Kyle MacLachlan Reveals Career Stories in Fictional Selves Memoir

Kyle MacLachlan published his memoir Fictional Selves on September 29, 2026, revealing behind-the-scenes details about his four-decade film and television career, including Dune, Twin Peaks, Top Gun and Showgirls, as he reflected on his work and personal growth.

The memoir's official synopsis describes it as "a book of doppelgangers, with MacLachlan mirrored by his own prodding ego ('Other Kyle'), the iconic characters he inhabited, and the ones that eluded his grasp but gave him a profound and surprising lens onto himself as a person and a performer."

In an interview with People, MacLachlan explained that decades in entertainment led him to examine the different versions of himself created through his roles.

"It suddenly hit me that I'd been working in film and TV for over 40 years, and it really hit home while working on my podcast having conversations with young creatives. It's brought a perspective, and the book is an opportunity to reflect on my different selves over the years," MacLachlan said.

MacLachlan wrote that he won the role of Paul Atreides in 1984's Dune after competing with actors including Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise. The role became his feature film debut, although the planned franchise did not continue after the film's box office performance.

"an enormous book of a contract," MacLachlan wrote about the agreement he signed after joining Dune.

He recalled receiving $50,000 for the role after previously earning $185 a week onstage.

"When it's all sealed up, I get paid $50,000, more than I've ever made in my life, exponentially more than the $185 a week I'd been making onstage," MacLachlan wrote.

"There's no way on earth you can plan for something like that," MacLachlan wrote.

The actor also described difficult conditions during the seven-month Dune production in Mexico, where recurring stomach illnesses affected cast and crew members and contributed to his losing nearly 15 pounds.

"On and off, I catch the friendly neighborhood stomach bug," MacLachlan wrote. He added that by the fourth month everyone was beginning "to wear down" as illnesses and injuries became part of production.

MacLachlan recalled missing out on roles including Nick "Goose" Bradshaw in Top Gun, which went to Anthony Edwards, while Val Kilmer played Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

"Another film I lose is Top Gun, though lose is a strong word cause I'm never seriously considered for it," MacLachlan wrote. He said director Tony Scott was "looking for a certain kind of energy" that he did not believe naturally matched him.

MacLachlan also wrote about his friendship with Kilmer after their careers repeatedly crossed paths.

"There's an energy about him that I'm drawn to; he's got that healthy dose of mystery crave and seems aloof to the business and the town," MacLachlan wrote.

For Twin Peaks, MacLachlan said he did not expect the series to become a major cultural phenomenon. The show's two-hour pilot drew about 35 million viewers when it premiered in April 1990, according to the memoir excerpt.

"By 1990, the Twin Peaks pilot began getting huge buzz months before airing. Even though it's TV, not film, I am finally part of something that people are talking about," MacLachlan wrote.

"It would've seemed improbable a few months ago, but maybe this is it," MacLachlan wrote.

"For something unknown, with no big stars and not based on any previous story, that's a gigantic number, even back then. I am taken aback by the reaction," MacLachlan wrote.

"Those of us who worked on it love it, but unexpectedly, the country - even parts of the world - does, too," MacLachlan wrote.

"Keep in mind that we're over a decade before TV will have the complexity of film. But Twin Peaks seeps into the culture in a way that only the biggest films do," MacLachlan wrote.

In Fictional Selves, MacLachlan also revisited Showgirls and his disagreement with director Paul Verhoeven over a proposed scene during the 1995 film's production.