Could David Lynch Get You to Quit Smoking?

If you’re looking to ditch cigarettes, consider having an odd encounter with an eccentric director that shocks you to your core. That’s what former Disney kid Dylan Sprouse did, at least. On a recent episode of Amanda Hirsch’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Sprouse told a story about how the late, great David Lynch convinced him to quit smoking cigarettes.

“I quit cigarettes after this one legendary story,” Sprouse said, adding that this particular story remains the only time he’s ever been star-struck in his life. The story starts at Chateau Marmont, as ever a legendary story does, where he and his wife, Barbara Palvin, happened to be dining at a table near the director.

“Behind me, I hear a voice which I just know is David Lynch. I’m a massive David Lynch fan. I literally froze,” he recalled. Palvin then encouraged him to say hello, but after going back and forth, he decided against it and instead went outside to smoke a cigarette.

“I’m out there, and I go to light up my cigarette. David Lynch walks into the smoking section, and he goes, ‘Excuse me, young man, do you happen to have a cigarette?’” Sprouse then did what any sane person would do and gave Lynch a cigarette and a light and proceeded to separate corners of the smoking deck. Then, enter national treasure Laura Dern, who went up to Lynch and asked him for a cigarette.

“And [Lynch] goes, ‘Sure.’ And he pulls out of his pocket a fresh pack of cigarettes, and hands her one,” Sprouse said. “She’s like, ‘Can you light it for me?’ And he goes, ‘Yep.’ He lights her cigarette for her.” The whole interaction left Sprouse understandably confused, until Lynch turned to him on his way out and said, “‘I just want to tell you, you’re very polite. Thank you.’” But how did this get Sprouse to stop smoking?

“I’ll never have a better cigarette than that in my entire life,” he explained. I, however, agree with Hirsch when she argues that this would only make me keep smoking, just in case I’m ever in a similar situation.

Sprouse’s theory as to why Lynch asked him for a cigarette was that he recognized, maybe in some implicit way—or because he’s David Lynch—that Sprouse wanted to come up to him and say hello, but decided not to as to be “polite.” So, in turn, Lynch gave him “a story that was better than any picture, autograph, anything.” If you ever had any doubt that Lynch had a magical third eye, then here’s more evidence. OR what are the odds that Lynch was just a huge fan of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody? I guess we may never know, but it’s always nice to hear more spellbinding stories about the director after his passing last year.

Keep scrolling for more great stories.