Naomi Watts Jokes She Was Cast in “The Friend” Because She Knows Bill Murray: 'That's Why They Called Me' (Exclusive)

Naomi Watts and Bill Murray's new movie 'The Friend' screened at the Toronto International Film Festival

Naomi Watts and Bill Murray came as something of a package deal in their new movie.

The two real-life friends play onscreen pals in The Friend, which recently screened at the the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Watts, 55, jokes to PEOPLE that the producers cast her as a way to get to Murray.

"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,' " Watts 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," she adds. "Well, I texted him first, and I wasn't even sure if he'd reply. Sometimes people like that change their phone numbers frequently."

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

Watts and Murray first worked together on the 2014 movie St. Vincent and have been friends since. "It means the world. It's very lovely, and we do have a very special friendship," she adds of Murray answering her call to star alongside her in the drama, based on author Sigrid Nunez's 2018 novel of the same name.

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"And 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 tells PEOPLE. "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. I have that kind of friendship with Bill, too."

Related: Naomi Watts Shares Sweet Photo of Son Sasha, 17, Cuddling a Dog: 'He's Home'

Aside from Watts and Murray, the new 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.

In The Friend, Watts plays a woman named Iris who assumes responsibility for many of her late friend Walter's (Murray) possessions after his sudden death — including his dog.

The movie made its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival.

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