David Lynch has responded to the claims that he will retire from directing after comments he made to “Sight and Sound” magazine were replicated all over the media. The “Twin Peaks” director confirmed his emphysema diagnosis, but said he wasn’t retiring.

“Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco – the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them – but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire,” he emphasized. “I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern,” he concluded.

First reports suggested Lynch ‘couldn’t leave the house’

“I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. … And now, because of COVID, it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold,” he told Sight and Sound in the magazine’s September cover story, per Variety.

He also said that he “can only walk a short distance before” he runs “out of oxygen.” However, the comment that raised the alarms was that it was unlikely for him to direct again, as it would be hard for him to be on set: “I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it,” admitting, “I wouldn’t like that so much.”

What is Emphysema?

Emphysema is a chronic lung condition characterized by shortness of breath. It is typically caused by cigarette smoking or exposure to pollutants. Lynch’s last feature film was 2006’s “Inland Empire,” while his latest TV show was “Twin Peaks: The Return” (2017).

David Lynch’s post on X (X:@davidlynch)

Lynch has some project in mind

However, in the same interview, Lynch said that he was hopeful about finally filming his 2010 screenplay “Antelope Don’t Run No More,” as well as the animated film “Snootworld,” he has been developing the last two decades… But he said that Netflix rejected it.

“Just recently, I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this, so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months, but they rejected it,” Lynch said to the magazine. “Old-fashioned fairy tales are considered groaners: apparently, people don’t want to see them. It’s a different world now, and it’s easier to say no than to say yes.”