Twenty years after the famous Laura Palmer mystery, the cast reunites on Psych. Jace Lacob spoke to co-creator Mark Frost and Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee. Plus, see where the actors are now!
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Twin Peaks Character: FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper
Who Was That? Tibet-obsessed FBI Agent Dale Cooper was brought to
Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), whose sunny smile hid a series of secrets and riddles. Cooper quickly fell in love with the small town, even as he found himself drawn toward the darkness in the woods and into a star-crossed flirtation with local rich girl Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), before ending up the latest host for supernatural entity BOB while trying to save his girlfriend Annie (Heather Graham).
Character Quote: "Diane, I'm holding in my hands a small box of chocolate bunnies."
Where He Is Now: MacLachlan, who had previously worked with David Lynch on both
Dune and
Blue Velvet, would go on to star in
Showgirls and later play Trey MacDougal, the sexually dysfunctional husband of Charlotte (Kristin Davis) in HBO's
Sex and the City. He later starred in short-lived ABC legal drama,
In Justice, before moving to
Desperate Housewives' Wisteria Lane, where he played Bree's husband, Orson Hodge, for four seasons. He'll be seen this season on CBS'
How I Met Your Mother.
Twin Peaks Characters: Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson
Who Was That? Laura Palmer was the first murder victim, whose death—and the discovery of her body, wrapped in plastic—kicked off the series. Homecoming queen, Meals on Wheels volunteer, she seemed to be the perfect good girl, but she was secretly involved with drugs, prostitution, and sex with just about everyone in town. Maddy Ferguson was Laura's lookalike cousin from Missoula, who got caught up in a clandestine investigation by James (James Marshall) and Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) into Laura's murder. Maddy was eventually killed by her uncle Leland (Ray Wise), possessed by BOB, after experiencing visions of her killer.
Character Quotes:
Laura: "I feel like I know her but sometimes my arms bend back."
Maddy: "All I did was to come to a funeral. And it's like I fell into a dream. It's like people think I'm Laura. And I'm not!"
Where She Is Now: Lee was originally cast as dead narrator Mary-Alice Young on ABC's
Desperate Housewives, but the role was recast with Brenda Strong after the original pilot. She would go on to recur on WB/CW drama
One Tree Hill and ABC's
Dirty Sexy Money. This year, she appeared in the indie film
Winter's Bone.
Of Her Experience: "To work with someone like David [Lynch] and that cast, it was incredible," Lee said. "It was an education for me… I got to just lay there dead most of the time and be a sponge on the set and it was the best way to learn."
Twin Peaks Character: Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Who Was That?
Twin Peaks' loyal and honest sheriff, Harry Truman forges a strong working relationship with FBI Agent Cooper, as well as a genuine friendship, as they investigate and ultimately solve the murder of Laura Palmer. Harry is a member of the Bookhouse Boys, a secret society determined to fight the darkness in the woods, and is romantically involved with widow Josie Packard (Joan Chen), though he's unaware of her complicity in the attempted murder of her much-older husband.
Character Quote: "I'm beginning to feel a bit like Dr. Watson."
Where He Is Now: After
Twin Peaks, Ontkean starred in a number of made-for-television movies. He also appeared in four episodes of Fox's short-lived drama
North Shore.
Twin Peaks Character: Audrey Horne
Who Was That? The manipulative daughter of small-town mogul Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), Audrey had a crush on Agent Cooper. While she and Laura weren't friends (though she did "sort of love" Laura for helping her brother, Johnny), Audrey began her own investigation into Laura's death, landing herself in trouble at One Eyed Jack's, the brothel her father owned over the Canadian border. Her love for Cooper was unrequited and she eventually fell for John Justice Wheeler (Billy Zane), before handcuffing herself to the local bank in an act of civil disobedience. Alas, the jail exploded in the series' cliffhanger ending, possibly killing Audrey.
Character Quote: "I love this music. Isn't it too dreamy?"
Where She Is Now: Fenn starred in a number of film and television roles, including
Ruby and
Of Mice and Men. She was the lead in Showtime's comedy series
Rude Awakening, where she played Billie Frank for three seasons, later recurring on
Dawson's Creek,
Boston Public, and
Gilmore Girls (where she played two characters, Anna Nardini for two seasons and Sasha in the backdoor pilot for a failed spinoff).
Twin Peaks Character: Shelly Johnson
Who Was That? A waitress at the Double R Diner, Shelly was a high-school dropout married to the abusive and cruel Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re). Despite his violent temper and paranoid nature, Shelly was secretly seeing her former high-school classmate Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) behind his back. When Shelly shot Leo in an act of self-defense, he later abducted her and tied her up at the sawmill, which he set on fire as part of an insurance scam. Shelly survives, thanks to the arrival of Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie).
Character Quote: "I've got one man too many in my life and I'm married to him."
Where She Is Now: Post-
Twin Peaks, Amick starred in CBS' nighttime soap
Central Park West, the revival of
Fantasy Island, ABC comedy
Freddie,
My Own Worst Enemy, and CBS'
Viva Laughlin. She has recurred in
Dawson's Creek,
Gilmore Girls,
ER,
Joey,
Kidnapped,
Gossip Girl,
Californication, and
Damages.
Twin Peaks Character: Bobby Briggs
Who Was That? Laura's putative boyfriend, Bobby Briggs was secretly seeing married waitress Shelly Johnson behind Laura's back… and running drugs for Shelly's violent husband Leo. He and best friend Mike (Gary Hershberger) have a rivalry with biker James (James Marshall), whom Laura was secretly seeing. Slacker Bobby later straightens up and begins working for Audrey's father Ben Horne at the Great Northern.
