As you can tell from the photo below, today was a big one for yours truly. I took part in the Twin Peaks 25th Anniversary panel at Fan Expo Canada, sharing the stage with Ray Wise, Sheryl Lee and Sherilyn Fenn. I was introduced to the jam-packed room by moderator and Rue Morgue magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Dave Alexander as his ringer, having written the magazine’s TP cover story back in March. I was quite thrilled to be up there, and it was fairly surreal for me, as you might expect.
In the moment, when I was surrounded by people who have really helped shape who I am, at the very least as a lover of pop culture, it was easy to be professional. This is work, after all. But as the 45 minute panel went on, with questions from Dave, myself and a few of the gathered fans, I certainly felt life take on a surreal quality, especially when Sheryl Lee would flash her smile…Laura’s smile…it was genuinely breathtaking.
The three actors reminisced about how they became part of the show, what it was like to be a part of something that captured the zeitgeist the way Twin Peaks did back in the summer of 1990, and who they wished they’d worked more with on the show (Kyle MacLachlan’s Cooper for Sherilyn, Fenn herself for Sheryl, and PIper Laurie in Asian drag for Ray). Also interesting to note is that neither Sheryl or Ray knew they would be reprising their roles for the Between Two Worlds feature on the new box set. They received their lines the morning of the shoot, which they originally thought was just going to be interview material.
And like that, it was all done. An amazing experience that 13 year-old me never would have dreamt would happen, and one that 37 year-old me is hugely thankful for. A big thank you and tip of the hat to Rue Morgue’s Dave Alexander for inviting me to be part of the panel, not to mention the initial opportunity to write for the magazine and his ongoing support for my upcoming book. As well, thanks to Ray Wise, Sherilyn Fenn and Sheryl Lee for their kindness today. Class acts, all three of them.
