10 Must-See Previous Roles From New Twin Peaks Residents

7. Laura Dern – Nikki Grace/Susan Blue, Inland Empire

inland empire
Studio Canal/Absurda

If you are unfamiliar with Lynch’s work outside of Twin Peaks, you may be stunned to know that, if anything, it gets weirder beyond the series’ procession of dwarves, giants and demon-possessed owls. This is no more apparent than in 2006’s INLAND EMPIRE, Lynch’s mind-bending last feature film, in which Laura Dern’s Nikki slowly loses herself in a film within a film, slipping through, between, our out of – it’s difficult to tell – a series of increasingly bizarre though seemingly interconnected realities, in which clowns, prostitutes and anthropomorphic rabbits abound.

Dern somehow pins the madness together which, in the hands of a lesser talent, could very well have unraveled completely, given the sheer emotional extremes Lynch subjects the character to. Dern's performance here is so singularly brilliant that she can veer between hardened and naive, and tortured and enraptured, without once forcing it as a cynical actor's showcase.

Lynch famously campaigned with a cow in tow (!) for an Oscar nod, but it wasn't to be. Maybe if she was in a wheelchair...

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!