“I took a chance and was bitten”

“I saw the writing on the wall, and it said: ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop,'” says the director, who was diagnosed with emphysema in 2020.

David Lynch has enjoyed smoking for most of his life, but the habit has caused serious health problems.

THE Mulholland Drive The filmmaker, who started smoking at age 8 and quit at 76, says he now requires supplemental oxygen for any physical activity beyond a walk across the room after his diagnosis of emphysema in 2020.

“In the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire,” he tells PEOPLE in a new interview. “It can bite you. I took a chance and got bitten.”

Lynch wasn’t able to completely quit smoking until two years after his diagnosis. “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. Twin Peaks said the brain. “I could barely move without gasping for air. Quitting smoking was my only choice.”

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His condition, which causes intense shortness of breath, means he will not be able to return to directing on set – although he can explore directing remotely. “It’s hard living with emphysema,” Lynch said. “I can barely walk across a room. It’s like walking around with a plastic bag around your head.”

Lynch also revealed that he rarely leaves the house at this point. “I never really liked going out before, so it’s a good excuse,” he joked. However, if he could have started again, he probably would not have quit smoking sooner. “I don’t regret it. It was important to me. I wish what every addict wishes: that what we love is good for us.”

He continued: “I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes. It was part of my life as a painter and filmmaker.” He also noted that he saw no problem with depicting smoking on screen: “I never thought it would be glamorous,” he said. “It was part of life. Some characters were smokers, like in real life.”

On the same subject: David Lynch speaks Inner Empiresawing wood, and not bringing a new film to Cannes

But he hopes his story will inspire other smokers to quit before it’s too late. “I really wanted to get this across: Think about it. You can stop these things that will eventually kill you,” he said. “I owe it to them – and to myself – to say that.”

On the same subject: David Lynch announces an album with Twin Peaks actress: look back at some of her craziest non-directing projects

Lynch’s last feature film dates from 2006 Inner Empirewhich reunited him with frequent collaborator Laura Dern in a nightmarish, non-linear saga set against the backdrop of a cursed Hollywood production. His last major directorial project dates back to 2017. Twin Peaks: The Returnan 18-episode Showtime sequel to the ABC crime drama that made him a household name in the early ’90s. An occasional actor, Lynch made his last on-screen appearance in a single scene in Steven Spielberg’s film. The Fabelmans in 2022.

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