#SDCC 2017: The TWIN PEAKS Panel Was A David Lynch Love Fest

Twin Peaks superfan Damon Lindelof (“I owe my entire career to this beautiful show”) moderated the Damn Fine Panel in Hall H today. Sadly – though maybe not unexpectedly – David Lynch and Mark Frost weren’t here, but Lynch did send a perfectly Lynchian video greeting that included a golf ball that was supposedly hit by OJ Simpson, the sounds of someone falling out of a fourth floor door to his death, a horse crushing a cat and more.

On the panel, we had Kyle MacLachlan, who kicked us off with his best Dougie helllllllo, as well as Naomi Watts, Don Murray, Matthew Lillard, Everett McGill, James Marshall, Kimmy Robertson, Dana Ashbrook and Tim Roth.

Obviously there wasn’t much in the way of news on this tight-lipped show in which even speculation is frowned upon, but it was a delightful hour nonetheless. It’s clear these actors adore each other and believe in Twin Peaks wholeheartedly.

And even more so, they all truly, truly love David Lynch.

Matthew Lillard said of the director, “He has this incredible sense of joy about him. It’s actually an easy answer [when someone asks what Lynch is like] because he’s full of joy and life, and he has this peace about him that’s unlike anyone I’ve ever experienced. And he has a vision of what he wants. He’s a fantastic human being.”

Kyle MacLachlan added, “His belief in his process and his point of view are so profound and focused. And he inspires me in that way, because he follows this dream in his mind. And I find that inspirational in my life, to go after the thing that I believe in the strongest.” And later he said of starting his career with Lynch’s Dune, “He pretty much brought me up in the film world. And spoiled me – his environment is all joy and creativity, so I’ve been spoiled forever by working with David… And he’s very accessible to all of us, and he’s very open. He’s very available. And there’s a point in which he goes to a place that’s purely David, and then he’s The Artist. And then I become like a fan, because normally I’m his pal, but when he goes there, he’s The Artist and I’m just his fan.”

Naomi Watts spoke about how she became a part of the cast after bugging Lynch alongside her friend Laura Dern to be a part of his next project, whatever it was. “That’s what you do with David. ‘C’mon, hire me again.’ It’s just so good to be on a set with him, or even in a room with him.” She says after she got the call for Twin Peaks, Lynch “gave me a script and a cup of coffee, sat me in his chair that he built, next to his table that he built, and for the next hour or so I just read the pages.” She added later, “I still get a little starstruck around David because he’s so unique and living in his own world, and it’s one you want be a part of. You just kind of want to please him in everything you do. That sounds weird. On set!”

Don Murray: “He really shows appreciation of other people’s work… I think it’s the happiest set I ever walked in on. There was no tension. The cast and the crew, there was a real togetherness. There was no separation between the actors and the technicians.”

And, naturally, whenever anyone quotes Lynch, they use these spot-on David Lynch impersonations, even Watts. MacLachlan’s Lynch voice was probably best in the following anecdote:

“In one scene, Jim [Belushi] decided that he was going to ad-lib a line in this heightened moment of euphoria, which he did, and we heard, ‘Cut.’ And David has a megaphone, and he said, ‘Mr. Belushi, do I have to report you to the principal’s office?’ And Jim went, ‘No sir, got it.’”

A couple more tidbits from the panel:

Kimmy Robertson said when she got the call about the Twin Peaks revival, she was in bed, and by the time the call was over, she’d crawled all the way under the bed somehow, because it was just so unexpected. (Also her hair is green and she is adorable and hilarious and my eternal favorite.)

MacLachlan said there’s an entirely different atmosphere when they're shooting in the Black Lodge: “It feels very focused and almost like an electricity feeling is buzzing around. That floor, especially, gives you a very otherworldly feeling.”

Also, MacLachlan calls Evil Coop/DoppelCooper/what have you “Mr. C.” So that’s canon!

And when a hilariously out of place attendee asked of the panel, “I haven’t seen Twin Peaks, so how would you describe it in a nutshell?” Tim Roth replied, “Very crispy and slightly beige.”

Showtime’s Twin Peaks is moving to 8pm staring Sunday, August 6. At Comic-Con? Part 11 is screening tonight at 10pm in Room 6A.