Laura Dern is remembering her lifelong collaborator David Lynch on what would have been his 79th birthday.
Taking to Instagram Monday, the actor paid tribute to the late filmmaker.
"Happy birthday, tidbit," Dern wrote about the affectionate nickname he bestowed upon her. "I will love and miss you every day for the rest of my life."
As Variety noted, Lynch has referred to Laura Dern as "Tidbit" since casting her in "Blue Velvet" at just 17 years old. In 2019, Dern joined Kyle MacLachlan, nicknamed "Kale" by Lynch, to present the filmmaker with an Academy Honorary Award and spoke about the nickname.
"His nicknames for us have stuck, as we share the privilege of working with him our entire adult lives," Dern said, later adding, "Everyone who works alongside David feels that electricity. It's his enthusiasm and passion that he brings to set that infuses you with that sense that you're doing what you were always meant to."
Dern first collaborated with Lynch in the 1986 mystery thriller "Blue Velvet." While Dern had been in the industry for over a decade, her role in the film, as well as 1985's "Mask," launched her into the spotlight, Deadline reported.
In 1990, Dern teamed up with Nicolas Cage in "Wild at Heart," a crime romance directed by Lynch. She later worked with Lynch on the psychological thriller "Inland Empire" in 2006 and appeared in Showtime's third season of "Twin Peaks," a revival of the original 1990s series.
Lynch's family announced his death on Thursday in a Facebook post writing, "There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.' It's a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way."
Social media has since been flooded with tributes. Among those honoring his memory was MacLachlan, who wrote: "Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn't recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision."
Cage meanwhile, described him as "brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humor."
"I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold," he told Deadline.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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