Character Quote: "You think because I wasn't at football practice that I killed my girlfriend?"
Where He Is Now: Ashbrook started in a number of made-for-television movies and recurred on
Dawson's Creek, before starring in Spike's limited series
The Kill Point and Starz's drama series
Crash.
Twin Peaks Character: Donna Hayward
Who Was That? Laura's best friend, Donna, launched her own investigation into Laura's murder, teaming up with James Hurley and Laura's cousin, Maddy. Despite dating Mike, Donna found herself falling for Laura's secret lover, James, and the two become a romantic couple, even as he's drawn toward Maddy. Donna later discovers that her father Dr. Hayward (played by Mark Frost's real-life father Warren Frost) may not be her biological father, but that her father could be Ben Horne.
Character Quote: "Mom, it's so strange. I know I should be sad, and I am, part of me is. But it's like... it's like I'm having the most beautiful dream... and the most terrible nightmare, all at once."
Where She Is Now: After
Twin Peaks, Boyle starred in the film
Threesome,
Wayne's World, and
Men in Black II, and in such series as
The Practice,
Huff, and
Las Vegas. Earlier this year, E! ordered a pilot for a reality series that would follow Boyle as she splits her time between Texas and Bel-Air.
Twin Peaks Character: Leland Palmer
Who Was That? Laura's bereft father, Leland Palmer, seemed to be undergoing a mental breakdown in the days following his daughter's murder, but the singing-and-dancing lawyer for Ben Horne was revealed to be the host for a malevolent and murderous supernatural entity named BOB, who murdered Laura, Maddy, and a woman named Theresa Banks a year earlier. Leland also killed Jacques Renault after he was arrested for Laura's murder, causing his hair to turn white overnight.
Character Quote: "We have to dance for Laura!"
Where He Is Now: Wise has worked non-stop since
Twin Peaks, turning up in guest and recurring roles in such series as
24,
The West Wing,
Mad Men,
Psych,
CSI,
Dollhouse,
Castle,
Savannah,
Dawson's Creek,
Beverly Hills, 90210,
Resurrection Blvd., and many others. He starred as the Devil in the short-lived CW series
Reaper.
Twin Peaks Character: Sarah Palmer
Who Was That? Laura's psychic mother and Leland's wife, Sarah had many disturbing and prescient visions tied to the supernatural forces in the woods and Laura's murder. It's revealed that Sarah was drugged while her husband—possessed by BOB—sexually abused Laura. Later, Sarah serves as a conduit for Windom Earle in the Black Lodge.
Character Quote: "Laura, sweetheart, I'm not going to tell you again."
Where She Is Now: A regular presence in Lynch's films, Zabriskie recurred on such shows as
Seinfeld,
John Doe, and
Charmed and appeared in such films as
The Grudge,
Gone in 60 Seconds, and
Armageddon. She has starred in HBO's drama series
Big Love as Lois Hendrickson for the last five seasons.
Twin Peaks Character: Josie Packard
Who Was That? The girlfriend of Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Josie was the widowed owner of the Packard Sawmill and thus a rival to her sister-in-law, Catherine, who wanted to sell the land to Ben Horne. Josie's docile nature conceals a cold-blooded streak, as she was responsible for the boating accident that was meant to kill her husband (orchestrated by Chris Mulkey's Hank Jennings) and the shooting of Agent Cooper. She later dies and, in a bizarre twist, her soul is trapped inside a wooden knob.
Character Quote: "What is… 'shenanigans?'"
Where She Is Now: Chen has appeared in countless English-language and Chinese-language films and television series in the years following
Twin Peaks. She also directed such films as
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl, 2000's
Autumn in New York, and next year's
Seeing Red, which she will also star in.
Twin Peaks Character: Norma Jennings
Who Was That? The owner of the Double R Diner, Norma was involved in a frustrating romantic web with her ex-con husband Hank (Chris Mulkey), her lover Big Ed Hurley (Everett McGill), and his one-eyed wife Nadine (Wendy Robie). After Hank is released from prison, Norma hires him to work at the Double R but she is unable to contemplate a future with him, despite his promises, and still longs for the day when she and Ed can be together.
Character Quote: "Look at us. Two men apiece and we don't know what to do with any of the four of them."
Where She Is Now: The star of the original
Mod Squad, Lipton went on following
Twin Peaks' run to recur on such series as
Alias,
Popular, and
Crash. She also starred in CBS' short-lived nighttime soap
Angel Falls and played Gloria Steinem in NBC's miniseries
The '70s. Her daughter, Rashida Jones, stars in NBC comedy
Parks and Recreation and co-starred in
The Social Network.
Twin Peaks Character: James Hurley
Who Was That? James was Laura's secret boyfriend and a member of the Bookhouse Boys. His mother is an alcoholic journalist who is never around, so he's looked after by his uncle Ed and aunt Nadine. After Laura's death, he falls in love with Donna but is drawn to Maddy. After Maddy's murder, James leaves Twin Peaks and falls into a con game with a dangerous woman.
Character Quote: "Well, I'm only quiet on the outside."
Where He Is Now: Marshall starred in 1992's
Gladiator and
A Few Good Men and has appeared in numerous made-for-television films, as well as
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. This summer, Marshall sued pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-LaRoche for $11 million after sustaining injuries, including severe gastrointestinal distress and the removal of his colon, which he alleged were the result of prescription drug Accutane. He further claimed that his acting career was adversely affected as a result.
