Kyle MacLachlan was David Lynch’s ‘submersible’ into dark places
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This week on NPR's Newsmakers, Tucker Carlson has broken with President Trump over the war with Iran and says he warned the president to his face that the war would be a mistake.
And he looked at me and said, yes, you're right. But in the end, we all die anyway. So it doesn't matter.
Tucker Carlson, this week on NPR's Newsmakers. Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross.
How did Kyle MacLachlan bring FBI Agent Dale Cooper to life in Twin Peaks?
Diane, 11.30 a.m., February 24th, entering the town of Twin Peaks. It's five miles south of the Canadian border, 12 miles west of the state line. I've never seen so many trees in my life. As W.C. Fields would say, I'd rather be here than Philadelphia. 54 degrees on a slightly overcast day, the weatherman said rain. You can get paid that kind of money for being wrong 60% of the time and be working. Mileage is 79,345. Gauge is on reserve. You
may recognize that as my guest Kyle McLaughlin in the first episode of the David Lynch TV series Twin Peaks as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper recording a message as he drives. At the time, Twin Peaks was the strangest, most dreamlike series ever on TV. Like a lot of dreams, the meaning of the imagery and story were often elliptical, hard to interpret. To everyone's surprise, Twin Peaks became a big hit. McLaughlin says he wouldn't have become the person he is without David Lynch. Just months after acting school, McLaughlin seemed destined for a meteoric rise. Lynch was making an adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel, Dune, and he cast the young McLaughlin as the lead. Along with the part came a multi-picture deal with its producer, Dino De Laurentiis.
After the movie flopped, the deal was canceled. McLaughlin had to rewrite his plans and wasn't sure how. His next break came when Lynch cast him in Blue Velvet, which was a turning point in American film for its nightmarish imagery and threatening performances. Lynch and McLaughlin teamed up again for the TV series Twin Peaks and the return of Twin Peaks and for the Twin Peaks movie Fire Walk With Me. While McLaughlin was writing his new memoir, Lynch died. The memoir is called Fictional Selves. The title is a reference to who people think he is based on his roles and who he really is. And how confusing that can be for him. You may also know Kyle MacLachlan from his roles including Showgirls, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, Portlandia, Overcompensating, and Fallout.
Kyle MacLachlan, welcome to Fresh Air and congratulations on your memoir.
I'm very grateful to be here and thank you for having me on the show.
So in the scene we just heard, David Lynch was in the backseat of the car directing you as you read that message you were recording. Do you remember what kind of direction he was giving you from the backseat?
Well, I don't recall the specifics of it, but I do recall that the distance that we had to travel because we were on a tow rig, basically. So my vehicle was being towed by a vehicle in front of me. Oh,
so that you didn't have to really drive?
I didn't have to really drive, which is very disconcerting, to be honest, because when you're behind the wheel of a car, you feel like you should be driving. And in fact, you're just putting your hands on the wheel. You're not really driving. It's a little different. It's a little distracting. After I got over that and just started in with the dialogues, The other challenge was that we only had a short distance to make this run. And so I had to basically just, you know, blister through the dialogue, which I think was ultimately helpful in establishing the character. I've always said that that introduction is certainly the best introduction to a film or a television program I've ever had. And I think it ranks pretty high as an introduction for any character because you get so much of who he is about in a short period of time.
And the eccentricities and the strangeness of who this man is, it just deepens the mystery.
Is it reassuring to have your director in the backseat or does it make you more self-conscious?
It's both.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:27
2
How did Kyle MacLachlan bring FBI Agent Dale Cooper to life in Twin Peaks?
0:27–6:14
3
How did David Lynch's departure affect Twin Peaks and MacLachlan's memoir?
6:14–10:53
4
Why did Kyle MacLachlan describe himself as David Lynch's submersible into dark worlds?
10:53–15:48
5
How did Dune help Kyle MacLachlan face fear and discover acting?
15:48–21:24
6
Why did Kyle MacLachlan hesitate to star in David Lynch's Blue Velvet?
21:24–26:58
7
How did Dennis Hopper and Blue Velvet push MacLachlan into emotionally difficult acting?
26:58–32:56
8
How did family, romance, and aging shape Kyle MacLachlan's acting career?
32:56–50:22
Speakers
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