David Lynch’s Casting Process For ‘Twin Peaks’ Was So Secretive, Not Even The Actors Knew What Was Going On

David Lynch is an unusual man. That’s sort of his deal and we’re all the better for it even if we don’t know what the hell is going on. Don’t feel too bad about that. Simply being cast in Twin Peaks is a perplexing proposition.

Comedian/actor Brent Gelman, who has his own flair for knocking out unconventional projects, shared with IndieWire what it was like to be cast in the Showtime revival of the cult series. He only learned about an opportunity to be cast on the show his neighbor Johanna Ray who just so happens to be the Twin Peaks casting director. When he came in to audition, there was only some relaxed talk and no Lynch in sight.

“I didn’t know what that meant,” said Gelman. “I don’t know what Mr. Lynch’s process was. I’d be too intimated to ask him.”

As you may have noticed, great lengths were taken to keep details under the wraps. Part of that process included destroying all trace of what made it to the page.

A few days before the shoot, Gelman received a physical copy of the script that only contained pages with his scenes (so far, he has only appeared in two episodes). “It was so intense,” Gelman recalled. The script contained a note emphasizing the confidentiality of the material. “It said not to share anything about your scenes and not to tell anyone you’re involved,” he said. He was required to return the material to a producer after the shoot so they could be destroyed. “That was cool,” Gelman said with a laugh.

Considering that we didn’t see a line of Supervisor Burns action figures before the premiere, it’s safe to say due caution was taken by Gelman. Twin Peaks continues its return season Sundays on Showtime.

(Via IndieWire)

×