Guess Who? Hollywood star shares sweet never before seen childhood photos as she releases new book

She’s the beloved British-born actress who started her stellar acting career Down Under after moving to Australia as a young girl.

Following a head-turning performance in the 1991 Aussie teen movie Flirting alongside her pal Nicole Kidman she tried her luck in Hollywood.

After years of struggle, the blonde beauty finally scored a breakout role in 2001 in a sexed-up mystery film that wowed critics and fans alike.

Other performances in highly praised films came thick and fast, including 21 Grams (2001), the blockbuster King Kong in 2005 and the Oscar-winning Birdman (2014).

She also won accolades for her roles in the Twin Peak TV reboot in 2017 and the hard-hitting streaming hit The Loudest Voice.

Of course, it’s Naomi Watts. 

British-born actress Naomi Watts shares a series of throwback pictures in her new memoir Dare I Say It. Pictured: Naomi with her brother Ben 

Naomi also shares a photo of herself from 1980, in which she can be seen reclining on a couch and dressed in a pastel top 

Naomi posing for a school photo while she was living on Sydney’s north shore

The 56-year-old former Home and Away actress shares a series of throwback pictures in her new memoir Dare I Say It.

One of the adorable images shows the future star posing with her brother Ben.

Taken in 1973, when the actress was just five, Naomi, her hair cut in a fashionable bob, brandishes her familiar smile.

Naomi also shares a photo of herself from 1980, in which she can be seen reclining on a couch and dressed in a pastel top. 

Another image shows a 14-year-old Naomi posing for a school photo when she was living on Sydney’s north shore.

Already showing off her now familiar winning smile, Naomi’s blonde locks are now styled in an edgy fringe cut. 

In an article in Wall Street Journal to promote her new book, Naomi recalls her memories of her early years as a young actor, including meeting future superstar Nicole Kidman. 

‘I first met Nicole Kidman when I was 15 at an audition,’ she said.

Naomi’s major films include 21 Grams (2001), the blockbuster King Kong in 2005 and the Oscar-winning Birdman (2014). Pictured: Naomi in New York on Tuesday

‘I had a job in a deli, and she’d pop in now and again. We had lots of friends in common, and we wound up in an acting class together. 

‘She was a year ahead and had been working as a professional actress from an early age.

‘I felt inspired whenever I was in her presence. Like me, she was a North Shore girl who ended up on a successful Australian TV show, so she made me feel a sense of possibility.

‘I visited Nicole in America in the early 1990s and then I moved to Los Angeles. That’s when she became a bit of a mentor and was constantly encouraging.’ 

Naomi recently penned a heartfelt tribute to director David Lynch, who she credits with kickstarting her career. 

The auteur’s family announced the devastating news that he had died, aged 78, after a battle with emphysema, via social media on last week.

Naomi, who was a long-time collaborator with Lynch, first starring in his lauded 2001 esoteric thriller Mulholland Drive took to Instagram on Friday to share her grief over the director’s passing.

‘My heart is broken,’ she began the expansive post that was augmented with photos and clips of the pair together.

‘My Buddy Dave…The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful.’

Naomi added that she is forever grateful to the director who gave her a shot after trying to make it in Hollywood for more than a decade.

‘He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right,’ she wrote.

 Naomi in her breakthrough role in Mulholland Drive from 2001

‘Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even “see me” when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!

Continuing the expansive tribute, Naomi added that it was the man, as well as his art that impacted her life so greatly.

‘It wasn’t just his art that impacted me – his wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before,’ she offered.

‘Every moment together felt charged with a presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because, yes, he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel beyond lucky to have been a small part of.

‘And David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.’

Concluding her tribute, Naomi revealed that she was ‘in pieces’ over the director’s death
.

‘I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship. I’m yelling from the bullhorn: Godspeed, Buddy Dave! Thank you for your everything. —Buttercup xox’

Naomi also shared a glimpse into the pair’s working relationship via a sweet clip.

The video showed Naomi and Lynch on set with the director urging the actress to slap him.

Naomi offered a light tap on the director’s cheek causing him to reply: No, you’re p****d off, slap me.’

‘I don’t want to, ‘ she replied, before Lynch placed a consoling arm around her shoulder and offered: ‘aw, sweetheart.’

Her post was met with an outpouring of condolences from friends and followers including fellow Australian actress Rebecca Gibney.

‘What a stunningly beautiful tribute, she wrote. ‘We have indeed lost an artistic giant. Truly heartbreaking.’

Another follower chimed in, praising her  work in Mulholland Drive and Lynch’s ‘genius’ vision.

‘My condolences Naomi, your performance in Mulholland Drive is still one of my favorite performances ever,’ they shared.

‘He was such a genius, one of the greatest artists ever. I can only imagine what it feels to lose him as a friend, we will always remember him and his huge legacy.’

Naomi and Lynch’s artistic collaboration saw them work on four projects – the first being her breakout role in the 2001 film Mulholland Drive.

They reunited in 2006 for Lynch’s experimental mystery Inland Empire, which used footage of Watts from the director’s 2002 short film Rabbits.

She also appeared in the reboot of Lynch’s iconic series Twin Peaks, playing Janey-E Jones.