Naomi Watts Opens Up About Her 'Special Friendship' with Bill Murray: 'It Means the World' (Exclusive)

Naomi Watts and Bill Murray star in 'The Friend' after appearing together in 2014's 'St. Vincent'

Naomi Watts is opening up about her bond with friend and costar Bill Murray.

"It means the world. It's very lovely, and we do have a very special friendship," Watts, 55, tells PEOPLE of her The Friend costar Murray, 73, ahead of the movie's premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. In the new movie, the pair play longtime friends in New York City. Watts' character is entrusted with the care of Murray's character's Great Dane after his sudden death.

"I love that this story centers around friendships. Because not many stories do. If it's a relationship movie, it's often romance or family dynamics," Watts says. "And friendship is something that's a very powerful thing. As you get older, it becomes more and more meaningful. So yeah, it makes sense. And I have that kind of friendship with Bill, too."

Watts and Murray first worked together on the 2014 movie St. Vincent. She jokes that she was cast in The Friend simply because the filmmakers also wanted to get Murray involved. "They mentioned his name, and at first I was like, 'Oh, god, that's why they called me. Because they want to get to Bill,' " she says. "Because people know that I know him, and we've worked together. . . But when they said that, it just was an aha moment and I couldn't see it any other way. I was determined, so I made the call."

Related: Naomi Watts Shares Snap of Daughter Kai, 15, as She Leaves for First Day of Junior Year: 'Here Comes 11th Grade'

Aside from Watts and Murray, the movie from filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel also stars Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Nova Dumezweni, Ann Dowd, Felix Solis, Owen Teague and Bing the Great Dane.

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Watts, who describes herself as a lifelong dog lover, additionally tells PEOPLE that the canine "was wonderful" to work with on set. "He came with Bev Klingensmith, who is his owner and breeder. And she's highly, highly trained and also an animal trainer for the movies and TV and also Broadway," she says. "So you can imagine the precision that he has to work with. Because Great Danes, they're big. They get tired. . . But they searched the country far and wide and finally found Bing in Iowa."

Related: Naomi Watts Mourns Grandmother After Her Death at 99 Following Her ‘Massive Stroke’ 3 Weeks Ago: We’re ‘All in Pieces’

Watts and Murray's new movie is based on author Sigrid Nunez's 2018 novel of the same name. The Friend made its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival.

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