Crystal Bell Talks Twin Peaks
This September, the Twin Peaks Festival comes to London, with two days of Lynch-ian inspired fun… and lashings of damn fine coffee. Ahead of the festival FilmJuice chatted to Chrysta Bell, who played Special Agent Tamara Preston.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to about coming to London and attending the official Twin Peaks UK Festival?
Twin Peaks fans are “in it to win it”, heart and soul. Twin Peaks UK Festival creates an opportunity for the fans to be ignited together in their excitement and unbridled enthusiasm. There is a bond that is inherent in people who really love and connect to the world of Twin Peaks before they even meet – and this is a pretty rare, special and fascinating thing to explore when we get together. I am one of those die- hard fans myself now, and I am looking forward to celebrating this connection to the fans as someone who is part of the show as well as a fan herself. Also, in my personal experience, where there are Peakies gathered, there are often strange and interesting occurrences; statistically implausible “alignments” that happen. I look forward to seeing what unusual things may transpire on this adventure.
Will it be your first visit to the UK? If not, tell us about your last visit.
“I am primarily a musician (Twin Peaks: The Return is my first TV acting role) and I’ve had the great fortune of visiting the UK more times than I can count while on tour with my band over the last six years. In my recent tour last April I had the fantastic experience of selling out a show at the 100 Club in London as well as great gigs at the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh and Oran Mor in Glasgow. My most special UK experience however was in February of 2016 when I spent several weeks in Bristol recording my full-length studio album, We Dissolve, with the wildly accomplished and Mercury-Prize-winning producer, John Parish.
Describe your character of Special Agent Tamara Preston.
I’ll defer to FBI Director Gordon Cole’s (played David Lynch) statement about her: “Tammy’s got the stuff.” I can elaborate by saying she is a dedicated and passionate FBI Agent who takes her position very seriously. She’s intensely curious and gives considerable effort to getting to the bottom of the mysteries around her. She’s cool under pressure. Looks can be deceiving as her FBI uniform would be well suited for the likes of Jessica Rabbit, however, Tammy Preston is all business.
What was it like performing in Twin Peaks: The Return?
“Knowing that I would become a part of the Twin Peaks Universe was an all encompassing emotional roller coaster. I was thrilled that it was my destiny to be involved in the continuation of a series that was so significantly influential on pop culture on a global scale, but I was also terrified at the prospect of having a big role in something that was passionately beloved by so many people. The pressure was immense. So much could go right, and so much could go wrong! The filming itself was something of an out-of-body affair. It’s was so overwhelming emotionally in some moments that I just had to zen out or be eaten up inside with anxiety. Fortunately my nature is to perform well under pressure, but that trait was pushed to its limits. Even so, I enjoyed every millisecond of the experience and wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
What’s next for you Chrysta Bell?“
I am currently finishing writing my new record and will be recording next month in Austin, Texas, with my incredible band. The albums I made with David Lynch, This Train (2011) and Somewhere In The Nowhere (2016), were dreamy, ethereal and cosmic while my record with John Parish, We Dissolve (2017),had more of an edge to it, with elements of jazz, rock and soul. The new record I’d classify more as noir pop, with elements of new wave and post punk. The music is coming along beautifully and it’s super fulfilling to be creating art that I am really passionate about. I’m going to have some very special guests on the album as well. Stay tuned and check on my website www.chrystabell.com for details and release dates.
Twin Peaks UK Festival runs from September 29th and 30th at the London Irish Centre and Camden Square Gardens, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB
Tickets: from £85 www.twinpeaksukfest.com
Paula Hammond - Features Editor
