David Lynch explains the influence of The Beatles
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Credit: Ronald Grant Archive / Alamy
Billy Ray Cyrus claims David Lynch helped invent Hannah Montana
American experimenter David Lynch is certainly known for his eclectic nature, making multiple films over the course of his career that defy genre and push the definition of cinema itself. From his exploration of the subconscious dreamworld in Blue Velvet to his bizarre monkey interrogation short film What Did Jack Do?, there seems to be no limit to the extent of Lynch’s vibrant imagination.
Whilst his whole filmography is celebrated (maybe aside from his sub-par adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune), there is one movie that critics hold as the jewel of his impressive career. Released in 2001, Mulholland Drive explored just how deep the fantasy of the Hollywood film industry ran, telling the story of a woman who becomes involved in a bizarre mystery that sees herself question her own sanity.
Starring Naomi Watts in the lead role, the film was celebrated in each and every circle of the industry, with critics and fans praising it for its innovative storytelling techniques and dreamlike representation of reality. Whilst Watts was the most famous name, she was joined by the likes of Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller and, surprisingly, the musician Billy Ray Cyrus, father of contemporary pop star Miley Cyrus.
Winning Lynch several major accolades, the film became a critical sensation, changing the lives of all those who featured, including Cyrus himself, who attributes the project to launching her daughter’s wildly successful career.
Speaking to GQ in 2011, Cyrus even went so far as to state, “Were it not for David Lynch, Miley would never have been Hannah Montana”.
Indeed, putting the American filmmaker and the fictional tween character Hannah Montana together isn’t exactly the most predictable thing in the world, with Cyrus admittedly fitting the two icons together with no real sense at all. His reasoning, though tenuous, does make sense, with Cyrus stating that without the minor role in his early career, he may have never got a leg-up in the industry,
Holding a mighty amount of love for the filmmaker, Cyrus adds, “I love him—he changed my life,” though admitted to feeling a little uncomfortable during the filming of the movie itself. Recalling his time in the film, he further told the publication, “I did feel a little bit dark,” with the religious family man having trouble with his violent character in the film, stating, “I remember feeling, ‘This might not be what God had in mind'”.
Take a look at a clip that shows Billy Ray Cyrus star in Lynch’s classic movie, below.
