Naturally, David Lynch refuses to confirm whether Twin Peaks will be back for a fourth season, but at least one of the characters will be getting more screen time. One fan has created a Kickstarter for a feature-length documentary about the picturesque logging town’s beloved Log Lady — played not by John Malkovich, but by late-legend Catherine Coulson. Titled I Know Catherine, The Log Lady, the documentary is more about Coulson than her most iconic role. The documentary is authorized by Lynch and features an intimate conversation with the director, alongside interviews with the cast of Eraserhead and other Lynchian masterpieces.
“Catherine was a legend in every sense of the word,” says the director, Lynch collaborator Richard Green. “For those of you familiar with her role on Twin Peaks or who saw her perform at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, you understand the magic she employed when she took the stage. What you might not know about her is that she was a spokeswoman for the environment, the devoted wife of a rabbi, an important spiritual advisor in her Jewish community, and one of the first females ever to join Hollywood’s prestigious camera union.”
While many of Lynch’s closest collaborators are also household names in their own right — including Naomi Watts, Kyle MacLachlan, and Justin Theroux — Coulson was still relatively unknown when she passed away in 2015 at the age of 71. One of the most fascinating parts of a recent novel ( Secret History) by Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost revealed how the Log Lady discovered her mythical log. It was even decided posthumously that the Log Lady was born Margaret Coulson, in tribute to the recently departed actress who played her. “As a youngster, she was described as fiercely intelligent, a little reserved, and an ‘early feminist,’ and studied forestry at Washington State University,” Vulture noted at the time.
Go here to help fund the story of the even more elusive lady who brought her to life. Incentives include your own tree in the Log Lady Grove. Fascinatingly, Coulson’s role as the Log Lady lead to her becoming an environmentalist, and a passionate advocate for groups like TreePeople. Life truly does imitate art.