The cast list for Showtime’s revival of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks continues to grow more and more impressive with every announcement. The latest well known name joining the cast is Divergent actress Ashley Judd, who will be playing an undisclosed role. She joins other Twin Peaks newcomers like Amanda Seyfried, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Laura Dern, Robert Knepper, James Belushi, Tom Sizemore, Balthazar Getty, Grant Goodeve, Larry Clarke and Caleb Landry Jones.
Although Judd’s role is a mystery, we here at The Nerdist are big Twin Peaks fans, and are going to make an educated guess as to who she’ll be playing. I’d say there is a very good chance that Judd is playing Donna Hayward, the town “good girl” and best friend to infamous murdered homecoming queen Laura Palmer from the original series run. Although it’s just a guess, if we’re right, then remember, you heard it here first kids!
Donna Hayward was played by actress Lara Flynn Boyle in the original show, but she declined to come back and play the part for the 1992 prequel film Fire Walk With Me, and was replaced with actress Moira Kelly. Boyle was apparently asked once again to return for this newest revival, but turned the producers down. Judd is only two years older than Boyle, and fits the general physical type of the character, and could believably portray her some twenty-five years later.
To add a little fuel to this speculation, the same report at Deadline also says that 91-year-old actor Warren Frost (father of Peaks co-creator Mark Frost) is returning to cameo as Dr. Will Hayward, Donna’s father. If Dr. Hayward is going to be in this, it’s likely his daughter Donna will too. If Judd is indeed playing Donna Hayward, then she will probably be the second character from the original series to be replaced with another actor, as it is heavily rumored that actor Robert Forster is replacing Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman. Considering that Twin Peaks had some fifty regular and recurring cast members, it’s a miracle that so few have needed recasting so far.
What do you think of this latest high profile actor to join the cast of Twin Peaks? Let us know in the comments.
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HT: Deadline
IMAGE: Lionsgate Films
