Lesley from Birdman is theorized to actually be Betty from Mulholland Drive in disguise. Betty was an optimistic actress in LA who became disillusioned with lack of success. She later woke up as Diane Selwyn, a struggling actor dating a more successful actress, Camilla. Diane hired a hitman to kill Camilla out of jealousy, then killed herself, but somehow survived. She changed her name to Lesley and became a theater actor instead of pursuing film. When kissed by another woman in Birdman, memories of kissing Camilla returned, supporting the theory that Lesley and Betty are the same person attempting to start a new life.
Original Description:
Building a connection between the characters Naomi Watts played.
Lesley from Birdman is theorized to actually be Betty from Mulholland Drive in disguise. Betty was an optimistic actress in LA who became disillusioned with lack of success. She later woke up as Diane Selwyn, a struggling actor dating a more successful actress, Camilla. Diane hired a hitman to kill Camilla out of jealousy, then killed herself, but somehow survived. She changed her name to Lesley and became a theater actor instead of pursuing film. When kissed by another woman in Birdman, memories of kissing Camilla returned, supporting the theory that Lesley and Betty are the same person attempting to start a new life.
Lesley from Birdman is theorized to actually be Betty from Mulholland Drive in disguise. Betty was an optimistic actress in LA who became disillusioned with lack of success. She later woke up as Diane Selwyn, a struggling actor dating a more successful actress, Camilla. Diane hired a hitman to kill Camilla out of jealousy, then killed herself, but somehow survived. She changed her name to Lesley and became a theater actor instead of pursuing film. When kissed by another woman in Birdman, memories of kissing Camilla returned, supporting the theory that Lesley and Betty are the same person attempting to start a new life.
Drive? Recently during the David Lynch Marathon, I re-watched Mulholland Drive and I couldnt stop thinking how Lesley from Birdman has all the possible reasons to actually be Betty from Mulholland Drive. Lets start from the chronological order of the events: Betty was a new girl in LA, she was an optimistic person who thought success and stardom is destined to be hers and just a couple of films will make her a movie star. However, later when she wakes up as Diane Selwyn, she finds herself as a struggling actor and an insecure girlfriend to Camilla Rhodes; Camilla on the other hand is a successful actress with whom Diane did a few films as one of the many insignificant characters in a film. During the last few scenes of Mulholland Drive, we see Diane/Betty hiring a contract killer to kill her movie star girlfriend Camilla. Betty couldnt live with that guilt and shots herself too. Somehow Betty survived that gunshot and used this divine intervention as an opportunity to start her life again, afresh. Betty changed her name to Lesley, and since she couldnt do much at the movies, she became a theater person. Its been a decade now and she adapted well to this new life until the day when in an emotional outbreak, Laura, a character in Birdman, kisses Lesley. The expression on Lesleys face explains everything. She isnt new to this, she has kissed a woman before, but it has been more than a decade since she bid goodbye to her life as Betty and became Lesley. Now, when Laura kissed her, the memories of Camilla flashes in front of her, even if she killer her, there was no doubt that she passionately loved her and thus she embraced the truth and continues kissing Laura.