NEWSKyle MacLachlan Opens Up About Laura Dern Breakup and Dating Lara Flynn Boyle in New Memoir
Kyle MacLachlan pulled back the curtain on being involved with a costar.
Sept. 26 2026, Published 10:18 a.m. ET
Kyle MacLachlan is finally addressing one of the most talked-about love triangles of his career.
"We fell into this relationship, and it just destroyed the relationship with Laura. Not my best moment. I did not handle that well, especially for Laura," he said.
The 67-year-old made the comment in a People interview published Monday, September 21, a week ahead of the release of his memoir, Fictional Selves, on September 29.
MacLachlan Fell for His 'Twin Peaks' Costar
Kyle MacLachlan fell in love with Lara Flynn Boyle while still dating Laura Dern.
The actor said his feelings shifted after meeting Lara Flynn Boyle while filming on location.
"She is s--- and edgy, a tough girl from Chicago, the antithesis of anyone I've ever been with," he told People, recalling how he wanted to give her a tour of the region.
"I was away on location [in the Pacific Northwest] and feeling, 'This is my town, let me show you some of the cool spots,'" he said. At the time, he was still involved with Laura Dern.
His Romance With Dern Started on 'Blue Velvet'
Kyle MacLachlan recalled finding Laura Dern alluring and gorgeous when he started dating her.
MacLachlan and Dern first met on the set of David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet, where they played onscreen love interests.
"She had a certain allure, and she's gorgeous," the Dune star said of Dern, recalling the early spark between them.
The two went on to date for four years, from 1985 to 1989. They were reportedly engaged before the relationship fell apart.
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He and Dern Are on Good Terms Today
Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern still remained friends after their split.
Despite how things ended, the Fallout actor said he and Dern have long since moved past it.
"Thank God, over time, we've healed," he said.
The two even went on to work together again decades later, appearing together in the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks. It was their second onscreen collaboration after Blue Velvet.
MacLachlan still thinks highly of the Jurassic Park alum. "She's got the best sense of humor," he declared. "She is smart, beautiful, empathic."
Both Actors Moved on to Other Relationships
Kyle MacLachlan ended up marrying Desiree Gruber.
MacLachlan and Boyle continued dating for three years after his split from Dern, before calling it quits in 1992.
He went on to marry television producer Desiree Gruber in 2002.
Dern's own path included a widely publicized relationship with Billy Bob Thornton in the late '90s. That romance ended when she learned he had wed Pushing Tin costar Angelina Jolie.
"I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I've never heard from him again," Dern said in a 2000 interview. "It's like a sudden death."
Dern later married musician Ben Harper in 2005, with whom she shares two children.
