Kyle MacLachlan used David Lynch’s mannerisms for Dale Cooper in ‘Twin Peaks’
Kyle MacLachlan has revealed that he based the mannerisms of his Twin Peaks character, Special Agent Dale Cooper, on traits he borrowed from the show’s director, David Lynch.
The actor was speaking at a Q&A at the BFI Film Festival on June 15th, per Variety, when he explained the genesis behind the character. MacLachlan said: “I didn’t really study an FBI agent or anything like that, I kind of just created my own version. But I did borrow from David a bit, I borrowed some of his mannerisms.”
Much of these traits were rooted in the basic pleasures that were special to Lynch in his life, such as “Trees and coffee, of course, and pie. Some of the things that he just loved. And he’s so childlike in his wonder of these things, and I wanted to have a little bit of that in Cooper,” he noted.
Although Twin Peaks was certainly a massive proponent in MacLachlan’s career, it was not the first time he had worked under Lynch’s direction, after the filmmaker gave him his first big break in the 1984 adaptation of Dune, before going on to create the surrealist series some years later.
Speaking of the impact Lynch has had on his career, MacLachlan said he “always had trust in me,” before adding: “He always had confidence in me, even when I was uncertain.”
He continued: “I’d see him on set and be like, ‘This is going to be a great day. I love David, I love what we’re doing so much.’ Even when I was getting massaged by heavy, bearded men rubbing blood all over my body and face. It was still, ‘David, I love you.’”
During the Q&A, the BFI announced that it would be running a special Lynch retrospective, to honour the director’s life and work, in January next year.
Additionally, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Twin Peaks, Far Out created a retrospective deep dive into the show’s legacy and impact.
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