Billy Crudup's testicles confession revealed by Naomi Watts

Watts and Crudup first met on the set of their Netflix series Gypsy in 2017. Although sparks flew immediately, the couple hid their relationship for years, but made their debut on the red carpet only in 2022. In 2023, they sparked engagement rumors. , which they later confirmed by announcing that they had tied the knot.

Now, in her newly released book, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause, Naomi Watts reflects on her past. The “King Kong” actress recalls Billy Crudup's cheeky comment about his testicles that comforted and amused her early in their romance.

In her recent book, Watts revealed an early and vulnerable moment in her relationship with Crudup. At the time, she had just started hormone therapy for menopause and was wearing an estrogen patch to manage her symptoms.

“I was worried that if he saw (the patch), he would understand that it meant I was menopausal: no longer a vibrant, fertile being,” she wrote. Sixth pageadmitting that she felt self-conscious about the traces of glue left on her skin.

Once, as the couple prepared for an intimate evening at Crudup's, Watts spent a considerable amount of time in the bathroom scrubbing her skin 'raw', desperate to remove any sign of the patch. When Crudup asked if everything was okay, she finally admitted her concerns about menopause.

Instead of reacting with discomfort, Crudup struck her with empathy and humor. “He got a smile on his face. He seemed very relieved that it wasn't a lack of desire,” Watts shared. He reassured her by saying, “I think it's great that you're taking care of yourself. How can I help?”

To further lighten the mood, the “Morning Show” star shared her own experience with aging, saying, “Hey, if it makes you feel any better: I have gray hair.”

Watt revealed that this unexpected taunt made her laugh and feel at ease. “To this day, those are still the most romantic words I've ever heard, on or off screen,” she joked in the book. “And that includes the script for every movie I've ever been in, and even this same man's very sweet marriage proposal that came seven years later.”

Naomi Watts almost quit Hollywood before her longtime friend and collaborator David Lynch cast her in the iconic 2001 noir Mulholland Drive.

The Oscar-nominated actress opened up about her struggles and Lynch's pivotal role in her career during an appearance on “Live With Kelly and Mark” on Tuesday. Lynch, who passed away last week at the age of 78, not only helped Watts' professional breakthrough, but also helped her stay in America to pursue her Hollywood dreams.

Watts revealed that before landing the role in Mulholland Drive, she was on the move back to Australia, where she had started her acting career after moving from the UK as a child. “I wouldn't have stayed if I hadn't met David Lynch,” said the 56-year-old actress. “The number of chips was down, it was 10 years when you listened.”

While promoting her new non-fiction book, Dare I Say It, Watts explained her frustrations with her then-stalled career. Despite landing roles in the 1995 comic book adaptation Tank Girl and the 1996 horror sequel Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, she struggled to find consistent work.

“Nothing happened,” she admitted. “I literally alienate people. I made them uncomfortable because I was like, “I need a job! I need a job!' So much so that my agent at the time said, “You're too intense. You make people uncomfortable.” Watt described feeling desperate and considering giving up on his Hollywood dreams several times.

It was at this low point that Lynch stepped in.

Watts shared how the filmmaker's unique casting process stood out to her.

“David Lynch recruited me and he has a very different way of recruiting. He sat me down and just looked me in the eye and asked me questions,” she said. While she initially doubted herself, thinking, “I'm not funny, I'm not sexy, I'm too old,” Lynch's perspective was transformative. “He just saw me and was able to lift those veneers.”

Not long after they met, Watts was cast in the movie Mulholland Drive. The role became a defining moment in her career, garnering critical acclaim and catapulting her to stardom. Watt credited Lynch not only for the professional opportunity, but for becoming a “real mentor and friend.”