Kyle MacLachlan in Blue Velvet

' I'm seeing something that was always hidden. I'm in the middle of a mystery and it's all secret.'

Jeffrey Beaumont

Blue Velvet was only actor Kyle MacLachlan's second film.  His first film, also directed by David Lynch, was 1984's Dune.  Give how highly Dune was promoted, and then  poorly it was received by critics, some believe Lynch cast MacLachlan in Blue Velvet as a way to make up for it.  This was also the young actors first nude scene, and what an epic and memorable nude scene it was...

Jeffrey can only watch as Dorothy goes to the kitchen and returns with a large knife with which she threatens him, making him come out of the closet and be an active participant in what had been, up to that point, a benign if risqué little adventure for him. By forcing Jeffrey to strip for her so she can see him, Dorothy objectifies the voyeur at the same time Lynch strips his compromised hero bare. “What do you want?” Dorothy asks once Jeffrey is down to his underwear (which, like the towel Dorothy just had on, is red). “I don’t know,” he meekly replies, remaining stock still while she slips off his last remaining article of clothing and fondles and kisses him. 

Throughout this part of the scene, Lynch frames MacLachlan so the viewer only gets a three-quarter view of his behind, but when Jeffrey and Dorothy are startled by the knock at the door heralding Frank’s arrival, his manhood is exposed during his mad dash to the closet, where he watches impotently while Frank and Dorothy play out their sordid scene of depravity. 

Crooked Marquee

In addition to Lynch giving us a great, and lengthy view of MacLachlan's butt, not to mention the rare frontal in mainstream movie, it was MacLachlan's look, and his performance as Jeffrey that made the scene so dangerously hot.  Rolling Stone's Rich Cohen described MacLachlan as the boy next door, if that boy spent lots of time alone in the basement.  

Maclachlan's Jeffery was one of the first times I remember seeing such a great blend of wholesome with kink and fetish.   In most films, you could count on the boy next door being just that, but as most of us , being cut know, usually through experience... having a sweet with an innocent face can more often than not lead to unexpected trouble...  With bad boys, the trouble is right there in view, with the wholesome guys, it's often under the surface, hidden, but waiting for a reason for release. 

All the scenes that I had with Kyle were very difficult. We had to be naked, so we were, of course, a closed set. We had a moment that was very difficult and we asked David, 'Do we have to go that far?'" and he would say, "Yes, yes!" 

Isabella Rossellini