Few cameos are as legendary and enigmatic as David Bowie’s turn as the long-lost FBI Special Agent Phillip Jeffries in the 1992 prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
While Jeffries’ appearance was brief, it left such an indelible mark on the mythology of Twin Peaks that the character returned in the 2017 limited series. Unfortunately, due to David Bowie’s declining health in 2015, he was unable to reprise the role.
Now, over 30 years later, a treasure trove of previously unseen photos of the rock star has surfaced. Thanks to Julien’s Auctions and the estate of Debby Trutnik (long-time assistant of David Lynch) we are getting a rare glimpse behind the curtain of the days David Bowie spent on the Twin Peaks set through candid Polaroids, a contact sheet, official production slides, and a handwritten note.
The Original Blue Rose Task Force Assembled
In addition to the headshots of a smoking Phillip Jeffries─a habit he hadn’t quit when he returned as a ‘tin machine’ in the 3rd season─the discovery includes three sets of Polaroids. A couple of them were taken on the set of the FBI office in Seattle, WA, where the memorable Phillip Jeffries appearance takes place. Perhaps the most exciting find is a behind-the-scenes Polaroid capturing the making of the Blue Rose Task Force group shot shown above.
Seeing these four titans of the Twin Peaks universe standing together in a candid moment is a reminder of the powerhouse talent assembled for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. And yes, protect Kyle MacLachlan by all costs!
“Drool!!” — The Gaye Pope Note
There’s also a sheet of 18 official production slides shot by set still photographer Lorey Sebastian, showing the music icon in full costume: linen suit and tropical shirt. Among them are rare stills from the Buenos Aires sequence, cut from the 1992 film but thankfully included in The Missing Pieces.
Notice the handwritten note attached to the slides? That was written by the film’s unit publicist (later David Lynch’s assistant), Gaye Pope, and it’s addressed to David Lynch’s assistant at the time, Debby Trutnik, who was a huge Bowie fan and played a big role in getting Lynch to ask him for the part.
The note reads:
“Debby – These slides are ones I think we can spare The proof sheet is yours also… I ordered two. Drool!! GP.”
This “fan girl” moment between colleagues show they weren’t immune to the charisma of the “Thin White Duke” and as you can tell yourself: Bowie indeed looked incredible. Drool!
The collection is now open for bidding at Julien’s Auctions, with the current bid at $350 and an estimated value of $1,500-$2,500 USD.
Fire walk with 
