We want to start by saying that headline is somewhat disingenuous. Yes, filmmaker David Lynch has disclosed his suffering from emphysema. Yes, he has said it has made it impossible for him to direct, but the main thing is “in person.” With Covid still very much a problem, it’s understandable for someone like Lynch to put his health first.
So yes, while he “can no longer direct in person,” that doesn’t mean he’s done making films.
Also, moral of this story? Yes, smoking causes health problems.
“Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me,” Lynch told Sight & Sound Magazine. “It was part of the art life for me: the tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things; nothing like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me. So I had to quit.”
Lynch said because of Covid, it would be “very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.” As far as continuing to direct, it’d be from home. “I like to be amongst the things and get ideas there. But I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it,” Lynch said.
So, here’s hoping David Lynch isn’t done yet.
UPDATE
Lynch actually issued a statement after other outlets started covering the story.
