Sheryl Lee, best known for her dual role as Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguson in the cult TV series Twin Peaks, has disclosed that she was forced to sell all her possessions after developing a rare blood disorder that made it nearly impossible to work.
The 47-year-old actress, who is set to appear as a special guest at the 2014 Twin Peaks UK Festival in Whitechapel this weekend, was diagnosed with neutropenia in 2007. The condition, which increases susceptibility to bacterial infections, left her struggling both financially and physically. 'I've had to sell everything for financial reasons,' she said.
Lee explained that her health decline began at age 40 and lasted four and a half years. 'I tried to keep working through it as much as I could, but I was physically not able to do it as much and if you look sick it's hard to get a job,' she said. She sold her house, then a condo, and eventually parted with her Twin Peaks souvenirs. 'I now live a very, very quiet, simple life in a tiny little guest house on somebody else's ranch,' she added.
Despite her iconic role in the international hit, which also included the prequel film Fire Walk With Me and other projects like the British film Backbeat, Lee is still paying off debts. 'People always assume that, if you're an actor who's been on anything from which you're recognisable, that you're making all this money, and it's just not true,' she said.
Lee, who has a 14-year-old son named Elijah, remains positive about the future. 'I want to watch my son grow up. I want to spend time with my family. There's a lot of the world that I want to see and experience,' she said. Although she has not been asked to appear in the upcoming third series of Twin Peaks, set for 2016, she expressed interest in performing in the West End, saying 'all it would take is an invitation.'
