Dylan Sprouse says a chance encounter with David Lynch gave him something more meaningful than a photograph or autograph. It also inspired him to stop smoking.
The actor shared the story during an August 4 appearance on Amanda Hirsch’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, describing Lynch as the only celebrity who had ever left him genuinely starstruck.
Sprouse never asked the filmmaker for a picture or attempted to interrupt his dinner. Sprouse was having dinner in Los Angeles with his now-wife, model Barbara Palvin, when he heard a familiar voice coming from the table behind them.
Lynch apparently recognized his nervousness and quietly created an opportunity for them to share a moment.
Sprouse Recognized Lynch From His Voice
Lynch was dining with Laura Dern, one of his most frequent collaborators, whose work with the director included Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Inland Empire and Twin Peaks: The Return. “I’m a massive David Lynch fan,” Sprouse said in a clip shared by Entertainment Weekly.
He said he froze after identifying the filmmaker’s distinctive voice and began “freaking out,” but decided not to approach him while he was eating. Sprouse, who smoked cigarettes at the time, instead stepped outside to collect himself.
Lynch Quietly Joined Him Outside
Lynch soon followed Sprouse into the smoking area and politely asked whether the younger actor had a cigarette. “Excuse me, young man. Do you happen to have a cigarette?” Sprouse recalled him asking. Sprouse handed one over, and Lynch moved to a nearby corner and smoked without initiating a lengthy conversation or forcing an introduction.
Dern eventually came outside and asked Lynch for a cigarette of her own. The filmmaker then reached into his pocket, removed a fresh pack and gave her one. Sprouse came to believe that the director noticed how overwhelmed he was and found an understated way to acknowledge him without making the situation uncomfortable.
Before leaving, Lynch offered one final comment. “I just want to tell you, you’re very polite. Thank you,” Sprouse recalled him saying.
Sprouse Valued the Story More Than a Photograph
Sprouse said Lynch’s approach showed him an unusually considerate way to interact with an admirer. “He gave me the most elegant understanding of how to approach someone who’s fangirling over you,” the actor said.
Sprouse left without a photograph or autograph, but he considered the experience more valuable than either souvenir. “He gave me a story that is better than any picture, any autograph, anything,” he said.
The Encounter Became Sprouse’s Final Cigarette
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The interaction also became a turning point in Sprouse’s relationship with smoking. He decided that no future cigarette could improve upon the one he had shared with one of his favorite filmmakers.
“I’ll never have a better cigarette,” Sprouse recalled thinking. He stopped smoking. Sprouse did not specify exactly when the encounter occurred, only that Palvin, whom he married in 2023, was with him at the restaurant.
Lynch Later Warned Others About Smoking
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Lynch publicly revealed in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with emphysema in 2020 after smoking for most of his life. He told People that he began smoking at 8 and continued for two years after receiving the diagnosis before finally quitting in 2022.
The filmmaker said he required supplemental oxygen for activities as basic as walking across a room and urged other smokers to stop before experiencing similar damage. Lynch died on January 16, 2025, at age 78.