@naomiwatts has built a career embodying women in moments of strife and calamity. Now, 25 years since her breakthrough in David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive,’ the CULT100 cover star is ready to try something new.
With an auteur-inflected filmography, myriad accolades under her belt, and her kids out from underfoot, the actor is ready to venture into new terrain. “People don’t know that I can be funny,” she tells her friend
@derekblasberg . “I turned down quite a few romantic comedies in the early days. But I’m trying to shift that narrative a bit lately.”
The signs of that effort are already clear: she’s appeared in four back-to-back Ryan Murphy projects in recent years, and several experimental directorial debuts—including the forthcoming ‘Mother Courage’ opposite Sarah Paulson, and psychological thriller ‘The Housewife’—have repositioned her as an actor who’s still interested in testing her own mettle.
Link in bio to read Watts’s conversation with Blasberg now, and order your copy of the 2026 CULT100 issue before the full list drops on April 23.
All clothing and accessories by
@maisonvalentino . All jewelry by
@brionyraymondnewyork .
Editor-in-Chief:
@sarahgharrelson
Photography:
@frenchgold
Styling:
@jeanannwilliams
Hair:
@rebekahforecast
Makeup:
@marywilesmakeup
Nails:
@theginaviviano
Lighting Direction:
@alexeitopounov
Digital Tech: Michael Vick
Set Design:
@colinphelan
Production:
@jennypio
Casting:
@specialprojectsmedia
// The 100 individuals on CULTURED’s third annual CULT100 list span disciplines and generations. Some are household names, others operate behind the scenes. All of them are choosing risk over reward, curiosity over cynicism, and are shaping culture in real time. Each offers something that the algorithm never will. //
