Visionary filmmaker David Lynch made an expectedly eccentric cameo in The Fabelmans — but if you aren’t a big Lynch fan, you might not expect that his on-set requests were almost as eccentric. The movie, which wasa directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Spielberg’s own life, brought Lynch on board as John Ford, the legendary director of Stagecoach and The Grapes of Wrath. It’s not a huge part — speaking with The Playlist, Lynch joked that he never pursued acting because he thought it was unfair to the likes of Harrison Ford and George Clooney — but it was memorable.
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And, because he’s David Lynch, his asking price was…junk food. The filmmaker, whose iconic Twin Peaks made coffee and cherry pie feel like the primary focus of its hero’s life, has a noted love for Coca-Cola. So maybe it makes sense that he wanted to make sure there were always Cheetos available on set.
“Well, Cheetos, number one, I love them,” Lynch told The Playlist. “And any chance I can, I get them. But I know that they’re not exactly health food. So when I do leave the house and I get a chance to… But I don’t get them that often, honestly. If I do get them, I want a big bag. Because once you start… you need to have a lot before you could slow down and actually stop. Otherwise, with a small bag, then you’d be prowling for days to find more […] It’s incredible flavor.”
…Now we just want to see a version of Flamin’ Hot, as directed by Lynch.
The Fabelmans stars Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, American Gigolo) as 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman. The cast also includes four-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn) as his artistic mother, Mitzi; Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood) as his successful scientific father, Burt; Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle) as Bennie Loewy, Burt’s best friend and honorary “uncle,” and Academy Award nominee Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Ordinary People) as Mitzi’s Uncle Boris.
Rounding out the star-studded ensemble is Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid, Inherent Vice) as Sammy’s grandmother, Hadassah Fabelman; Julia Butters (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, 13 Hours) as Sammy’s sister Reggie; Robin Bartlett (Moonstruck, Lean on Me) as Sammy’s grandmother Tina Schildkraut, and Keeley Karsten (Hunters, Evil Lives Here) as Sammy’s sister Natalie.
