TV Hits Australia – Dana Ashbrook Discusses ‘Twin Peaks’ The Movie

I”ve enjoyed finding rarely seen treasures from Australia about David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks. I acquired a binder full of clippings that a fan saved more than three decades ago. One of those clippings comes from TV Hits Australia sometime in either late 1992 or in 1993. Dana Ashbrook, who played Bobby Briggs, spoke with the publication about the “Twin Peaks movie,” better known as Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

TV HITS AUSTRALIA – DANA ASHBROOK DISCUSSES ‘TWIN PEAKS’ THE MOVIE

Created by Pacific Magazines in 1988, “TV Hits” was a magazine for youth focusing on music, television show news, gossip and information. In the 1990s, the magazine had a circulation in “excess of 200,000.” They ceased publication in October 2010 as readership moved online to get the latest news.

The one-page article is found on page 28 of TV Hits Australia published sometime in 1992 or 1993.  There are no archives available online to cross reference, so I’m making a guess as to when the story was published.

It was published at least after May 16, 1992 as there is an image of David Lynch with Michael J. Anderson from the Cannes Film Festival where Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me had it’s worldwide debut. The article mentions the film was “already showing” in Japan as it was released in that country on the same day as Cannes.

In Australia, the prequel was screened for one-night only during the 42nd Melbourne International Film Festival on June 13, 1993. Fans then waited several months before it arrived in movie theaters throughout the country on November 4.

Below is a transcript of the Ben Hewitt’s interview with Dana Ashbrook.

BEN HEWITT: What can you tell us about the movie, Dana?

DANA ASHBROOK: I’m not supposed to say anything about it, but the cool thing is that it takes place before Laura Palmer’s death. I was one of Laura’s boyfriends (Bobby Briggs) and so had some good scenes to do. You get into what really went on. It’s really interesting, it’s very cool.

BH: After the TV series came to an end, how did you feel when you were told that the movie was going to be made?

DA: I was just happy to be working with (director) David (Lynch) again, and when I read the scriptI really liked it. It had some cool people in it and a lot of the same people from the series, so I was very excited, I was very happy.

BH: Presumably the cool people you’re referring to are David Bowie, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak. Did you meet them?

DA: I really didn’t get to meet them. They were there for the first week and I was there the last two weeks, so i didn’t actually get to meet them but I heard they were really great.

[Ed. note – Filming began on September 4 with scenes at the Fat Trout Trailer Park in Snoqualmie with Isaak and Sutherland. Bowie’s scenes were on Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7 in downtown Seattle].

BH: Why do you think the TV series became such a cult?

DA: I honestly don’t know. There’s no real telling. I wish I knew because I’d try and duplicate it for my own purposes and my own money (laughs)!

BH: What kind of person is Kyle MacLachlan?

DA: He’s a really nice guy. They’re all really nice on Twin Peaks! ! was really excited to work with Kyle because I thought he was great in Blue Velvet. And then when I met him, he was just really nice – he was just like a good friend.

BH: Do you hang out with the cast much?

DA: Some of them, you know. It’s pretty hard, because everyone’s busy, but I see James (Marshall, who played James Hurley) more than anyone else. But also Kimmy (Robertson, who played Lucy) and Kyle.

BH: Is the character of Bobby very different in the film than he was in the TV show?

DA: It’s pretty much the same lines, man. You just get to understand why he was so upset, so freaked out in the first episode. You understand the relationship between him and Laura better.

BH: Did you actually know who killed Laura Palmer long before us viewers?

DA: Well, we didn’t know. We had our eye on ideas of who did it, but we didn’t really know.

BH: Was it tough being a suspect?

DA: You know, I was the first suspect, so there was no pressure on me because in the pilot they figured that I did not do it – Agent Cooper types that note saying “He did not do it”. There wasn’t any pressure. There was just pressure from everybody else asking me who killed her and it was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know’!

BH: Do you still get fan mail for the show?

DA: Oh yeah, I get lots of mail. I answer every letter, I think it’s real important.

I had this weird letter from this guy saying that he looked exactly like me – and he did, he sent me pictures and he looked so like me it was scary! He wrote this really weird, long letter and the last thing he said was, “And if you don’t write back, l’ll have to contact you the hard way”. Weird!

BH: And did you write back?

DA: No…the scary ones I never answer. Don’t get involved!

BH: Are you involved romantically at the moment?

DA: I’m seeing someone right now, yeah. We’re new, we’ve only been going out for a little while. It’ll probably be over by the time this article comes out!

BH: Can you tell us more about her?

DA: Nope, but she’s a real sweetheart, she’s a beautiful girl. She’s an actress, It’s the first time I’ve been out with an actress, so it could be quite difficult…but right now it’s great!

DANA ASHBROOK PHOTOS BY MARK HANAUER

The photo of Ashbrook wearing jeans and an Elvis Costello t-shirt was taken by American photographer Mark Hanauer. He is know for his iconic portraits of the culture’s foremost figures. According to his bio, Mark served as Chief photographer for A&M Records from 1977-1979.

He then went on to document the counter-culture and music scene in the decades following. His images of Andy Warhol, The Clash, Charles Bukowski, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, and Muhammad Ali—among many others—appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire, New York Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times, and are imprinted on the public imagination.

Mark currently resides in Santa Monica and continues taking photos today. Follow him on Instagram  and see more his iconic works on his website – Mark Hanauer Photography.

A similar photo of Ashbrook from Hanauer’s shoot was run in a 1991 issue of the British publication, Jackie.

I found a third photo, albeit printed in reverse, in an issue of Smash Hits from November 1992.

Hanauer took photos of other Twin Peaks stars including director David Lynch standing next to artwork.

Laura Dern sporting a red dress.

He also took a black and white photo of David Duchovny. I’m guessing the image was capture after he began staring in The X-Files.

TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME | WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?!

The bottom half of the TV Hits Australia article gave readers a sneak preview of what to expect in Lynch’s 1992 masterpiece.

As you probably already know, the Twin Peaks movie is a prequel – not a sequel – so the action takes place up until the point where the TV series started. The film’s title in Japan, where it’s already showing, is The Last Seven Days Of Laura Palmer, which explains very simply the time span of the film.

The movie is said to feature some pretty raunchy scenes between Laura (played by Sheryl Lee, right) and her many lovers, but, sadly, that other Twin Peaks siren, Sherilyn Fenn, won’t be appearing. Well, nevermind, most of our other favourites, including James Hurley, Leland Palmer, the Log Lady and the midget (pictured here at the Cannes Film Festival with director David Lynch), will be returning. New cast members who’ll be sampling Norma’s cherry pie include megastars David Bowie, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris Isaak.