In an exclusive chat withMovieWeb,The X-FilesstarDavid Duchovnyreminisced about his time working with renowned director David Lynch onTwin Peaks, and reuniting with him 25 years later forTwin Peaks: The Return. Duchovney starred in both the originalTwin PeaksandTwin Peaks: The Returnas Denise Bryson, a former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent who later becomes the Federal Bureau of Investigation Chief of Staff.
“It was just so satisfying. Well first of all, Lynch is unique, right? He’s just like a consciousness unto himself, and there’s something about his work that is completely unique. you’re able to just see 10 seconds of anything, and you go, ‘This must be David Lynch.’ And who’s like that? Nobody. Nobody’s like that.”
Duchovny explained the day he shot his scene forTwin Peaks: The Return, with the actor wanting the character “to look a little better” this time around.
“I think I was doing Aquarius at the time, and I just had one, one day where I was gonna go in and shoot that scene with David. It was such an occasion for me, to kind of feel gratitude for instinct or whatever. I auditioned for that role [in the original series] like anybody else. You know, I didn’t think I was gonna get it, just like I would at any time at that point in my career. But I got it without really knowing what I was going to do, and I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants and did what I did. And then it was 25 years later or whatever, and we got to do it together again.”
The role of trans woman, Denise Bryson, sees Duchovny wearing feminine-coded clothing (sometimes referred to as ‘drag’), with the desire to look better leading Duchovny to ask Lynch if he could show off his legs…an idea the filmmaker was not on board with.
“And you know, it was funny, because I wasn’t in love with the way I looked. I wanted her to look a little better. I just had this vanity about her. And so I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve still got good legs. Should I set myself in front of the desk for the scene with David?’ And I said, ‘Do you mind if I sit on the edge of the desk so you’re facing me, rather than behind the desk?’ And he said, ‘No, that would make me uncomfortable.'”
David Duchovny Heaps Praise on Twin Peaks: ‘It Feels Like It Could Be on Any Streamer Today’
Twin Peaks
Duchovny went on to discuss one of his favorite lines as the character, and it related to the reactions to Bryson “coming out as that identity.”
“One of my favorite lines of my life, it was David’s line, where he says something that was basically the reaction to my character coming out as that identity, it was something like, ‘I told those clowns to fix their hearts or die.'”
The actor then heaped praiseon the legacy ofTwin Peaksand how the warped world and gripping drama in the crime thriller crosses generations.
“It’s so amazing. It’s like listening to Hendrix in a way, because it sounds so current. Like if you watch Twin Peaks, I mean, think back. That’s 1989 or 1990. That’s network TV. That’s insane. And it feels like it could be on any streamer today. I guess that’s his true voice. You know, that’s what happens when you have an authentic voice […] I think he’s out of time [instead of ‘ahead of his time’]. If you’re not chasing a trend, but you’re not trying to speak in today’s voice all the time, then you’re always gonna be current.”
David Duchovny is promoting the new film,Adam the First, which is due to open in theaters across the U.S. on February 14, courtesy of North America by Electric Entertainment.
