With the passing of beloved director David Lynch, many of the actors he worked with – along with countless staunch admirers – have shared emotional tributes and testaments to his legacy.

Naomi Watts revealed on “Live With Kelly and Mark” (via Entertainment Weekly) that she nearly quit acting before she met the late David Lynch, who cast her as the lead in 2001’s “Mulholland Drive.” The film’s critical acclaim and global success turned Watts into a star after “10 years” of “flunking auditions.

Naomi Watts remembers David Lynch and how “instrumental” he was in her Hollywood career. In a new interview, the Mulholland Drive star revealed how the filmmaker kept her from quitting acting. “[Lynch] was very instrumental to me even being in America,