Reactions to the the visionary filmmaker behind 鈥淭win Peaks鈥� and 鈥淢ulholland Drive,鈥� whose death at 78 was announced Thursday.
鈥� 鈥淗e鈥檚 one of those filmmakers who was influential but impossible to imitate. People would try but he had one kind of algorithm that worked for him and you attempted to recreate it at your peril. As non-linear and illogical as they often seemed, they were clearly highly organized in his mind.鈥� 鈥� Director Steven Soderbergh, in an interview with The Associated Press.
鈥� 鈥淚 am astounded and heartbroken I can鈥檛 express with any words the profound loss of the great David Lynch my friend.鈥� 鈥� Director Francis Ford Coppola, via Instagram.
鈥� 鈥淔orty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn鈥檛 recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.鈥� 鈥� Actor Kyle MacLachlan, who starred in Lynch's 鈥淏lue Velvet鈥� and 鈥淭win Peaks,鈥� via Instagram.
鈥� 鈥淭he world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I鈥檇 been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even 鈥榮ee me鈥� when I was so well hidden, and I鈥檇 even lost sight of myself?!鈥� 鈥� Actor Naomi Watts, via Instagram.
鈥� 鈥淭ruly saddened to hear of the passing of David Lynch. Working with him was like a dream out of one of his movies, and I treasure the times I got to speak with him and hear first-hand his vision for a film. I truly encourage anyone who loves movies and television to watch all that David produced. He was a true artist, through and through.鈥� 鈥� Musician Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, via Instagram. Smashing Pumpkins contributed to the soundtrack for Lynch鈥檚 鈥淟ost Highway.鈥�
鈥� 鈥�#RIPDavidLynch, a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.鈥� 鈥� Director Ron Howard, via X.
鈥� 鈥淟ynch was the first human/creative that stressed the importance of not overworking and taking time out to breathe & meditate and searching for creative avenues not in my comfort zone.鈥� 鈥� Musician and producer Questlove, via Threads.
鈥� 鈥淩IP David Lynch. You inspired so many of us.鈥� 鈥� Director James Gunn, via X.
鈥� 鈥淟ike Kafka, like Bacon, he dedicated his life to opening a portal. He was the first to show me another world, a beautiful one of love and danger I sensed but had never seen outside sleep. Thank you David your gift will reverberate for the rest of my life.鈥� 鈥� Director Jane Schoenbrun, via X.
鈥� 鈥淎cross the decades, David鈥檚 impact on cinema proved indelible in his films and his art 鈥� and he always gave back to AFI 鈥� supportive of the storytellers who wrote their own rules and reached for something different.鈥� 鈥� The American Film Institute, via Instagram.
The Associated Press
