General Hospital’s Finola Hughes pays tribute to legendary filmmaker David Lynch

Even General Hospital star Finola Hughes (Anna) can’t deny the genius of visionary director David Lynch, who died at age 78 on January 16, 2025. The director has made many memorable films and short films since 1967, including the Twin Peaks TV series and film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Wild at Heart (1990), and 1986’s Blue Velvet. Hughes loved the director’s surreal style and took to social media to share her memories of the legend.

She sent oxygen masks to friends as surreal gifts

On Instagram, General Hospital’s Finola Hughes shared a montage video set to the tune of Blue Velvet, a song that was made popular in 1963 by singer Bobby Vinton but covered here by Lana Del Rey. The video contained several screenshots and behind-the-scenes pics of Lynch’s movie Blue Velvet.

Hughes wrote, “From the first image in the movie Blue Velvet, I remember thinking ‘Oh, I get this film…’ It held me spellbound in 1986 as have all Mr Lynch’s movies and TV shows. The year that film came out, I bought my friends oxygen masks (don’t ask me where I got them) and wrapped them in crushed blue velvet, and gave them as Christmas gifts. Remember @ian.buchanan?”

She, of course, was referring to Ian Buchanan, who played Anna’s love interest, Duke Lavery, on General Hospital around the same time the film came out. She continued, remarking about what people must have thought about her surreal gift: “I’m sure everyone was nonplussed, but that is the beauty of cinema. Characters like Frank and Dorothy become so etched in your mind, that decades later you remember them vividly. My son watched the movie last night, a new generation of imagination will be awakened to David Lynch’s art. So inspiring always 🤍 rip Mr Lynch 🕊️🕊️.”

The movie itself is fantastic and stars Kyle MacLachlan as the lead, Jeffrey Beaumont, who gets embroiled in craziness after finding a severed ear in a field. Isabella Rossellini plays Dorothy Vallens, whose husband and son are kidnapped victims of Dennis Hopper’s insane Frank Booth. Laura Dern plays Jeffrey’s love interest, Sandy Williams, and the cast is rounded out by several familiar faces, including Hope Lange, Brad Douriff, Jack Nance, and Dean Stockwell.

A truly longtime fan, @69markosteven, commented: “My memory is NYC cocktail luncheon - I’m super excited and nervous to meet Ian and especially Finola - my mom (god bless her 😇) says to Ian - ‘I’m so sorry they took you off the show!’ I said ‘Mom!!! They didn’t take him off as Duke - he left to join Twin Peaks 🪵🍒🥧☕️ - wonderful show and visionary director! I still have the pic of Ian and Finola holding my biscuits I brought her 🩷.”

And @unmu2al responded, “What an awesome and clever gift! I’m sure everyone that received one is remembering it now. RIP David Lynch-absolute genius. 💙💙.”

You can watch new episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.