David Lynch says he cannot “go out” due to fears he will get Covid after being diagnosed with emphysema.
The American director behind movies including Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive and who created and starred in Twin Peaks, gave the devastating health update in a new interview reflecting on his critically acclaimed career.
Emphysema, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is mainly caused by smoking, air pollution and exposure to dust and chemicals at work. The World Health Organisation has predicted it will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.
Speaking to Sight & Sound magazine, Lynch, 78, said that he developed the degenerative lung disease due to being a long-time smoker and while he wouldn’t rule out directing again, it would have to be done remotely as it would be “very bad” for him to get sick “even with a cold” let alone Covid.
Opening up to the publication, he said: “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”
He also revealed the detrimental affect it has had on his mobility as he “can only walk a short distance before” he’s “out of oxygen”.
Lynch said taking these things into consideration, it is unlikely he will direct again, but if he does, he wouldn’t be able to do so in person and hes not entirely sold on the idea, explaining: “I would do it remotely if it comes to it, [but] I wouldn’t like that so much.”
His last screen project was 2017s Twin Peaks: The Return. When drawn on whether his 2010 screenplay Antelope Don’t Run No More will ever make it to screen, Lynch said: “Well, we don’t know what the future will bring, but we remain hopeful.”
