David Lynch, the iconic writer-director behind surreal classics like “Twin Peaks” and “Eraserhead,” has been diagnosed with emphysema and says it has affected his ability to direct.
The 78-year-old filmmaker, artist and musician revealed in a recent interview that he has “had emphysema from smoking for so long” throughout his life. In a cover story published Monday for Sight and Sound magazine, he said that as a result, “I’m housebound, whether I like it or not.”
“It would be very bad for me to get sick,” Lynch told the magazine, according to The Independent.
Lynch gained notoriety in the late 1980s and early 1990s with projects that included the iconic television series “Twin Peaks” and the films “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive,” but in recent years has turned his attention to shorter-form projects, including music videos, his daily weather reports and the Netflix short “What Did Jack Do?” — especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The director, who received an honorary Oscar in 2019, said he is cautious about his health as COVID-19 (which affects the respiratory system) is still present. Nearly 20 years after his last feature film (2006's Inland Empire), Lynch said his health is now a factor in whether and how he will take on a new project.
“I would do it remotely if I had to,” he said. “I wouldn’t like it that much.”
Emphysema is a lung condition that causes difficulty breathing and is caused by long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including tobacco smoke, according to the Mayo Clinic. People who have emphysema are also prone to developing heart problems, collapsed lungs and large empty spaces or “bullae” in the lungs.
Lynch is also known for the 1980 film “The Elephant Man,” his divisive 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic “Dune” and “Twin Peaks: The Return,” Showtime's 2017 revival of his and co-creator Mark Frost's series starring Kyle MacLachlan.
