Lara Flynn Boyle's big breakout role was on the one-of-a-kind television phenomenon "Twin Peaks." She played Donna Hayward, the best friend of murder victim Laura Palmer. Boyle starred in both of the show's two seasons before it was prematurely canceled by ABC. When the prequel movie, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me," was released just one year after the cancellation, Boyle was no longer involved, although her character still was.
The recasting of Donna Hayward with Moira Kelly raised fan suspicions that behind-the-scenes issues had led to Boyle's removal from the world of "Twin Peaks," especially considering the fact that she was the only cast member replaced, while everyone else from the series returned. When the 2017 revival of the series, "Twin Peaks: The Return," finally came to fruition many years later, Boyle publicly voiced her desire to return to the series. Instead, creator David Lynch purposefully excluded her, despite pretty much everyone else returning, even multiple characters portrayed by actors who had passed away.
Her behind-the-scenes romances were considered by some to be a hindrance to the series, and she allegedly put a stop to the planned romance between the Dale Cooper and Audrey Horne characters because she was dating actor Kyle MacLachlan in real life, according to an AV Club interview with Sherilyn Fenn. Boyle had a few other major roles outside of "Twin Peaks," such as in "Men in Black II" and "The Practice," but as word spread of her being difficult to work with, her good roles dried up. These days, her acting gigs are few and far apart, and frequently take the form of trashy B-movies like "Cougar Hunting" and "Hansel & Gretel Get Baked."
