14 DAY TRIAL // Because of her role as Laura Palmer / Maddy Ferguson on the cult TV series “Twin Peaks,” from creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, actress Sheryl Lee is instantly recognizable. But that’s not to say that her life is a fairytale like most people probably imagine it is.
Due in London to attend the 2014 Twin Peaks UK Festival in Whitechapel, Lee spoke to the Evening Standard about her life post-“Twin Peaks” and how she was forced to sell off most of her stuff, including valuable show memorabilia, because of a debilitating disorder.
She was diagnosed with neutropenia in 2007.
Sheryl Lee is broke, living in a guest house but still optimistic
The rare blood disorder means that she has a very low number of white cells; in other words, her body isn’t able to fight infections, to kill off bacteria in the blood. Without on-the-spot treatment in case of an infection, neutropenia can become life-threatening and even deadly.
The 47-year-old star says that she was diagnosed with it in 2007, and since then, she has been struggling financially. On one hand, she has to pay medical bills, while on the other, she can’t work as before.
Fans know that Lee has been working steadily since “Twin Peaks,” though she never again attained the same kind of success as she did with the series. She admits that, besides TV work, she also did indie movies: and the reality of working on this type of films is that, while you have the satisfaction of working, you don’t really make that much money.
The myth of the actor / celebrity
This is where Lee stops to set the record straight: contrary to what most people believe, being an actor doesn’t mean that you get to live large or that, suddenly, all your financial worries go away. On the contrary: most working actors she works are “struggling,” she promises.
That the acting profession is a guarantee of financial security is a myth, and Lee insists that this also applies to someone like her, someone who will forever be linked to one cult classic role.
Of course, her health issues only made it worse for her: she was forced to downsize constantly, to sell her most prized possessions, and as a last resort, even her “Twin Peaks” memorabilia. That pained her the most, she admits.
“I now live a very, very quiet, simple life in a tiny little guest house on somebody else’s ranch,” Lee explains.
“Twin Peaks” is coming back for season 3, in 2016
The good news for Lee is that “Twin Peaks” is coming back for one final, long-awaited season. Lee says that she hasn’t been offered her role back yet, but that’s hard to believe considering she was one of the few actors who agreed to appear with Lynch on the Blu-ray extra for the 25th anniversary of the show.
At the same time, bringing together part of the old cast without the most important element, the one who(se death) united them and set everything in motion, seems far-fetched. A “Twin Peaks” without Laura Palmer, even after 25 years, makes no sense.
According to an interview by Frost, the series will respect the chronology and will pick up 25 years after the events from the season 2 finale. He wouldn’t say how that would play out, so we’ll just have to wait until 2016 to see. The show airs on Showtime.
