Laura Dern’s university forced her to drop out over Blue Velvet role but now teaches the film

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Laura Dern has revealed her university forced her to drop out after she secured a role in David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet. Dern revealed she’s still angry that the University of California, Los Angeles wouldn’t let her continue studying if she took the role – yet now requires film students to watch Blue Velvet as part of their master’s programme. After Dern’s department head had read the Blue Velvet script he told her: “‘First of all, if you make this choice, you are no longer welcome at UCLA. But secondly, having read this script, that you would give up your college education for this is insane.’” At the time, Dern had already appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s coming of age drama Mask, amongst other features, but it was Blue Velvet that catapulted her to fame and saw the start of a long term collaboration with Lynch – who received a best director Oscar nomination for the film.