15. Madeline Ferguson Was Invented To Keep Sheryl Lee Around
Whilst Laura Palmer was the character whom the whole series revolved around (at least at first), she didn't actually appear all that much. By virtue of the first episode opens with her murder. Actress Sheryl Lee was on board to film her uncovering, wrapped in plastic, along with appearances in that home video seized as evidence, but mostly he appearances in the show boiled down to that one prom photo of her. Which, FYI, was Lee's actually prom photo. Lynch thought it a shame that an actress of Lee's caliber would be so underused by the show, once he realised how good she was, and so he devised a way to keep her around. Which is how Laura Palmer's cousin, Maddie Ferguson, was cooked up she wasn't originally planned to appear at all. It should be noted that Lynch's personal affinity for Lee as an actress and Maddie Ferguson as a character was reflected in her back story: she's saidt to be from Missoula, Montana, which is also David Lynchs hometown. Which probably isn't a coincidence. Lee later reprised her role as Laura at greater length for Fire Walk With Me, the movie spin-off.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
