She is known for her roles in the films Mulholland Drive (2001), The Ring (2002), her Academy Award nomination for 21 Grams (2003), and King Kong (2005).
She then starred in the much-anticipated remake of King Kong (2005) as Ann Darrow. The role, immortalized by Fay Wray in the original film, proved to be Watts's most commercially successful film yet. Helmed by The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, the film won high praise and grossed $550 million worldwide.
Watts starred in The Painted Veil with Edward Norton and Liev Schreiber, released in December 2006. She has since finished the films Funny Games (a remake of the 1997 Austrian film by director Michael Haneke) with Tim Roth, and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises with Viggo Mortensen.
The press has labeled her the "queen of remakes" because she has starred in so many of them; she is scheduled to star in the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Watts has stated only that there have been "discussions" about the remake.
In January 2010, she was cast for the thriller film Dream House, which will be directed by Jim Sheridan. She also appears in the drama Mother and Child, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
She starred in the film Fair Game, which opened in the US on November 5, 2010.
