In 2020, Twin Peaks director David Lynch was diagnosed with Emphysema, a chronic lung condition causing shortness of breath. In August 2024, in an X post, David opened up about his relationship with smoking saying,
"I enjoyed smoking very much...but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is Emphysema."
In a recent interview with People Magazine on November 14, the director urged others to quit smoking while opening up about his battle with Emphysema.
"I can hardly walk across a room. It's like you're walking around with a plastic bag around your head."
Lynch said that smoking had become a "big important part" of his life after he started smoking at the young age of 8. The director said that smoking was "a part of being a painter and filmmaker" for him and was often captured smoking in portraits and candid press shots.
"I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes. It was part of being a painter and a filmmaker for me."
"I took a chance and I got bit" - says David Lynch about his history of smoking
While opening up about his battle with Emphysema, a chronic lung condition caused by consistent smoking, David Lynch revealed that he now relies on supplemental oxygen for anything more than a walk across the room. The director noted that in the back of every smoker's mind "is the fact that it's healthy, " so they're "literally playing with fire."
"It can bite you. I took a chance, and I got bit."
Lynch added that he had tried to quit smoking "many times" over the years, but when it got tough and he had a cigarette, it was a "one-way trip to heaven." He'd go back to smoking again. In August, Lynch revealed that he feared stepping out of his house since being diagnosed with Emphysema made him vulnerable to COVID. The director finds it hard to work on a set and said that he is only open to working remotely in the future.
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His most recent feature film was 2006's Inland Empire, and his last major screen project was the Twin Peaks reboot in 2017.
David Lynch revealed that although he is paying the price for his smoking habits, he did not "regret it" since others can learn from his experience. He added that he owes it to his audience and himself to remind people to quit "these things that are going to end up killing you."
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