Trigger Warning: The following article contains mentions of sexual assault.
She landed her breakout role in David Lynch’s 1986 classic “Blue Velvet.”
Before she was even born, her family struggled with unthinkable tragedy.
Here are the tragic details about Laura Dern’s childhood and adulthood.
“She fell into the pool,” Ladd said.
“She hit her head and knocked herself out.
And it all happened instantly.
And she died, and you will never get over that.
I don’t care what you say to yourself.
I don’t care who says what.
The child is not supposed to die before the parent.”
Eventually, the struggling actors had Laura, but they ultimately divorced when she was just 2 years old.
“I had not asked because I thought I was gonna hurt you,” she said.
As Diane Ladd toldCBS Newsin May 2023, she was facing the struggles common among single parents.
“How to pay the rent, how to get my daughter what she needs,” she said.
You better not have a rip in that stocking.
You better have those shoes not run down.
You gotta put on an image."
In the same interview, Dern said she knew her mother loved her, but still struggled with loneliness.
Amazingly, within several months, Dern’s scoliosis had been corrected.
“I never had to wear a brace.”
So when I heard the news, I was just so relieved and thrilled and joyous.
All the hard work had paid off."
Laura Dern was one of them.
Dern said she realized how our culture justifies and condones such behavior as if it’s normal.
“Absolutely not, you’re able to’t take a leave,” they replied.
Dern left UCLA to pursue the film, which ended up being the best decision for her acting career.
“It’s like a sudden death.
For no one has there been any closure or clarity.”
Speaking withThe Timesin November 2021, Dern explained why her 30s were so hard for her.
It’s your belief that you’re supposed to already be at a finish line …
I found it brutal."
The couple went on to have Jaya in 2004, and finally tied the knot in December 2005.
They briefly reconciled a couple years later, but ultimately the divorce was finalized by 2013.
But for some, the performances came at a price.
“Renata is definitely exhausting because you’re also improvising and you have to be high-strung.”
It all started when Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.
They walked together and had long conversations, which Dern recorded and later used for piecing together their memoir.
Which was to know each other better, more deeply."
As of this writing, Ladd has thankfully proven the doctors wrong.
She dealt with anxiety during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic was a frightening time for everyone.
The actor spoke withPrevention.comin July 2020 about her concerns throughout lockdown.
Finding ways to cope with her anxiety became important.
“I look at how to manage stress,” she said.
You tune out everything around you when you’re working.
As adults, we don’t give ourselves a place to relax."
“Brilliant Treat,” she wrote.
“You loved art and acting and living and loving your incredible family immeasurably.
Thank you for all the characters and profound creative inspiration you gave us all.
From the depths of hard-hitting film to the most extraordinary musical theatre experiences.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
