David Lynch says he ‘could hardly move without gasping for air’ amid emphysema battle as lifelong smoker

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David Lynch is cautioning cigarette smokers about the downsides of “literally playing with fire.”

Lynch, 78, recently sat for an interview, opening up about his painful emphysema battle as a lifelong smoker, while revealing he started smoking cigarettes when he was just eight. 

After smoking for most of his life, ‘The Mulholland Drive’ director reveals he can barely walk without “gasping for air” and requires supplemental oxygen for his daily activities.

David Lynch opens up about his struggle with emphysema battle

Speaking to People, David Lynch opened up about his lifelong addiction, and said, “A big important part of my life was smoking.”

“I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco,” admitted ‘The Twin Peaks’ director, and explained, “I loved lighting cigarettes. It was part of being a painter and a filmmaker for me.”

However, it was not all fairy-tale for the director, as he is now facing debilitating health issues stemming from his lifelong smoking. 

“What you sow is what you reap,” cautioned the star, while opening up about his habit of cigarette smoking. 

He explained, “In the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire,” before admitting, “It can bite you. I took a chance, and I got bit.”

Lynch took his chance, and four years ago, he was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic lung condition that causes shortness of breath and as a result, causes a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.

The Montana native, who grew up in rural Idaho and Washington, revealed that he started smoking when he was just eight when he started and tried quitting, “many, many times.”

“But when it got tough, I’d have that first cigarette, and it was a one-way trip to heaven. Then you’re back smoking again,” revealed Lynch. 

At one point, he even believed that smoking helped in maintaining his brooding art-house persona. Though Lynch was diagnosed with emphysema in 2020, he took another two years to quit the habit. 

The ‘Blue Velvet director said, “I saw the writing on the wall. And it said, ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop',” before revealing, “I could hardly move without gasping for air. Quitting was my only choice.”

David Lynch says he had ‘big price to pay’ for his addiction

The father-of-four further revealed that transcendental meditation played a huge role in finally making him quit. 

Lynch noted, “I have a positive attitude focused on the body healing itself,” before musing, “It’s tough living with emphysema. I can hardly walk across a room. It’s like you’re walking around with a plastic bag around your head.”

Another debilitating effect of his disease is that he can now hardly go out as he is vulnerable to catching respiratory diseases. He joked, “I never really liked going out before, so it’s a nice excuse.”

Nevertheless, the downside of his limited movement is that he can now hardly do what he likes to do the best, including going to film sets.  “I love being on set,” Lynch stated, noting, “I love being right there, able to whisper to people.”

While he had a “big price to pay,” as a consequence of smoking, Lynch admitted, “I don’t regret it. It was important to me. I wish what every addict wishes for that what we love is good for us.”

Lynch also addressed the issue of including cigarettes in many of his works, as he confessed, “I never thought about it as glamorizing it. It was a part of life. Some characters would be smokers, just like in real life.”

He concluded the interview on a prophetic note as he urged his fans to think about the consequences of smoking, saying, “I really wanted to get this across: Think about it. You can quit these things that are going to end up killing you.”

“I owe it to them — and to myself — to say that,” concluded Lynch.