Why did Blue Velvet get Laura Dern kicked out of college?

First major film of Laura Dern in the cinemas of Hollywood, Blue Velvet (1986) resulted in the actress being expelled from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In the production directed by David Lynchshe interpreted Sandy Williams.

In participation in the podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Namepresented by Ted Danson It is Woody Harrelsonthe artist recalled when she was informed that she would no longer be welcome at the university if she accepted the role.

“I was 17 and very excited to get into UCLA. I stayed there for two days, auditioned and got an offer for the role in Blue Velvet,” he said. Then, Laura Dern explained how she was “ecstatic” to get the role, as she “loved” the work of David Lynch.

However, when she went to ask the head of the college department about a leave of absence so she could take part in the filming, the then-novice actress received an unexpected answer: “Absolutely not.”

“I said, ‘I have this opportunity,’ and he said, ‘Well, I’ll take a look at the script if you want to give me the script, but, you know, you’re not going to get a license. That’s not going to happen. It’s not a medical emergency,'” he continued.

Then, dern had to hear some harsh words from the department head: “First of all, if you make that choice, you will no longer be welcome in UCLA. You’ll be out. But secondly, after reading this script, you giving up your college education because of this is crazy.”

Obviously, it was an incredibly shocking script. I’ll end by saying that after my two days, today, if you want to do a master’s degree in film at that university, when you write your thesis, there are three films that you have to study. And do you know which one of them is? It pisses me off.

Released on June 11, 1987, Blue Velvet tells the story of a “boy who returns to his hometown after a long time and discovers a severed human ear in a garden. Dissatisfied with the police investigation, he and the daughter of the detective in charge begin to investigate on their own, and discover strange things.”

Directed by David Lynchthe film featured names like Isabella Rossellini (Dorothy Vallens), Kyle MacLachlan (Jeffrey Beaumont), Dennis Hopper (Frank Booth), Laura Dern (Sandy Williams), Dean Stockwell (Ben) It is Angelo Badalamenti (Pianist) in the cast.