Isabella Rossellini Defends David Lynch Decades After Roger Ebert Claimed He “Degraded” Her In ‘Blue Velvet’: “I Chose To Play The Character”

Isabella Rossellini has finally responded to Roger Ebert‘s poor review of her 1986 film Blue Velvet, in which the famed critic panned the film with just one star and criticized David Lynch‘s treatment of Rossellini and her character.

Speaking to Indiewire, Rossellini confessed that she typically avoids reading reviews of her work.

“I didn’t read the reviews at the time [Blue Velvet] came out. I try not to read reviews. They’re always depressing. There’s always something that, even if [the review is] good, there is always one sentence that is negative and stays inside you forever,” she said. “But I remember I was told that Roger Ebert said that [Lynch] exploited me, and I was surprised, because I was an adult. I was 31 or 32. I chose to play the character.”

The film starred Rossellini as Dorothy Vallens, a mysterious nightclub singer who entices Kyle MacLachlan‘s young character as he investigates a mystery.

But Ebert took issue with how Rossellini’s character is treated in the film, namely when she is assaulted and abused by Dennis Hopper’s character. The film also famously includes a scene where Rossellini appears naked and beaten on MacLachlan’s porch.

Ebert’s review noted that Rossellini was “asked to do things in this film that require real nerve.”

“In one scene, she’s publicly embarrassed by being dumped naked on the lawn of the police detective. In others, she is asked to portray emotions that I imagine most actresses would rather not touch,” Ebert wrote. “She is degraded, slapped around, humiliated and undressed in front of the camera. And when you ask an actress to endure those experiences, you should keep your side of the bargain by putting her in an important film.”

But Rossellini spoke fondly of her character, noting that Vallens was written as a “victimized” person.

“I think my character was the first time we did an abused woman, a portrait of an abused woman, but also she camouflaged herself behind what she was asked to be, which was sexy and beautiful and singing, and she obeyed the order, and is also victimized by it,” she said.

She also praised Lynch’s directing, revealing that he rehearsed with her “for a full day” to help her get a better handle of her character.

The pair began dating during production of Blue Velvet. They remain close friends to this day.

“I’m glad Blue Velvet was directed by David Lynch,” she said. “It’s one of his best films… That’s the complexity of Blue Velvet but also the great talent of David Lynch. I thought he did a fantastic film. I love Blue Velvet.”