I’ve always been a fan of actors who capture the imagination with the briefest of screen time. A recent example is character actor Leslie Berger whose “1950s New Mexico wife” flickers with authentic terror in the exemplary eighth episode of Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return. Berger’s scene stirred up plenty of fan buzz – so much so that I tracked her down to find out more.
Turns out Berger didn’t even audition for her role. Twin Peaks creator David Lynch, famous for his affinity for character faces, singled her out from a large file of headshots submitted by a casting office. Berger was completely unaware of the headshot submission, and was also unaware of Twin Peaks prior to this role.
Xaque Gruber: Tell me about getting the call out of the blue to be a part of Twin Peaks.
Leslie Berger: Someone at the show had contacted me two days before the shoot, and I turned it down. The location, in the desert, was very far from my home. My dear Dad was in the hospital at the time. He was 96, and I had been taking care of him. My career wasn’t the priority as it had been in the past because of my father’s declining health. So when I was offered the role, my first reaction was I didn’t want to drive for hours for, if you can believe it, a show I never heard of and leave my Dad. Then a producer from Twin Peaks called me right after I turned it down and said how much David Lynch wants me to be part of the cast. So I told my Dad and he said “Leslie, take it.”
Leslie Berger and Tad Griffith as New Mexico Wife and Husband in Episode 8 of Twin Peaks: The Return
XG: So you drive to the set out in the desert, and then what happened?
LB: I wasn’t sure what to expect because everything was so hush hush. Sabrina Sutherland (Executive Producer) was kind and fabulous to work with throughout the whole experience. She and the whole crew made me feel like a queen. When they showed me to the trailer, they said “this one’s too small, let’s get you a bigger one.” So I felt very special there. Then came makeup, hair and wardrobe. Kyle MacLachlan was in the chair next to me when I was getting made up. And I remember him from Desperate Housewives. We filmed late at night in the desert. They kept me warm because it was very cold, and as I was sitting there waiting for my scene, Mr. Lynch came up to me and introduced himself. He said “Hi, I’m David Lynch. Thank you for traveling so far to be on set.” He said I looked good. I like his tone of voice. He’s down to Earth, and his direction was wonderful. An actor’s dream experience. When we wrapped our shoot, Mr. Lynch called the cast and crew together and said “let’s hear it for Leslie Berger. She did so well.” And everyone applauded. And then I jumped in ‘cause I’m really outgoing and I keep it real, and I said “Everybody, let’s hear it for Mr. David Lynch!” And that took people by surprise and everybody started clapping for him. Then Mr. Lynch gave me a hug.
Leslie Berger and David Lynch at Twin Peaks: The Return premiere
XG: Did you know anything about your role or the scene?
LB: No, they don’t give you a script or really much detail at all until you get there. I wasn’t informed about the scary Woodsman character who was going to pop out on my right or the creepy man who looked like he crawled out of a grave approaching the car saying “Got a light? Got a light? Got a light?.” It was pitch black and I was genuinely frightened. I nudged my husband (Tad Griffith) who was in the driver’s seat. I had no idea he was a stunt driver who was going to drive like he did so the fear you saw on my face was real.
Leslie Berger (left) and Tad Griffith (middle) in Episode 8 of Twin Peaks: The Return
XG: Then you went to the Twin Peaks premiere.
LB: The premiere was at the Ace Hotel in downtown L.A. They had a black carpet instead of a red carpet, which I thought was appropriate. There was press from all over the world. Showtime went all out. Very organized. It felt so good to be on a carpet because I hadn’t been on a carpet on a long time. I was interviewed by Showtime, E! News, Japanese and French news. What a huge global following. Then we went inside, Mr. Lynch said a few words to the audience, and then they showed the first episode. That was the first time I ever saw Twin Peaks. I didn’t realize how scary, suspenseful and yet how funny it was. Peggy Lipton looks gorgeous and she was right behind me on the carpet. I am a huge fan of hers from The Mod Squad. I even met Laura Dern on the carpet and introduced myself. I said to Laura, “I can’t wait to see you on Twin Peaks,” and Laura said “I can’t wait to see you.”
Laura Dern, Leslie Berger, and Kyle MacLachhlan at the premiere of Twin Peaks: The Return
XG: So were you surprised by the response when your episode aired?
LB: Yes, and it’s been wonderful. I was approached by all sorts of fans online, and even joined a few fan sites. I’ve been called in for auditions. I feel so appreciative of the whole experience because I feel like I’m part of history. I’ve read that episode eight is one of the most pivotal episodes in this series so to be part of it as New Mexico wife, I am very proud and grateful.
Actress Leslie Berger at the Los Angeles premiere of Twin Peaks: The Return
Twin Peaks: The Return airs Sundays at 8pm ET/PT on Showtime.
Directed entirely by David Lynch, the 18-part limited event series picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of Twin Peaks, a quaint northwestern town, were stunned when their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was murdered. Twin Peaks: The Return is written and executive produced by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and executive produced by Sabrina S. Sutherland.