Season 3, The First Draft - Speculation etc.

[mtwentz]

That's a good point - I don't think anyone seriously expected LFB to return for Season 3.

I thought it was possible, Sherilyn Fenn turned down FWWM as well, also conquered some life challenges and returned.

If I recall, there were stories circulating early on that Lara was desperate to have a role in the new Twin Peaks. I was very surprised to learn that she had turned down Lynch/Frost and not the other way around.

[eyeboogers]

That's a good point - I don't think anyone seriously expected LFB to return for Season 3.

I thought it was possible, Sherilyn Fenn turned down FWWM as well, also conquered some life challenges and returned.

If I recall, there were stories circulating early on that Lara was desperate to have a role in the new Twin Peaks. I was very surprised to learn that she had turned down Lynch/Frost and not the other way around.

Was any of that confirmed/from a reliable source?

[mtwentz]

I thought it was possible, Sherilyn Fenn turned down FWWM as well, also conquered some life challenges and returned.

If I recall, there were stories circulating early on that Lara was desperate to have a role in the new Twin Peaks. I was very surprised to learn that she had turned down Lynch/Frost and not the other way around.

Was any of that confirmed/from a reliable source?

Not that I remember, but I do seem to remember it was in one of the tabloids. So much t was more than just dugpa buzz I think.

[mtwentz]

Here is the article from 2014 stating LFB was desperate to be in the new Twin Peaks:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... eboot.html

[Mr. Reindeer]

I think the content of that article speaks for itself. Unreliable, unsubstantiated, pandering, gross schlock.

I also assumed LFB wouldn’t return, but it’s not unreasonable that L/F would reach out. It would be sort of monstrous to continue to hold her accountable for behavior of 25 years ago when she was 19-20 years old. Would you, as an adult, want your career reputation to hang in the balance of your worst behavior during your college years? She’s lived a life since then. And while she still seems to be rather troubled/difficult if the tabloids are to be given a shred of credence, that has never stopped DKL from hiring actors like Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, etc. Heck, even back then, DKL wanted her for FWWM if she would have done it. It seems that LFB still has some chip on her shoulder regarding her time on the show; it would be so interesting to hear her side, but that seems unlikely to ever happen. In any event, I find it perfectly believable that they reached out and she declined (which I believe Fenn also said was the case on twitter, FWIW...I trust her more than an unnamed Daily News “source”).

It’s also worth noting that many of the actresses blacklisted by Harvey Weinstein were labeled with reputations for being “difficult.” I certainly don’t mean to imply that L/F did anything wrong, but there are two sides to every story, and given how young she was and the personal nature of her relationship with Kyle, there are a billion possible reasons she may not look back on the show fondly and may not have wanted to return regardless of the potential career boost.

[mtwentz]

I think the content of that article speaks for itself. Unreliable, unsubstantiated, pandering, gross schlock.

I also assumed LFB wouldn’t return, but it’s not unreasonable that L/F would reach out. It would be sort of monstrous to continue to hold her accountable for behavior of 25 years ago when she was 19-20 years old. Would you, as an adult, want your career reputation to hang in the balance of your worst behavior during your college years? She’s lived a life since then. And while she still seems to be rather troubled/difficult if the tabloids are to be given a shred of credence, that has never stopped DKL from hiring actors like Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, etc. Heck, even back then, DKL wanted her for FWWM if she would have done it. It seems that LFB still has some chip on her shoulder regarding her time on the show; it would be so interesting to hear her side, but that seems unlikely to ever happen. In any event, I find it perfectly believable that they reached out and she declined (which I believe Fenn also said was the case on twitter, FWIW...I trust her more than an unnamed Daily News “source”)

Mr. Reindeer, are you questioning the journalistic integrity of the British tabloid press

[Mr. Reindeer]

Yes.

[vicksvapor77]

Just as Audrey’s hair salon storyline ended up in TFD, I really do suspect that Donna’s chapter in TFD arose from at least casual conversations L/F had on how Donna/LFB might be used in the show.

Absolutely. Per The Final Dossier, Donna was also a drug addict, like her sister Gersten. Not exactly unique. I think that's because Donna was supposed to be in Gersten's place in the series. Years ago on Facebook, some random person posted that they helped LFB move and when asked about Twin Peaks, LFB said, "I'm not letting Donna go out like that." I can't blame her if she felt the role of a drug-addicted woman dating a man half her age didn't appeal to her. Does anyone happen to have that Facebook post still saved?

