David Lynch’s Daughter Says ‘Twin Peaks’ Co-Creator “Regretted Signing” Roman Polanski Defense Letter: “I Know It Haunted Him”
While the Twin Peaks co-creator was one of the many Hollywood creatives to rally in defense of filmmaker Roman Polanski following his infamous 2009 arrest, David Lynch’s daughter Jennifer says that – while not an excuse for his initial action – her father eventually came to deeply and truly regret his decision to do so.
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In making a long and sordid story digestibly short, following his 1977 conviction for the rape of then-13-year-old Samnatha Geimer, the Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown director fled the United States for Europe in order to avoid prison time, from there spending the next three decades avoiding travel to any country that had an extradition treaty with his would-be jailers.
However, upon landing in Switzerland in 2009 as part of a planned trip to accept a Lifetime Achievement Awawrd at that year’s Zurich Film Festival, Polanski was arrested by local authorities, whose government did have an extradition agreement with the US.
While his arrest would most result in an almost year-long legal battle between the two countries that eventually ended with the Swiss rejecting the US’ arguments and setting Polanski free, the time between his arrest and release would also see about 160 screenwriters, actors, and other directors sign a petition calling for his immediate release from his interim detention.
Its text expressing concern that Polanski risked “spending the rest of his life in jail for deeds which would be beyond the statute-of-limitations in Europe”, signatories to said petition included Thor: Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman, Star Wars icon Harrison Ford, and Lynch.
Fast forward to August 8th, and this unfortunate note regarding the Blue Velvet director’s history was subject to recent attention thanks to its highlighting by TikTok user @grd4na, whose video lamenting the petition’s signing by both Lynch and famed Chungking Express director Wong Kar-Wai quickly garnered over two million views.
And it would be thanks to its slightly virality that the video would catch the attention of the aforementioned Jennifer, who would proceed to reply with her perspective on the her father’s signing of Polanski’s support petition:
“This was a very tough situation and conversation for me with Dad. I found out he signed it after he had done it, and when we spoke, I was both heartbroken and angry. We had words about it, but he never defended doing it. He said he wished he had talked to me beforehand because, as he saw it, he was joining many other artists in trying to help Polanski try to redeem himself.
“We did not always agree, Dad and I. I can tell you that after our conversation, he regretted signing it. He had done it for the wrong reasons and had ignored the horrible actions of an artist whose work he respected. He was changed in our talk. I explained what his support said about him as a human being, and I didn’t think his true self would do that.
“Again, there is no justifying his signature, but there is explaining it, and taking note of his true regret. I understand people having heartbroken reactions to this. I had them myself. I know that ultimately he saw what he had done was wrong and was ignoring the abuse of a child…. For some reason…when he signed along with others, he did not think of the child…he thought of an artist who wanted back into the states and back into storytelling. It was wrong and callous for him to do. He saw that far too late, but he did see it.
“I was very upset about this, and I felt my perfect father had done something so out of character it devastated me. Again, not as a defense, but as an explanation… fellow artists were supporting Polanski, and Dad wanted to join in that. When he thought about it properly and clearly, he wished he could take it back. He was very sad to have to see this person he admired, as a pedophile. Sometimes our heroes do the wrong thing. I can say with certainty that his remorse was genuine and that he had to admit he wasn’t thinking about the crime, only about an artist who was shunned (for good reason).
“Again… I understand completely the reactions people are having. I can tell you that he was changed after this. He had not done the math on his condoning abuse. I loved and respected my father for good reason and although I am still furious that he did it, I see how he got there. By not considering the girl (child). I understand the disappointment. The rage. The shock. He did all he could to amend his choice. I know it haunted him. It was so very unlike his heart and mind to do something like that. He was careful to not make a choice like that again.
“Yes, he signed it. It was wrong. By the time our talk was ending, Dad saw that, and I believe opened himself in ways he needed to. If you asked him today, he would not sign it. I love my father and his compassionate heart and mind. It was not like him to be so wrong. I saw his remorse and found it to be genuine. Too late, but authentic. Once he knew better he did better. For a brief time he thought of Polanski as the victim. He was not. He was Bob and the child was Laura Palmer.
