I recently had the opportunity to speak with Twin Peaks cast member Zoe McLane! Zoe’s scene in Part 12 will surely go down as one of the more memorable in Twin Peaks history and I had a great time talking to her about not only that scene but quite a bit more! Be sure to follow Zoe on Twitter @zmclane and I hope you enjoy the interview!

AG: How did you learn about the role in Twin Peaks?

ZM: I got an email from my agent in Seattle. She told me that it was an untitled Showtime project and that I should dress Twin Peaks-y [laughs]. No other information given than that but I could make an educated guess [laughs].

AG: What was the casting and audition process like for you?

ZM: I went in one time to Heidi Walker’s office in Seattle, and it was interview questions being filmed. I left thinking I wasn’t going to get it. The room was filled with people older than me and I thought that maybe I wasn’t what they were looking for. I was really surprised when I got an email from my agent about signing contracts and actually getting the job.

AG: Were you familiar at all with David Lynch or Twin Peaks prior to your audition?

ZM: I knew of Twin Peaks just because of it being one of the few things that filmed in Washington in recent years. I actually watched Seasons 1 and 2, as well as Fire Walk With Me for the first time prior to shooting.

AG: How long was filming for you?

ZM: Just one day. November of 2015. I went to LA for a few days, shot for around 6 hours.

AG: Your scene has become one of the most memorable from the series. Can you walk us through what it was like filming something so intense that wound up being so pivotal to the plot?

ZM: It’s interesting. I didn’t know anything else that was happening in the rest of the season so I had no idea how meaningful my scene would be. I had a lot of different ideas, but they were really just guesses. It was weird to be thrown into this moment in the middle of a whole arc that I didn’t really understand. It did make it easier to just react as the character. Neither my character or I had a clue what was going on [laughs]. It was very interesting to work with Grace (Zabriskie). She’s so sweet and such an incredible actress. She goes so far with her character and the choices she makes in those scenes. She’s so intense and incredible. But yeah, it was just so confusing. I had no clue how it was going to fit in or when I was going to show up.

AG: What was it like working with David Lynch?

ZM: He was very sweet and welcoming. We had a very basic scene, so there wasn’t a whole lot of direction—things like you’re confused, you don’t know what’s happening. This woman is freaking out, and you’ve known her your whole life. There wasn’t a whole lot to discuss, but he was very understanding and thought we did a great job, which was really reassuring. He would tell us after every take that we were doing a great job. There really wasn’t much re-direction for us, which was good. That meant we were doing what we were supposed to be doing. He was really quirky, sweet and funny. The whole experience was really welcoming and I wish I had more time on set than I did.

AG: Did not knowing what your scene was about make the secrecy surrounding this project easier?

ZM: It did. There wasn’t that much for me to say. I didn’t have any dirty secrets to tell. For the most part, I was able to keep a secret for two years [laughs].

AG: Let’s talk about the night of the premiere. It’s a big Hollywood premiere for a show, which is different. Lots of big names not associated with the project are there out of their own excitement. What’s that night like for you?

ZM: It was incredible. I had been to premieres before but on a lot smaller scale. It was a very expensive, flashy, over the top experience. They went all out. I mean, they had a logging truck outside! The party was extravagant. Getting to walk the red carpet and have more of a “Hollywood experience” than I have had previously. I’ve been to a lot of indie film premieres where the carpet is literally a foot long, and you take a quick picture. Here, my name is being screamed by photographers, which was very nervewracking but exciting.

AG: The Twin Peaks community—both cast and crew as well as fans—are known for being very close-knit. What’s that experience been like for you?

ZM: It’s been awesome. I don’t think a lot of people know who I am in the community. I have this small group of people that talk to me on Twitter and they’re super nice people. I’m not sure how much of the larger fan base knows who I am. I haven’t been to any fan events yet, but I really want to go to the Twin Peaks Festival in North Bend this summer. I haven’t got to interact with a whole lot of people in person. I have some at the pop-ups and usually people remember me if they’re reminded of my scene. Which is fine but kind of awkward [laughs], kind of like “I don’t know if you know” and I never know how to approach you. The cast are really incredible people. We’ve hung out at the pop-ups, and there are cast dinners every month. I’ve only gone to one so far, but everyone from the fans to the cast and crew are all such incredible people. It’s really unique—I haven’t been involved in something where everyone is this close.

AG: Can you tell us a bit about the pop-ups?

ZM: I went to the Roadhouse and the Double R Diner. I’m going to go back to the Roadhouse next week since it’s staying open. I went to the Double R a couple of times, talked to different people. I actually did get recognized at a restaurant from someone who saw me at the pop-up. It was funny—this guy came up to me and just said “Twin Peaks?” and the friend I was with freaked out more than I did [laughs]. I do prefer the Roadhouse. I love the vibe of it. Really good food and a lot of really cool drinks. They put so much thought and energy into the design of the drinks and food. It’s so creative. I took so many pictures. The Red Room was also incredible. It goes down a whole hallway which you can walk and it curves around. The whole experience was incredible. The first one, the Double R, was cool in its own right too. It was a gift shop and you could sit down and have pie and coffee, hang out. The days that the cast were there, we would walk around and talk to people in line. It was really cool. Showtime has done really well with designing these interactive fan events, and I hope they keep doing it for years and years.

AG: So what’s next for you?

ZM: Auditioning for different projects right now. I did a film a year ago, and I don’t know when it’s coming out, but hopefully, it’s this year. It’s called Skin in the Game, and it’s about sex trafficking. It’s a very happy film as you can imagine [laughs]. No, it’s a very dark film and my role is very intense, which was a lot of fun to get to freak out and have this really dark, intense scene. I hope that film gets to see the light of day. Other than that, I’m just waiting for my next role and waiting for Twin Peaks Season 4 hopefully.

AG: In conclusion, anything you would like to say about the Twin Peaks experience for you so far?

ZM: It’s literally been the most incredible experience that I’ve had ever. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and the amount of cool things I’ve been able to do. I get to go to the Roadhouse and hang out and talk to people. The fact that I got to go to the premiere. The cast dinner. Everything—it’s been an incredible journey that I did not expect a few years ago when I got the call that I got this. It was just another job; a cool job, but I didn’t know what all I would be getting from it, including getting to be a part of this fan and cast family.

I’m looking forward to seeing where all of this goes in the future.

If you enjoyed this interview, please be sure to check out some of our others:

My Interview With Sabrina Sutherland

My Interview with Mark Frost

My Interview with Stewart Strauss

My Interview With John Pirruccello