In Crime and Punishment, director Menahem Golan's updated version of the Dostoyevsky classic, Lynch portrays a manipulative Russian nobleman. He is proud of his work but he's dismayed that it's currently on the shelf as a result of 21st Century Film Corporation's filing for bankruptcy. "That's one (film) I need to come out," he says. It will come out at some point, but he doesn't know when. Filming took place in Russia soon after the fall of communism under the exact conditions that Dostoyevsky described during the revolution except in the other direciton. Lynch worked with John Hurt and Vanessa Redgrave, with whom he had worked on the stage in New York years ago.

He is in the process of redefining Richard Lynch and has established his own production entity, Fusion Films. Through it, he hopes to solidify his attempts at better roles and stretch his creativity, although as of yet things are still in the planning stages. "Over the years I've created a modest audience. I want them to see the different things I'm capable of and not just as an actor." This includes a stint in the director's chair. "I have a couple of ideas I'm currently working on."

The Vampire was supposed to have been a series! "We set it up to lead into a series," laughs Lynch at the memory, "but the network never got around to it. I remember that Jason [Miller] and I went to the network to try to convince them to squeeze a couple of specials out of it, the two of them [Miller and E. G. Marshall] following me around the country but they didn't go for it."

In The Ninth Configuration, Lynch vied for the role of Capt. Fairbanks, the inmate that punishes an uncooperative wall by hitting it with a hammer. "...But I got to Blatty late. By the time I got to Malibu, where they were shooting, the role had been cast. Blatty said to me, 'Richard, we'd love to have you but this (biker role) is all we have.' I told him, 'I love the film; I'll be in it.'"

Lynch honed his craft on the New York stage some 25 years ago. "The 60's and 70's were a vital time in the New York theater scene," Lynch relates. "I was coming up with the likes of Pacino and DeNiro." He hasn't taken a stage role in "about five years." Lynch is leaning toward a return to the theater. "I think it might be time to go back East and do it again," he says. "It's been a little while; I need to relight my fire."

Lynch is always on the lookout for a juicy role and where it will take him. From Russia to Italy to California to South Florida. "I travel a lot," chuckles Lynch. "That is one of perks of this business. I've been to a lot of wonderful places over the years...and a few not so wonderful!"