Kyle MacLachlan Says He ‘Couldn’t Believe the Premises’ of ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’

If Showtime‘s Twin Peaks: The Return left you a little baffled, you’re not alone. The 18-episode revival was enigmatic even by David Lynch’s standards, so much so that even its star had difficulty following the surreal goings-on: Kyle MacLachlan tells TheWrap that, when he first read about what his character(s) would be doing, he “couldn’t believe the premises.”

“At first I imagined that David was going to be doing something along the lines of what he did before,” said MacLachlan, who worked with Lynch on Dune and Blue Velvet in addition to the original Twin Peaks.

“But very early on, he gave me some scenes to read at his house, and I couldn’t believe the premises. I was really excited and challenged by what I was being asked to do — because these are characters that I had never done before, and if I don’t deliver at the level that David is expecting, it’s not going to work,” he said. “But at the same time I had confidence in working under David’s vision.”

Twin Peaks ran for two seasons from 1990-91, becoming the most talked-about show on television before losing its audience — and narrative thread — during its sophomore season. A prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, followed, but answered few lingering questions and polarized fans and critics alike.

“It was a different tone, maintaining some of the heartwarming moments from the original television show but certainly not dwelling on them,” MacLachlan added of The Return. “In those first few scenes that David gave me to read, I recognized that this was not a nostalgic return to ‘Twin Peaks.’ I realized that David and [co-creator] Mark [Frost] didn’t feel the least bit compelled to revisit what we knew from before.” Read his full interview here.

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