David Lynch has made a prosperous career out of freaking people out. Ever since his jaw-dropping debut Eraserhead captivated audiences on the midnight movie circuit, Lynch has been plying viewers with surreal imagery and themes that take a few viewings to unpack.
Arguably the pinnacle of this filmmaking style is Blue Velvet, but a close second his Mulholland Drive, the director’s dark satire of the Hollywood studio system. The movie actually began its life as a TV pilot before being retooled into a feature film, and that’s just the first of many fascinating stories from behind the scenes of Mulholland Drive.
10 The Film Was Initially Conceived As A TV Pilot For ABC
David Lynch originally conceived Mulholland Drive as a 90-minute TV pilot for ABC. However, network executives balked at Lynch’s vision, chopped up the pilot episode in the edit to the point that it was barely recognizable, and then didn’t pick up the show.
Just when Lynch was ready to abandon the project, Canal+ offered to give the director enough money to rework the pilot as a feature film. Lynch was initially reluctant, as he’d lost passion for the project, so it took a year to negotiate.
9 David Lynch Refused To Explain The Meaning Of The Film To The Cast
During production of Mulholland Drive, David Lynch refused to tell any of the actors the true meaning of the film. He was receptive to questions from the cast, but he wouldn’t give them any straight answers.
According to Justin Theroux, the actors were all given a full script, but he found the whole to be an entirely different beast than the individual parts, and compared the process to working “half-blindfolded.”
8 The Mobster Who Spits Out Coffee Was Played By The Film’s Composer
Near the beginning of the movie, when Adam is meeting with the studio and finds that his film is being influenced by the mob, a mobster named Luigi Castigliane spits out espresso into a napkin. This character was played by Angelo Badalamenti, who composed the score for this movie and a handful of other David Lynch projects.
7 According To Naomi Watts, The Masturbation Scene Was The Toughest One To Shoot
Naomi Watts said that the toughest scene to shoot in Mulholland Drive was the masturbation scene. David Lynch put a small tent over Watts’ head so that she wouldn’t have to look at the crew, but he also refused to cut.
This was so that he could capture every little nuance, including when Watts felt uncomfortable, so that the scene in the final cut would feel as raw and realistic as possible.
6 Adam Smashing The Producer’s Car With A Golf Club Was Based On A Real-Life Incident Involving Jack Nicholson
There’s a scene in Mulholland Drive in which an incensed Adam takes up a golf club and smashes the windshield of the producer’s car.
This was inspired by a real-life incident from 1994 when Jack Nicholson did the same thing. Coincidentally, or perhaps not coincidentally, Nicholson’s nickname is “Mulholland Man.”
5 The Winkie’s Was Supposed To Be A Denny’s
The Winkie’s diner is one of the prominent locations in Mulholland Drive, holding key information to understanding the movie. In the script, this diner was written to be a Denny’s. However, David Lynch ended up changing it to the fictional Winkie’s, possibly due to licensing issues with Denny’s.
4 The Film Is Dedicated To David Lynch’s Assistant, Who Died In A Car Accident
Lynch dedicated Mulholland Drive to the memory of Jennifer Syme, who worked as an assistant to the director around the time that the movie was being made. Syme was an aspiring actor, much like Betty, and she was killed in a car accident in April 2001, prior to the movie’s release.
3 Naomi Watts Almost Quit Acting Right Before Mulholland Drive Hit Theaters
Much like her character, Naomi Watts was a struggling actor worrying that she might not make it in Hollywood when Mulholland Drive was in production. Her performance in the movie ended up making her a star, putting her on the radar of every producer in town.
But before the film was released, Watts lost her health insurance and got kicked out of her apartment, so she considered quitting acting and leaving Hollywood for good. However, her friend Nicole Kidman talked her into waiting until Mulholland Drive came out.
2 Laura Harring Got Into A Fender Bender On The Way To Her Audition
On the way to her audition for Mulholland Drive, Laura Harring got into a minor car accident. When she got to the audition and found out that her character would get into a car accident in the film’s opening scene, she thought she was destined to play the role. And of course, she was.
1 According To Sherilyn Fenn, The Story Began Life As An Audrey-Focused Twin Peaks Spin-Off
According to Twin Peaks star Sherilyn Fenn, the story that would eventually morph into Mulholland Drive was conceived by David Lynch as a spin-off for her character Audrey Horne. In that version, Audrey would’ve taken Betty’s role in the story.
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