When LFB dropped out, they called in pinch-hitter Alicia Witt as a femiliar face from the original series and then Mark re-wrote his book a bit, perhaps changing some of the latter part of Donna's story, making it seem as though Donna never returned to Twin Peaks and was with Doc Hayward off-screen in Virginia. But the first 2/3rds or 3/4ths of the Donna chapter in The Final Dossier probably remained untouched, indicating that the addict persona we saw of Gersten would fit quite nicely with the Donna backstory. Gersten also gets a small section in the book that Mark no doubt added in after the character swap. But again, notice how Gersten more or less follows in Donna's drug-addicted path. Not a coincidence, in my opinion.

If this hasn't been mentioned, Mark Frost at the Austin Film Festival, among Sherilyn Fenn at fan events (perhaps privately to fans), more or less confirmed that the scene with Richard beating up Sylvia was originally hers. Perhaps Audrey had a few more scenes at her hair salon before or after that, too. Richard attacking her could have also been scripted to take place there, too, for all we know. I think Jan D'Arcy, a WA local and retired actor, was just called in to pinch-hit, just like Alicia Witt, so they could still get the climax of that original Audrey storyline, where the point was truly to see how wretched Richard was.

[vicksvapor77]

California you say. Hmmm, then how about this. Instead of being called by her, Hawk would find Margaret nosing about at Glastonbury Grove where she would relay the message for him.

That was absolutely my thought on this, as well. I also wonder if Hawk might have originally visited her cabin in the script of what is now one of their phone call scenes, too. I don't know if I believe Margaret's role was larger at all in the shooting script, but rather, they simply got creative with how to handle the material. Kimmy recently confirmed the scene where the Sheriff's Department folks find out that she died was not scripted and was added after Catherine passed: https://25yearslatersite.com/2018/09/07/kimmy-robertson-discusses-returning-to-twin-peaks-michael-cera-season-2-much-more/.

[vicksvapor77]

IIRC, Al Strobel filled in for MJA a fair bit. But I don't know how much.

As far as I know, pretty much everything outside of the scenes of Phillip Gerard in part 17. It's a real damn shame they didn't ask Strobel and Ray Wise to split the material. Wise was so incredibly underused this season.

[N. Needleman]

I personally don't believe they had enough invested in LFB to believe she could handle that kind of heavy material these days. But that's me. I'm not trying to bash her but it's no secret she's had some very rough years personally and professionally, and her relationship with the show has been tenuous at best since 1991. That doesn't need to be based on a grudge so much as pragmatic considerations.

We know no one saw their material ahead of time and I believe everyone got paid scale - if Lara was approached (which I have my doubts about) she could've turned it down based on that alone. Do I believe Gersten's role was originally Donna's? No.

[eyeboogers]

I can't blame her if she felt the role of a drug-addicted woman dating a man half her age didn't appeal to her. Does anyone happen to have that Facebook post still saved?

I don't have a source, but I am almost certain that quote was debunked.

[vicksvapor77]

I personally don't believe they had enough invested in LFB to believe she could handle that kind of heavy material these days. But that's me. I'm not trying to bash her but it's no secret she's had some very rough years personally and professionally, and her relationship with the show has been tenuous at best since 1991. That doesn't need to be based on a grudge so much as pragmatic considerations.

We know no one saw their material ahead of time and I believe everyone got paid scale - if Lara was approached (which I have my doubts about) she could've turned it down based on that alone. Do I believe Gersten's role was originally Donna's? No.

I wouldn't call Gersten's two scenes, one of which without dialogue, "heavy material." Perhaps LFB's mental state and/or presumed willingness to participate was why the part was written to be so small?

[vicksvapor77]

I can't blame her if she felt the role of a drug-addicted woman dating a man half her age didn't appeal to her. Does anyone happen to have that Facebook post still saved?

I don't have a source, but I am almost certain that quote was debunked.

Interesting. Let me know if you find out more?

[Mr. Reindeer]

None of us knows for sure, but I could certainly envision Donna/LFB in the “rhinocerus/turquoise” scene with Steven. I wouldn’t put it past L/F to conceive that scene as a loving tour de force comeback for LFB, if she felt she was up to it. Again, I’ll note that DKL is no stranger to redeeming pariah/washed-up actors (Dennis Hopper), and also frequently seems to rejoice in getting incredible performances from actors (and musicians) widely viewed as incapable of delivering “serious” acting. Ultimately, I’m glad Alicia Witt got to do it—I’ve been a little bit in love with her since seeing the “Blackout” episode of Hotel Room, and she completely kills it on TP:TR. But I think in terms of obvious character progression and narrative/thematic significance, the damaged and Laura-obsessed Donna probably would have slotted into that role in a more meaningful fashion than Gersten. I don’t have any idea if the role was actually written for LFB, but I can envision her doing it, and the thought of her popping up unexpectedly and actually pulling it off gives me chills.