Laura Dern Shares How David Lynch’s Vision Changed Her Career

Laura Dern is grateful that visionary David Lynch took her under his wing during the start of her career. Lynch cast Laura as an attractive girl-next-door in Blue Velvet, a temptress in Wild at Heart, and an unearthly FBI secretary in Twin Peaks. In their last film together, Inland Empire, she played a troubled woman whose portrayal danced between real and unreal, logic and abstraction.

During an interview with The Independent on January 31st, Dern spoke about being a muse to Lynch alongside her co-star Is This Thing On? costar Andra Day. “You know that you’re in the hands of somebody who really does care about you,” Day said. “[Lynch] told me that I can do anything,” Dern recalled about Lynch.

Dern further reflected on Inland Empire, saying, “He says, ‘Now you’re going to do something – I don’t even know what it is yet, but you’re gonna show it to me, and then I’m gonna figure out what it is that I’ve been dreaming of.’” That kind of faith is incredible. Dern added, “I once said to my mom that David’s unconditional trust in me is something I’d only ever felt from her. It’s that kind of love where they just believe in you so much.”

Lynch’s influence extended beyond Inland Empire; the actor stars opposite Will Arnett in Bradley Cooper’s divorce comedy/drama Is This Thing On?. The film, now in theaters, marks Dern and Arnett’s second collaboration together after their work on Netflix’s Big Eyes.