The legendary American filmmaker David Lynch revealed that he needs supplemental oxygen to perform basic activities due to emphysema that suffers.
This is a condition that developed after decades of smoking that started at age 8.
In a recent interview with the magazine Peoplethe 78-year-old director detailed the serious consequences that smoking has had on his health.
“I can barely cross a room. “It’s like I’m walking with a plastic bag around my head,” described Lynch, who has now become a warning voice about the dangers of tobacco.
The creator of the series Twin Peaks was diagnosed with emphysema in 2020, but He didn’t stop smoking until two years later.when his condition became critical.
“I saw the writing on the wall and it said, ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop,’” he said. “I could barely move without gasping for air. Quitting smoking was my only option”.
The illness has significantly limited his ability to work. David Lynch He now remains largely confined to his home to avoid infections that could aggravate his condition.
While he can’t direct on a film set, he has expressed a willingness to do so remotely in the future.
It should be noted that his last film was Inland Empire in 2006 and his last major project was the continuation of Twin Peaks for Showtime in 2017.
The director, also known for works such as Blue Velvet y Mulholland Driverecognized that tobacco was “an important part” of his life and his identity as a painter and filmmaker.
“I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes”, he confessed.
Tobacco use was also reflected in his film work, where several of his characters were shown smoking regularly, although Lynch states that he never thought of this as a way to romanticize the habit.
His last appearance on screen was a cameo as the director John Ford in The Fabelmans of Steven Spielberg in 2022, where he performed the scene smoking a cigarette. Since then, his condition has prevented him from participating in new in-person projects.
Despite the serious consequences for their health, David Lynch He admitted that he does not regret having smoked, although he now uses his experience to warn others about the dangers of tobacco.
“I really wanted to convey this: think about it. They can leave these things that will end up killing them”he declared. “I owe it to them, and to myself, to say it.”
The filmmaker tried to quit smoking “many, many times” over the years, but always relapsed.
“When it got tough, I smoked that first cigarette and it was a one way trip to heaven. Then you started smoking again,” he explained. Like many addicts, Lynch expressed that he wished that what he loved wasn’t harmful to his health.
Last August, the filmmaker had already made his condition public through the social network X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote: “I really enjoyed smoking… but there is a price to pay for this enjoymentand the price for me is emphysema.”
Although he rarely leaves the house due to his condition, the director jokes that “I never really liked going out before, so it’s a good excuse”.
Despite the limitations that emphysema has imposed on her life, Lynch has continued to work on projects that she can do from home, including short films, webisodes and music videos, her most recent collaboration being with the American singer Chrystabell.
