Laura Dern reveals huge risk she took for David Lynch’s ‘Blue Velvet’
Actor Laura Dern has revealed a major sacrifice she had to make to be able to star in David Lynch’s classic film, Blue Velvet. Before the 1986 movie, Dern was an 18-year-old unknown college student, but after its release, she was a star.
However, that stardom came at a cost, as she recently revealed on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast. The actor shared the story of how she was cast for the movie, beating out big names like Molly Ringwald to secure the part of Sandy Williams with her incredible talent. Nevertheless, the timing of the role couldn’t have been worse as Dern had only started college two days before getting the job.
“I was 17, so excited to get into UCLA,” Dern said. Yet, the excitement was short-lived as the major opportunity quickly came knocking. She added, “I was there for two days, and I auditioned and got offered the role in Blue Velvet.”
At the time, Dern was studying psychology and minoring in journalism while still harbouring a dream to become an actor. When the role was on the table, it should have been that dream coming true as a door opened to her future. But her school weren’t happy about it. After asking the head of the film department to help her get a leave of absence, it was denied.
She tried to plead her case by saying she would “write papers” on set and then “double-up classes” after the film was done, but UCLA still wouldn’t let her take the time off.
“I said, ‘I have this opportunity and he said, ‘Well, I’ll look at the script if you want to give me the script, but, you know, you’re not going to get a leave of absence. It’s not going to happen. It’s not a medical emergency,’” Dern remembered.
After reading Lynch’s script and seeing the twisted tale that the student would be starring in, what came back was an ultimatum that demanded Dern pick between two paths. “First of all, if you make this choice, you are no longer welcome at UCLA. You’ll be out,” she remembered being told, “But secondly, having read this script, that you would give up your college education for this is insane.”
The irony is that Blue Velvet, starring Dern, who made the leap of faith to be in the film, is now regularly studied in curriculums across the world. “I will just end by saying after my two days, today, if you want to get a masters in film at that school, when you write a thesis, there are three movies you are required to study,” she said, “And you know what one of them is.” In short she said of the whole ordeal that it “pisses me off.”
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