From then on I signed up for the Shoreham Players in Kent every season.

02:56But I never thought that being in those skits or plays might just one day become a job.

03:01And I thought it was just a hobby like gymnastics or needlepoint or memorizing every word to Davey Bowie's songs.

03:08As a young adult I booked a few gigs here and there, mainly tampon commercials, some bit parts, a soap opera.

03:16But I dreamed for more. So I moved to America and I began landing a few roles.

03:21Some solid roles like Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle.

03:25And Children of the Corn for The Gathering.

03:29Now honestly I would have been happy just to be a working actor for the rest of my life, just making enough to cover the rent.

03:35But when I hit a run of bad luck I started bombing audition after audition.

03:41And the fewer jobs I booked, the more desperate I became.

03:44I wanted to give up.

03:46But then David Lynch entered my life.

03:51I'd just flown to New York City to see my mum and brother and I'd spent my last few pennies on theatre tickets.

03:57I was literally on the way to the theatre when I got a call saying,

04:01you've got to come back immediately to meet David Lynch.

04:04I'd broken plans before with fancy directors and they'd gone nowhere.

04:09So I was inclined to stay and see the play I'd spend money on.

04:13But David's brilliant casting director, Joanna Ray, here in the audience,

04:21had called me a few times before and persuaded me that this time the odds were better.

04:26The way David worked, he'd go through a pile of photographs and maybe pick out four or five people to meet.

04:33And if you're girl number three and he sees you and it's a fit, that's it.

04:37He doesn't meet anyone else.

04:39And so that moment changed my life forever.

04:42Thank you, Joanna.

04:45While my mother David and Ryan are the three influencers I most want to highlight,

04:54I have a few other people I want to thank just now.

04:58Peter Levine, my film agent, the longest man standing.

05:02He's the kindest person and he's seen me through thick and thin.

05:06Not only does he represent me, but he's taken the time to understand and curate my artistic appetite for decades.

05:14Thank you, Peter. I love you.

05:17Jason Weinberg, the fastest moving, fastest talking person I know.

05:23I'm so happy to call him my manager and my friend.

05:26He's the only person who can outlast me on the dance floor.

05:29And I've loved, loved raising our families together, Jason.

05:33I love you.

05:35Steve Warren, my sensitive, sweet, kind, sharp lawyer.

05:41I can turn to him for absolutely anything.

05:45We talk life, scripts, you name it.

05:47He's a champion for me and my whole family.

05:50I'm so glad that David led me to you.

05:53Robin Baum, my hardworking, no-nonsense publicist, the most elegant woman who's always a calm voice.

06:01She's seen me through all the highs and lows.

06:03Thank you for continuing to sound the trumpet about my career.

06:07Even if 90% of my interviews these days are about hot flashes.

06:13Howard Altman, my business manager.

06:16I'll never forget the first meeting in my trailer.

06:19I was dripping wet, fresh out of the well from shooting The Ring.

06:23Thank you for sticking with me, even though most of your clients are in Marvel movies with superhero, supersized paychecks.

06:30You must really like me or love a good challenge.

06:33Andrea Weintraub, my TV agent.

06:37She saved Robin from being the only woman on my team.

06:40Thank you for believing in me and expertly guiding my recent work into television.

06:45I'm so grateful for you.

06:48My first ever film agent, the OG, John Cann, back in Sydney, an early champion who sadly is no longer with us.

06:56He took me after one conversation.

06:59I remember running to the closest phone booth to scream down the line to my mom.

07:03He said yes.

07:05And my dear friend Nicole, an inspiration from the North Shore of Sydney, she made a dream seem tangible.

07:14Her encouragement along the way has always been my North Star.

07:19I love you, Nick.

07:20Thank you for your kind words.

07:23And there's so many more important people along the way.

07:26Kate Driver, Jennifer Grey, Lorena Spencer, Gretchen Rush, Daniel Crane, to name a few.

07:33Thank you for all your love and support.

07:35Also, some important collaborators.

07:37I want to thank Liz Himmelstein, my long-time dialect coach.

07:42She coached me for free on Mulholland Drive.

07:45And she's the one that makes work seem like play.

07:49And that is truly the best feeling.

07:51Mary Sweeney, the editor of Mulholland Drive.

07:55Thank you for keeping me in the movie.

07:58Gore Verbinski, who made me a scream queen.

08:03And Alejandro Gonzalez, who gave me not one but two incredible parts.

08:09My buddy and brother, Edward Norton, working with you on Painted Veil and Birdman together.

08:18We had such an incredible time.

08:20I truly, truly love you.

