Nicolas Cage Remembers David Lynch as a ‘Singular Genius’

Beloved filmmaker David Lynch died on January 15, and when his family broke the news the next day, Hollywood quickly mourned the loss of the great director, including the stars of his many films. Nicolas Cage, who starred in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, told Deadline the director was “a singular genius in cinema” and fondly looked back on their laughs working together: “He was 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.” Kyle Maclachlan remembered the beginnings of his long career working with Lynch when they first met on Dune: “He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.”

Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts thanked Lynch for her breakout role in his film on Instagram, sharing a sweet photo of her kissing him on the cheek. She wrote, “His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even ‘see me’ when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!”

Below are more tributes from directors like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese and Lynchian stars like Lee Grant and Rebekah del Rio.

Naomi Watts

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Steven Spielberg

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg remembered Lynch as a “visionary,” writing, “I loved David’s films. ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Elephant Man’ defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade. I got to know David when he played John Ford in ‘The Fabelmans.’ Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

Lee Grant

Years later, when offered the chance to work with him for a day, I jumped at the opportunity to see how a mind like that directed. It was a day on Mulholland Drive. He was, in actuality, a one of a kind artist.

— Lee Grant (@TheLeeGrant) January 16, 2025

Rebekah del Rio

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Martin Scorcese

In a statement to Indiewire, Scorcese explains why Lynch was the true definition of visionary: “I hear and read the word ‘visionary’ a lot these days—it’s become a kind of catch-all description, another piece of promotional language. But David Lynch really was a visionary—in fact, the word could have been invented to describe the man and the films, the series, the images and the sounds he left behind. He created forms that seemed like they were right on the edge of falling apart but somehow never did. He put images on the screen unlike anything that I or anybody else had ever seen—he made everything strange, uncanny, revelatory and new. And he was absolutely uncompromising, from start to finish. It’s a sad, sad day for moviemakers, movie lovers, and for the art of cinema. But Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, the two Twin Peaks series and the film Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire… as the years and the decades go by, they will just keep growing and deepening. We were lucky to have had David Lynch.”

John Carpenter

I got to be friends with David Lynch when we were both at Universal years ago. A very kind man, he was a fan of Bob’s Big Boy. So was I. I’m going to miss him. R.I.P. David.

— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) January 17, 2025

Jane Schoenbrun

Like Kafka, like Bacon, he dedicated his life to opening a portal. He was the first to show me another world, a beautiful one of love and danger I sensed but had never seen outside sleep. Thank you David your gift will reverberate for the rest of my life. https://t.co/pK2GDycV1Y

— Jane Schoenbrun (@sapphicspielbrg) January 16, 2025

Ron Howard

#RIPDavidLynch, a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema. https://t.co/uMsAxrzKFx

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) January 16, 2025

James Gunn

RIP David Lynch. You inspired so many of us. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KkZ1WgmzyV

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 16, 2025

Patton Oswalt

David Lynch, RIP. At least that’s what the horse wearing a fez just told me* in a dream. (*Backwards and in Swedish) pic.twitter.com/Kt1bkryELQ

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) January 16, 2025

Seth Meyers

The Late Night writer’s room is filled with David Lynch fans. The backward written cue cards for this still hang on the wall. RIP to a legend https://t.co/a3SctN6Gm2

— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) January 17, 2025

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