David Lynch Asked To Be Paid in Cheetos for This Iconic Cameo

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One of the most surprising moments, if not the biggest shock of all, during The Fabelmans was seeing David Lynch appear at the end as John Ford, who serves as an inspiration for the main protagonist. The director himself was originally reluctant to do the scene, but it grew on him with time, and he performed the scene without pay, at least not in actual cash. Despite having little acting experience, Lynch perfectly captures the swagger Ford was known for while also giving him genuine heart and displaying why he was so inspirational. For a film Steven Spielberg loosely based upon his own childhood, it feels fitting that Lynch would use the last of his many onscreen cameos to provide advice for the aspiring filmmakers coming after him.

David Lynch Was Hesitant to Star in ‘The Fabelmans’

First and foremost, David Lynch has always been known as a director, not an actor, and he has only had a few small roles in his lifetime. At the same time, John Ford remains a figure who looms larger than life as one of the best directors in classical cinema. The pair seem nearly as far apart as one could get, and Lynch himself knew it. During an interview with Empire Magazine, he expressed his hesitation in stark terms, conceding that acting was simply not his wheelhouse: “At first I didn’t want to do it. And the reason is, when it comes to acting, I’ve purposely tried to stay away from it, giving the likes of Harrison Ford and George Clooney a chance at their careers.”

Still, the nature of the scene grew on Lynch, and it’s not that hard to see why. The blunt advice he gives to Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) about how to more effectively capture the horizon feels just like an anecdote Lynch would have provided, as he himself acknowledged. Lynch has always been perceived by many as eccentric, and he has played into that perception through his many cameos. Here, he did this behind the scenes with an odd request by asking to be paid in Cheetos. When asked as to why, he was blunt in his iconic and wholesome reasoning:

“Well, Cheetos, number one, I love them. And any chance I can, I get them. But I know that they’re not exactly health food. So when I do leave the house and I get a chance to… But I don’t get them that often, honestly.”

David Lynch Perfectly Captures the Essence of John Ford

david lynch the fabelmans — Image via Universal Pictures

Given his stature and personality, John Ford is a difficult role to capture, even more so for an unprofessional actor like Lynch himself. Luckily, while his role is only for one scene, the director chews the scenery for everything it’s worth. When watching, audiences can instinctively sense that Sammy in the room with a legend of the industry, one who cares nothing how others perceive him or how harsh his constructive criticism might feel. The scene is tense not only because of its star power, both on and off the screen, but also because Ford himself was known to be a bit unpredictable at times, and his presence feels like an unstable bomb is in the room.

Custom image of David Lynch against a red background with a film reel and black & white waves

One of David Lynch’s Best Movies Is Also the Most Un-Lynchian Film Possible

This road drama lacks the darkness of many of Lynch’s other films but carries over many stylistic and thematic similarities.

As tense as the scene is, Lynch also reminds us that Ford had heart, as his final wish of good luck feels completely genuine. Like many people who meet their idols, Sammy is desperate not to disappoint Ford while also absorbing every second of their meeting. The film might not have been his own, but it’s clear that Lynch knew how important this scene would be to any aspiring film directors who might be watching and puts all he has into this small but highly impactful scene. Today, Lynch remains almost as influential to new filmmakers as Ford was, and it feels like a perfect sendoff for a man whose own imagination and creativity knew no bounds.

The Fabelmans is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

The Fabelmans is a film loosely based on the life of a young Steven Spielberg, with Gabriel Labelle playing the role of 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman. Fictionalizing but treading essential moments in the director’s life, The Fabelmans is set in the 1960s with the titular family moving from New Jersey to California, where a dark secret begins to cause the life of young Sammy to unravel. To escape the reality he’s faced with, he turns to films and reinforces a new dream – the aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. The film allows the director and the audience to look back on the past and try to understand the motivations of family members’ various actions by contextualizing them through the lens of film.

Release Date: November 23, 2022
Runtime: 151 minutes