Cornelia Guest plays role in ‘Twin Peaks’ on Showtime

Long Islanders, particularly, may have gotten a jolt of recognition if they tuned in to Showtime’s hotly anticipated return of “Twin Peaks” Sunday night to see longtime LI resident and socialite Cornelia Guest, 52, playing a prominent role.

The animal welfare activist and caterer found out she got the part last October, the day before she moved out of Templeton, her illustrious Old Westbury mansion where she lived for 45 years. “I loved my character,” says Guest who plays wicked Phyllis Hastings, a South Dakota woman whose husband is accused of murder. “She’s up to no good.”

Guest has been actively focusing on her acting career, and today, she divides her time between Los Angeles and 350-acres in upstate Ancram, where she operates Artemis Farm Rescue, a 501c3 rescue organization for mini-donkeys and horses.

But back to “Twin Peaks” — viewers weren’t the only ones who were surprised to see Guest’s face.

“I had no idea I was going to be in the first episode,” she said. “Nobody in the cast knew when they were on, so I was so excited and like ‘yay!’ ” She said the experience was, “magical,” and working with director David Lynch was, “Wonderful. He is just a dream.”