David Lynch is a great American cheerleader. The auteur, responsible for oddball classics like Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, apparently struts around sets with an ever-present megaphone in hand, gleefully shouting at his actors throughout scenes, complimenting their nail-color choices, and giving them pet nicknames like “Tidbit” and “Buttercup.” In an interview with W magazine, actresses Laura Dern, Naomi Watts, Patricia Arquette, and Hailey Gates all share stories about their time on set with the eccentric filmmaker, painting a portrait of an exuberant, chain-smoking, psycho cheerleader.

All three noted Lynch’s penchant for using a megaphone, even if there’s just “three people in the room,“ Gates, who will star in the upcoming Twin Peaks revival, notes.

Watts, who starred in Mulholland, says it’s like “he’s in the scene with you.”

“He’s on his megaphone, even when he’s like two feet away from you. Such a freak. He’ll often direct you in the scene,” she says, before doing a truly bang-on, snarling impression. “‘Say it again! Rip his head off! Just go for it, Naomi! Just take him by the balls!’ ”

Laura Dern, who starred in Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, has had similar experiences, especially when Lynch sat just inches away from her during a love scene for the latter film. Every time she got the giggles during the scene, Lynch would pinch her feet to get her to stop.

“He was always right there . . . as we were rolling, he’d be able to somehow whisper in my ear then go back and hide,” she adds, an anecdote that would be terrifying if transposed to another director. David Lynch—mysterious cheerleader of whimsy and whispering.

Dern also shared Lynch’s nicknames for his stars. She’s Tidbit; Watts is Buttercup; and Arquette is Solid Gold (which, no offense, is clearly the best one of the bunch). Together, they sound like a Lynchian version of The Powerpuff Girls—except their powers are limited to having surreal dreams and always keeping a fresh pack of cigarettes on deck.