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Working with David Lynch [1]

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Date: 2025-01-19

I have to admit, I was a late boarder on the David Lynch Fanwagon. I saw Eraserhead when it first came out, but it was a Midnight show during my party days in NYC, so I don’t remember much. I didn’t care for Elephant Man, because my dear friend Philip Anglim created the role on Broadway, so I was biased. Ditto Dune, which just didn’t “git” me. I thought Blue Velvet was good but, again, I had a dog in that fight as well. On the other hand, I loved Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive, enough to re-watch them when they were streamed.

All of the Twin Peaks iterations went right by me, for those years were the apex of my career and I never watched TV other than the NFL. I got a kick out of David’s interviews on NPR, though, because he had such a unique voice and spoke with an uncommon train of thought that I found amusing. Plus, he turned out to be one of three Directors to have worked with my Mother, Father and me.

However, I still consider him a God of the Entertainment Industry, if not for what he put on the screen, then for his conduct behind the Camera.

He was extremely loyal to his Cast and Crew, and if you worked with him once you were on his radar screen and likely to do so again. Johanna Rey, widow of Aldo Rey, was one of those lucky ones: a wonderful Casting Director who he used time and again because he trusted her judgement, and who he brought out of retirement when he started production of the Twin Peaks reboot for Showtime in 2016.

Johanna lived in the same apartment complex as my sister and became a close family friend and regular guest at our Christmas and Thanksgiving feasts, so when David hired her, I was one of the few actors unknown to him who Johanna brought in to put on tape. I can’t really call it an audition, because there was no script offered- just an interview during which I spoke about whatever I felt like saying. David wasn’t there- just Johanna, her Associate and a camera.

For some reason the work offer came to me directly, and was draped with so much secrecy and an NDA requesting personal information that I thought it was a phishing email, but forwarded it to my agent just in case.

He called me immediately. “Holy shit! They want you for Twin Peaks!”

Within a week I was on my way to Wardrobe, then off to the location a few days later: an Old Hollywood Hotel that had seen better days and had been re-purposed as Section 8 housing.

I was a bit nervous as my career was in a nose dive, since an automobile rollover in 2010 nearly tore off my left arm and had already cost me my nice recurring role on Parks & Recreation. Recovering from the injury was mostly successful, but the real struggle was with the Opioid meds I was taking, which took me nearly three years to get out of my system. I had a day’s work a couple of times, and two weeks on an Indy film in Birmingham, AL that was a lot of fun, but nothing close to the import and stature of working with David Lynch. My apprehension was augmented by a nagging concern that David’s eccentric style would manifest as a Prima Donna type, holding court over an efficient, yet tension filled set. Been there, done that.

Nothing could have been farther from the truth: he was as affable and welcoming as could be, with a fetching grin, smiling eyes, and that signature Pompadourish mop on his lid glowing in the rising sun. Greeting me warmly, he asked if I was comfortable driving. “Sure,” I answered, and he handed me the keys to a mock-up Police Cruiser.

The first Setup was a breeze. Drive up, hit the parking mark and engage the Woman who called us in. Master shot, 2 shot of my Partner and Me, Closeup on the Woman. I’d instantly bonded with the actor playing my Partner, because we both had a history in NYC and he’s just a totally likable guy. Even at that early hour, the Crew seemed happy, kind and attentive, and we finished in less than an hour. My comfort level was further boosted when the Still Photographer (the person who takes licensed photographs of the production) told me we worked together on Roger Vadim’s reboot of And God Created Woman, my first speaking role in a Feature Film. It can be a small, small world...

The next Setup, inside the Hotel, was where David’s true genius came to light.

You get little rehearsal, if any, on a Television Show, especially on a Sound Stage. It’s a cacophony of carpenters, gaffers, grips, property masters, etc., performing their tasks at 1.5 x pace because of the time constraints. When it’s time to shoot, you’re taken to your spot, shown where your marks are and given instructions as to what to do and where to go. There’s a crowd around you, as the gaffers are lighting, the camera operator is shoving their meter under your nose, and makeup is doing last minute touch-ups. Then you break for a bit, and the stand-ins take your place while all the adjustments are locked in. If the Director has any notes about your scene, that’s when you get them, but it’s a rarity- you have a better chance of engaging the Director at the Craft Service table, picking through the remnants of bagels, lox and cream cheese, set out four hours earlier, that you’ve been too busy to get to. You’ve done all your homework beforehand in terms of “creating the character”- do what you did in the audition, as that’s why you got the gig.

David’s approach was the polar opposite, especially because it was an intimate, important scene: he cleared everyone out of the room, then walked us through the scene himself, the tone of his voice setting the mood.

“You open the door, then come into here, stop and slowly look around the room. Take your time- notice everything, the table, the lamp, the chair- everything. Then you see the hallway into the bedroom and move to it this way.” It was absolutely mesmerizing, and indicative of how much he valued and trusted our contributions as actors.

In other words, normally your actions and movement is determined by a pre-determined camera positions and lighting, covered endlessly as you move from Master, to 2-shots, to closeups. Often, in a closeup, you’re speaking your dialogue to an intern holding a script off-camera because the Star opposite you is back in their trailer prepping for the next scene or hounding their Rep about their next gig.

David put the scene totally in our hands, shooting what we were doing, instead of us doing what he was shooting. I can only hope I’ve adequately described the difference between the two styles, because it’s astronomical in terms of what you see on the screen…

Another wonderful demonstration of how much he respected actors was when one of us finished our last shot.

David used a megaphone sometimes because he often shot in confined spaces and had to communicate with people spread out into other rooms. When an actor wrapped their final shot, no matter how small the role, he picked up the megaphone and said “Gather ‘round everybody!” and the crew dropped their work and responded “Gather ‘round!”. “It’s time to say good bye to the wonderful (Actor’s first name). Thank you so much for joining us, and the best of luck to you as you move on with your career,” and joined the Crew in applause.

Giving us one final moment in the Spotlight, one more closeup, is a priceless gift, the likes of which I’ve never received from anyone else.

And that, my friends, is why I consider him a God. Rest in peace, you beautiful, beautiful man.

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