08:22We used to sit around and just listen to everything he had to say.

08:26He could talk and talk and talk.

08:29In fact, the only person who talks more than you is my husband.

08:35Thank you for talking here today.

08:37Actually, you didn't talk as much as I thought you would.

08:41Thank you, Ed. I love you.

08:46I love you so much.

08:48It's a real honor.

08:50And thank you so many more to my fantastic friends and collaborators.

08:55Jack Black.

08:56Yay.

08:57Kyle McLaughlin.

09:00And Laura Dern.

09:03Sean Penn.

09:04Bill Murray.

09:05Tim Roth.

09:06Elle Fanning.

09:07Susan Sarandon.

09:08Thank you to my All's Fair sisters.

09:11Kim, Tayana, Glenn.

09:13And here today, Sarah and Nisi.

09:16Thank you, my girls.

09:18Also, thank you to Tanase, Lou, and Sarah, part of the All's Fair team.

09:24A special thanks to the folks at Disney, Hulu, and FX who've made today possible.

09:29Dana Walden.

09:30John Landgraf.

09:31Michael Hatcher.

09:32Stephanie Levinson.

09:33Sharon Klein.

09:35Kerry Burke.

09:36Craig Erwick.

09:37Thank you so much.

09:40But just quickly, back to David.

09:43So I got off that flight and went straight to Joanna's office.

09:46For months, I'd been going into those castings where I could barely get eye contact or a handshake.

09:51This was different.

09:53This director was looking me in the eye and beaming.

09:56He looked so happy to be there with me.

09:59I felt instantly calm.

10:01This was an exchange and I was in no rush to leave.

10:04He brought out the absolute best in me.

10:07And he saw things in me I'd never seen in myself.

10:10So much of what it means to be an actor I learned from him.

10:13He used to live just a few blocks from here.

10:16And I feel some sort of comfort knowing that he'll be a neighbor here in spirit.

10:21David was a true mentor.

10:23Someone I could always reach out to.

10:25He used to call me his buttercup.

10:27On King Kong, he told me,

10:29Naomi, anyone who sits in the hand of King Kong will be a movie star for life.

10:35Maybe this is what he was talking about.

10:40And then there's Ryan Murphy.

10:44You know, it's not every director in Hollywood who's casting multiple women in the same project.

10:51But Ryan is.

10:53Ryan is a true champion for women.

10:56Who's not only become the architect of this new phase of my acting career,

11:01he's also become a dear friend along the way.

11:04Thank you for your beautiful words today, Ryan.

11:07Not only does he hire a lot of women, but he also gives us phenomenal parts.

11:13And recently, yes, I've become a bit of an advocate for my non-Hollywood life,

11:23and people call me the menopause lady.

11:26I consider today a moment where those two worlds collide.

11:30This honor is a testimony to the fact that a woman's viability does not end when she turns 40, 50, or 60, or 70, or onwards.

11:41And Ryan Murphy knows that.

11:43Am I right, ladies?

11:46Keep doing it, Ryan, please.

11:49This has truly been the most exciting time of my life.

11:53I recently got married for the first time.

11:56And my husband, Billy, whose talent is just extraordinary, has shown me phenomenal love and support.

12:07Marrying him might just be the kindest and nicest thing I've ever done for myself.

12:13I'm so proud of my kids.

12:16My son, Sasha, a freshman at USC, is here straight from class.

12:21He rolled in.

12:23And he's blossoming into the kindest, most charismatic young man.

12:27My daughter, Kai, a high school senior who's both fierce and fearless.

12:32And my stepson, Will, about to graduate from college, a young artist following in his father's footsteps and his whole family's footsteps.

12:39I love you guys so much.

12:41I share this with you.

12:43And to my late nana, the matriarch of our family, she taught me the value of hard work.

12:48There were goats to milk and chickens to feed.

12:51And she used to say to me, get off your dinger and get it done.

12:55And my brother, Ben, who's always been with me every step of the way, a witness to each other's lives.

13:02And it was his headshot, by the way, that helped me land Mulholland Drive in the first place.

13:09I love you, Ben.

13:10Thank you to my other family in the audience.

13:13Jean-Ann, Ruby, Gabby, Winston.

13:16Your support means the world.

13:17And to the incredible group of women in my life.

13:20So many women.

13:21I adore you.

13:23And including Emma and Bruna, who flew in from Australia, for Christ's sake.

13:27Also, to my dad.

13:32I miss you.

13:34I wish you were here.

13:36And lastly, I'd just like to say thank you to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for this great, great honor.

13:43The greatest of my life.

13:44And thank you for giving it to me now at exactly the right time.

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