As one of the most beloved members of the David Lynch universe, Kyle MacLachlan has played many strange and wonderful roles of the years, from Paul Atreides to Jeffrey Beaumont and multiple versions of Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks. But he’s also had a pretty notable career outside of those Lynchian roles, one of them being much more infamous than it is adored. If you think we’re referring to his turn as Zack Carey in Showgirls, you would be correct!
In an interview with GQ about his most memorable characters, MacLachlan recalled the nice time he had shooting the Paul Verhoeven film (so much good skiing near the location!) and the very not-nice time he had when he first saw the film. “Oh my God,†he said to himself as the movie rolled. “This is awful.†But he tried not to give up too soon! “You know, you have this hope. Like, you watch the first scene and you’re like, ‘All right. It’s not so good, but it’s gotta get better,’†MacLachlan said, remembering his unfolding horror. “And I watched the second one and it was like, ‘Hmm not getting any better.’ And I watched the whole thing and I said, ‘I don’t know what to say about this movie. I don’t think I can talk about this movie.†And so he didn’t! MacLachlan did no press for Showgirls when it came out, and says his career “definitely took a hit on that one.†But even though it was an “embarrassment†at the time, he is glad that it lives on as a “crowd-pleaser†today. At least we’ll always have Versayce.