Twin Peaks Publicity – Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Sheryl Lee’s gave an astounding performance in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. With each viewing, I am increasingly impressed with her abilities as an actress to convey such raw emotion as Laura Palmer. It’s no surprise then this stunning publicity photo created for the film captures Laura’s spirit and strength as she faced the darkness in the woods.

SHERYL LEE AS LAURA PALMER IN TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME

This black and white photo was created as part of the film’s publicity package. The caption reads, “Sheryl Lee stars as Laura Palmer in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, from New Line Cinema.”

I love how hopeful Sheryl Lee looks in this image. Her upward gaze with catch lights in her eyes paired with a slightly upward angle to the photo really embodies Laura’s optimism and innocence.

There was a second shot of Sheryl Lee from this photo session. This cropped image appears to be taken against the same background, which faintly resembles fir trees. Her hair styling (complete with bangs) and make-up appear to be similar. This shot, however, seems to show a completely different side to Laura. This is the emotional range I previously mentioned – what an incredible performance just in still images!

The images were taken by the late Lorey Sebastian who was credited as the “Still Photographer” for Lynch’s masterpiece.

She began her career in 1977 as the still photographer on the set of Joan Micklin Silver’s film Between The Lines. Born in New York City in 1944, Sebastian eventually moved to Los Angeles, California. She had more than 100 film credits to her name including The Player, Crash, St. Elmo’s Fire, True Grit, Twilight, Hell or High Water and Hostiles.

Lorey was briefly married to John Sebastian from the band, The Loving Spoonful. She retired around 2018 and moved to Truchas, New Mexico where she lived with her two dogs. Sadly, she passed on May 9, 2022 at the age of 78 following a brief illness.

LAURA PALMER PUBLICITY PHOTO IN PRESS

Like all publicity photos, the image was designed to accompany press stories or reviews of Lynch’s film. A review by John L. Contarino from the Press of Atlantic City on September 4, 1992 featured a slightly cropped image of the publicity shot. He gave the film a rare “four star” review and noted Sheryl Lee’s performance

“As for acting, most outstanding is Sheryl Lee as Laura. Lee surpasses the emotional demands of the film. Likewise, Ray Wise as Laura’s father Leland is very convincing in his key role.”

He also notes the film isn’t for everyone as “trying to figure it out logically is impossible.” Instead, he encouraged viewers to “enjoy it as a strange journey” and to “be ready to sleep uneasily for a few nights.”

Joy Persico from The Times also included the publicity photo in her September 4, 1992 review. She didn’t like it as much as Contarino but recognized it is a better film than other filmmakers at the time.

“It’s exasperating, messy, self-conscious, depraved and mystifying. But even a lesser film from director David Lynch is better than some of the best work of other filmmakers.”

She also gives credit to Angelo Badalamenti’s music and “stylistic cinematography” of Ron Garcia.

The Southtown Star used the image in a short blurb teasing a review of the film in their September 10 publication.

The Times Herald also included the publicity shot with their 1.5 star review snippet. They clearly watched a different film than I saw.

The stunning publicity shot was also used months later to advertise the home video VHS release of Lynch’s film on January 16, 1993.

This image certainly ranks high on my list of iconic shots from the film. Decades later, I am captivated by such a power image taken more than three decades ago.

You can download a high-resolution copy of this image via my Flickr account – https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/54821492632.