Kyle MacLachlan Reveals How ‘Fallout’ Blends Drama with Dark Humor

You’ve also recently recorded a true crime podcast, Varnamtown. How did that come about?

It focuses on a rumor I’d heard about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and how he conducted a deal in the early 1980s with some of the residents in the coastal town of Varnamtown, North Carolina. The story is told by the actual people of Varnamtown, many of whom were involved in a smuggling operation that allowed Escobar to use the town as a shipping and transport hub.

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How did you get the idea to open your winery, Pursued By Bear?

I grew up in Yakima, in eastern Washington, and was first exposed to wine while in high school. I couldn’t have wine with my family, but I was able to enjoy a glass with a friend’s family during dinner, and I really liked it and thought it seemed very grownup at the time. I continued to explore wines and became very excited when wine culture found its way into Washington and wineries began to open on the eastern side of the state, near and around Walla Walla. It’s really a perfect spot to develop wine grapes and make wine. After watching how wines were made in Napa, I went to Washington and made the acquaintance of a winemaker who agreed to partner with me on a little project. I had no real expectations or goals, other than being curious about what it would be like to make red wine, bottle it and then drink it. The business started very casually and over the years has become more and more important to me. I own the company, run it and hire all the employees. I know my growers, employ a winemaker, and I’m very hands-on. It’s definitely my baby.

How would you describe your wines?

We primarily make red varietals. They’re all classic Washington flavor profiles, so they’re very balanced wines, very fruit-forward and food-friendly. They have a beautiful, bright acid quality to them, which works well if you’re eating cheese or meat or anything like that. We really make them to be enjoyed with food. 

Sounds like you are keeping busy. How have your priorities changed as you’ve gotten older? 

I’m an older dad — my son [with wife Desiree Gruber] is 15 — and I’ve always been pretty health conscious. I work out at the gym, but I don’t go every day. I stay pretty active and fit, just doing the things I like such as skiing, tennis and golf. I enjoy staying active and having a physical bond with my son in that we can share things together like skiing and working out at the gym. That’s important to me, and so is maintaining a certain level of fitness, which I intend to do until I’m at least 80. The only thing that will slow me down is if my joints start to say no, and even then, there’s all kinds of things I can do to maintain joint health, so I’ll keep at it.

MacLachlan played Paul Atreides in the 1984 movie “Dune,” directed by David Lynch.

Universal/courtesy Everett Collection

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were younger?

To appreciate and really enjoy what I could do physically. My son’s a volleyball player, and I watch the guys on his team run and jump with no worries about anything, because everything works. When I was in high school and college, I used to do jumping, turning, twisting —there were no second thoughts. I used to run even to the point where my knees and back would be a little achy, but I didn’t care because I knew it’d be fine the next day. I don’t know if I would have curtailed anything, but as you get older, you have a greater appreciation of what your body can do that I didn’t have when I was younger.

What’s next for you?

I just want to keep working. That’s the fun part. I like working with good material and interesting, creative people. That’s really the true joy of it. I mean, I’d love to do an action/adventure genre show. Who knows if that will ever happen, but it would be a lot of fun to drive a car real fast or have a sword fight.