David Lynch’s ‘Masterpiece’ Film Got a ‘10-Minute Boo’ at Cannes, Actor Ray Wise Recalls

One of David Lynch’s films received a “10-minute boo” when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, according to Ray Wise.

From Eraserhead to Mulholland Dr., it’s no secret that the director’s films are polarizing — and often received more warmly over time. In fact, one that many now consider to be his best was actually heckled at its 1992 premiere, Wise, 77, recalled during the Twin Peaks: Conversation with the Stars tour stop in New York City.

On Aug. 10, Wise and other core cast members of Twin Peaks — the genre-defying brainchild of Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost — took the stage at Sony Hall for a crowd packed with franchise and Lynch fans.

At one point, the stars were asked about their favorite film from the director, who died Jan. 16 at age 78. For Wise, that’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. 

“I like them all,” Wise first said of the legendary creative’s catalog, which includes Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and more. The actor then went on to shout out one of Lynch’s lesser-seen works, Straight Story, earning a round of applause from the crowd, and the director’s “beautiful” take on The Elephant Man before revealing his top choice.

“But my preference would be Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” said Wise, who reprised his role as Leland Palmer — father to Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) — in the movie, a dark prequel to the beloved ABC series.

Immediately, Wise acknowledged that his “preference” is not shared by many — or at least it wasn’t when the crime drama-horror film, written and directed by Lynch, first debuted in 1992. In fact, Fire Walk with Me was so poorly received, Wise said, that it “got roundly booed” at Cannes Film Festival — where just two years earlier, Wild at Heart took home the Palme d’Or.

“You know how after, when they really like something, they give you a 10-minute standing ovation? We got like a 10-minute boo,” the actor recalled, earning a round of raucous laughter from the audience of Twin Peaks devotees.

“But, since the Cannes Film Festival, it has done a hell of a lot better with the movie-going fans. And now, for my money, I consider it David’s masterpiece,” Wise said of the movie. Plus, he said, it is a must-watch for anyone interested in Lynch’s singular style of filmmaking.

The actor added, “I think if you want to know all the inner-workings of David’s movie mind, they’re all there in Fire Walk with Me. And little bits of Blue Velvet are in there and little bits of Eraserhead are in there, and little bits of everything, so.”

Elsewhere during the panel — which featured stars Dana Ashbrook, Ray Wise, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz and producer Sabrina S. Sutherland — Wise recalled how after receiving the script for the pilot of Lynch and Frost’s now-beloved series, he initially wanted the role of Sheriff Harry S. Truman.

Michael Ontkean ultimately nabbed the part, while Lynch wanted Wise for Leland.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

“I looked through [the pilot script] and I thought, ‘What could I play here?’ And I thought, ‘Sheriff Truman would be a perfect part for me.’ I really believed that,” Wise recalled. But after meeting with Lynch, he said, “I got a call from my manager again saying, ‘David wants you to play Leland Palmer.’ ”

Upon revisiting the script to read Leland’s parts, he recalled thinking, “Oh, here he finds out his daughter is dead, and he cries. Oh, and here he goes to the mortuary to identify his daughter’s body, and he cries. And here he goes up to his daughter’s bedroom, sitting on the bed while the police are searching for her diary — and he cries.”

“I said, ‘All this guy does is cry!’ Ah, but then the light went on in my head,” Wise continued. “That was the challenge: I was to show different levels of grief, and different degrees of crying. And I said, ‘Yes, that’s the challenge. I think I can handle that.’ ”

Wise went on to portray Leland in Twin Peaks, Fire Walk with Me and, most recently, Twin Peaks: The Return, the show’s long-awaited third season, which released in 2017.