Interview with Nae Yuuki, Naido from Twin Peaks: The Return

From the moment Naido (Nae Yuuki) first appeared on screen in Part 3 from Twin Peaks: The Return, I knew David Lynch and Mark Frost’s third season would be something special. Shrouded in mystery, the first exchange between Special Agent Dale Cooper and her left me speechless. I had never seen anything like it on television, akin to Cooper’s Red Room dream decades earlier. For the Japanese release Blu-ray / DVD release of The Return in 2018, Yuuki-san spoke with Paramount Japan representatives via Skype in May 2018. I found her interview on the Wayback Machine which was originally published on July 23, 2018.

INTERVIEW WITH NAE YUUKI FROM MAY 2018 ABOUT NAIDO FROM TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN

Q: You apparently watched the original series in real time, but how did you feel when you first entered the set with all the main cast members from the original series?

I wanted to see it! I just couldn’t! Even though everyone was there. Even though Andy and Lucy were there. (Note: Yuki-san was wearing makeup covering her eyes for the role.) When I told Kimmy Robertson, who played Lucy, “I love your character! But I can’t see it,” she laughed out loud and said, “I guess so” (laughs). Later, we all got together to watch “Twin Peaks,” and that’s when I met her. I greeted her by saying, “I’m Naido!” (laughs). We also took a photo together. I was so happy.

Q: Please tell us about a particularly memorable cast member you interacted with on set, and an episode that happened with them.

I had the most scenes with Kyle. He’s such a gentleman. I had to climb up and down the set in about 7cm (2.8-inch) high heels without being able to see anything, which was quite scary, so I always had someone with me, like an AD [Assistant Director], and one day I realized it was Kyle who was standing next to me. The director smells of cigarettes, but Kyle has no smell. He’s such a kind person. I was really touched. A staff member took a photo of Kyle taking my hand and escorting me to the starting point, and sent it to me.

Q: It feels like you’ve honed skills that you don’t normally use?

That’s right. From around the second day of filming, I was able to move around on my own even with the makeup covering my eyes. I had a perfect sense of what was happening within a 10-step radius. Humans are amazing. Our senses get used to things.

Q: What kind of character is Naido to you as the actor?

I am an entity that is isolated in that mysterious space, but is protected by that world. There are humans who appear in the film who remain frightened even after becoming spirits, remaining as they are with their aged bodies, but I am not human, I am isolated in that space as a mysterious entity. I control machines and such (laughs).

Q: I was amazed by that machine.

It was in the script, but I was surprised when I saw it in person on set. It was quite high, and it felt like I was floating. “You might be scared when you see it, but you put on a harness and climb up to the top, and because it’s dangerous, you have to act with the harness on,” I was told. In fact, we acted at a fairly high place. I wondered what this shape was all about (laughs).

Q: In the bonus footage on the Blu-ray box, you can see David Lynch himself building the machine.

The director drew the rough sketches and created the shapes himself. I didn’t see that kind of production process. There was a scene where the director carved out the part of the machine that smoke comes out of. It was fun to watch. When I appeared in “Inland Empire,” I went to visit the set once before filming started. The director said, “Come here, come here.” He said, “Sorry, I have a cold right now, so you shouldn’t come near me,” but he was painting the wall by himself, looking like he was having a great time. He really loves it. He really loves making movies. It’s great.

Q: In the making-of footage included in the Blu-ray box, there is footage from the filming of the scene in “Chapter 14” where Naido is isolated in the sheriff’s office detention cell, and you can see Lynch giving acting instructions to Yuuki, who is wearing makeup that covers her eyes. Could you tell us any anecdotes about the filming of that scene?

The director normally teaches you how to act using gestures, but since I can’t see, he whispered in my ear the small movements and emotions of the character, such as, “Stretch your neck out like a praying mantis,” and “Something is coming, feel it with your hands.” Something that shouldn’t be coming is coming this way, and that’s Bob, and Naido senses Bob nearby. The director conveyed those emotions to me in words.

Q: Do you have a message for Japanese Twin Peaks fans?

So, by all means, grab some coffee, donuts, and cherry pie and binge watch! You’ll be feeling dizzy from adrenaline and sleepiness. When you watch Chapter 8, you’ll be surprised and think, “What on earth is this Chapter 8?” But there are still 10 episodes to go. You’ll watch up to Chapter 17, endlessly wondering, “What on earth am I watching right now?” And then, finally, you’ll reach Chapter 18. Then you’ll be thinking, “What was this Chapter 18 about?” (laughs).

Experience a feeling that you can’t share with anyone else, all by yourself. It’s okay if you don’t sleep for a day, so just binge-watch it. Go to a donut shop, buy a few different kinds of donuts, and get some coffee. Get everything ready, and binge-watch it without leaving the house. That’s what I would do (lol).

The image above is the original interview in Japanese from the now defunct TwinPeaks-DVD.jp website.