Sheryl Lee: Questions From The Lexington Toy and Comic Con, 2024

 

The following discussion took place on Saturday, March 9th, 2024 at the Lexington Toy and Comic Con in Lexington, KY. 

I had seventeen questions prepared but did not have the time to ask half of them. I had one day at the convention, and in the five hours I was there, Ms. Lee and Ms. Fenn were whisked away to lunch, photo-ops, and a panel. They had lines at their tables as well. When I approached Ms. Lee's table, my emotions overwhelmed me, and in the unintended silence, she spoke to me on a personal level. When I came back with more questions, much time had passed, and I was by then the last person at her table for the day and had to hurry because the convention was closing. 

I've omitted comments concerning myself that she made between questions in addition to my thanks and nervous apologies. 

Due to my poor wording some phrases have been altered. 

I wish I could thank her again for her incredible kindness and patience. Words cannot express my gratitude for the wisdom and peace she extended to me. I also thank her handler for coping with my anxiety.

AM: I heard you say on a podcast that you would like to play a fantasy character.

SL: Yeah!

AM: Have you heard the backstory Grace Zabriskie created for Laura, Maddy, Sarah, and Beth?

SL: Not that I remember.

AM: She said that Sarah and her sister Beth came from a long line of witches. To quote her, "Sarah is in complete denial of her background, what little she's heard of it, whereas her sister, Maddy's mother, wants it. Sarah and Maddy are not closer because Sarah has not encouraged it. Sarah is afraid of what would happen if they get together." She goes on to say that she discussed this with Harley Peyton and he started to incorporate it into the show.

SL: I did not know that. I LOVE that!

AM: I was hoping you would. I love the idea. I copied down what she said. It was in Wrapped in Plastic magazine.

SL: Oh my gosh, this is awesome. Do you want me to keep this? (She indicates the printed transcript of the interview.)

AM: Yes. Please.

SL: I love this. I'm going to tell Grace. 

AM: Can you tell me what role you believe Harold played in Laura's life? 

SL: Oh my gosh, it's so hard because I'd almost have to go all the way back and re-watch everything because Lenny the person was so, so dear to me. And, you know, he's not with us anymore. Lenny always held such a deep, special place in my heart as well from playing that character and also as a friend. To truly answer that question about Harold, I'd almost need to just go back and watch everything to focus on the question to give the truest answer.

AM: Many see him as a negative character.

SL: I did not see him that way. I can tell you that. He was in pain, you know, that character. And I think that characters who are in pain, there's an understanding. Does that make sense? Between Laura and Harold. Someday I will go back and rewatch everything and be able to articulate a good answer for you because I want to make sure that I'm not just doing it from the character place. But I can tell you that I did not see him as a negative character. 

AM: When I spoke to you before, you said there was a healing relationship between them.

SL: Yeah.

AM: Does that include their scene in Fire Walk With Me?

SL: Which one was that? It's hard for me to separate the series from the film.

AM: It's when Laura asks Harold to hide the diary. At first, he tells her that BOB isn't real, and then her face turns white and she has black lips and yellow teeth.

SL: Oh yes. 

AM: They kiss, and she tells him she may not come back. Some see him as a negative character because of this.

SL: Why?

AM: Because they kiss.

SL: They see him as bad because they kiss? 

AM: Among other reasons.

SL: I really will have to watch this again, because that's not how I perceived him. So do they think because he kissed her he was trying to take advantage of her?

AM: Yes. 

SL: But she in that moment wasn't herself, right? In that moment it was when BOB was...

AM: It was after BOB came through.

SL: And then did she go back to being Laura? 

AM: Yes.

(She pauses, thinking.) 

AM: I feel like  - this is just my interpretation.

SL: Yes, tell me yours.

AM: My interpretation is that they kiss because they're both so emotionally distraught. She allowed him to see BOB, and from what I understand, Harold did see him. They're both alone in that understanding that BOB is real.

SL: Yeah.

AM: So, for me, it's almost like they're saying what they can't say in words -

SL: I like your interpretation. It's very natural for humans to want to connect after something like that. That could be a very natural thing, you know. And if he was able - if what he said was able to reveal - You were in the panel, you heard what Sherilyn was saying about how we have to shine the light on the dark parts, right? So, in a way, did Harold help shine a light on the dark part so that it could be revealed so that it could be healed? That seems possible. I've got to rewatch it. I'm going on my friendship with Lenny, and decades ago. But I rewatched everything right before we did The Return. My memory isn't what it used to be, my dear. It was a long time ago, but I'm going to keep thinking about it because I think your intuition is - you're very intuitive, and you're very thoughtful and you feel things deeply, and so you can allow that to be your guide. And David Lynch would always say, what does it mean to you?

AM: I don't mean to focus on Harold, it's just that Laura and Harold are my favorite characters. This is a question someone else wanted to know, too. Do you know if Lenny ever read the diary?

SL: If Lenny the actor?

AM: Yeah.

SL: That's a great question. I don't know. I don't know if he ever did. I would think that he probably did, but I could be completely wrong. That's a good question. 

AM: How do you view the ending of Fire Walk With Me.

SL: When the angel comes? I mean, to me, that was the hope, the saving grace, the healing at the end after having gone through - I mean, I can't even talk about it without crying. After having gone through so much pain - the relief, the love at the end when it was so needed. 

The questions regarding Harold were asked because I feel his character is often viewed unjustly in the fandom.