Lost: Charlotte's Island Life

Lost: Charlotte's Island Life
Rebecca Mader on fan theories, romancing Faraday and more.
by Eric Goldman

August 6, 2008 - Lost's fourth season started off introducing four new characters – the main representatives of what some fans call "the freighter folk." One of these four is Charlotte Lewis, an anthropologist played by Rebecca Mader. Like most of the others, she has a mysterious past, though eyebrows were certainly raised by the revelation in the season finale that she was born on the island. With just a few weeks left until production begins on Season 5 of Lost, we had the chance to speak to the Mader to find out what it's been like joining a show as huge -- and analyzed by fans -- as this one.

IGN TV: When you join a show already has big as this one, it must be a lot to take in at once.Rebecca Mader: Well, I think for an actress it's a dream come true to step onto an existing hit TV show. It's a no-brainer. You're like, "Wicked!" You get to jump on and enjoy the roller coaster ride, really. It's been fantastic.

- ABC Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis in Lost

IGN: Sometimes when new characters join a show like this, there can be audience resistance, but the four of you seemed to really click and were well received.

Mader: I think that's because these new characters were integral to the storyline. I think that's why the fans accepted them. It made sense that these new people were coming on, because it was part of moving the whole storyline along where all these people were going to get off [the island]. It wasn't just adding new people and throwing them in and seeing if it stuck. This was like, "Are these people going to actually f**king get off this island and are these people going to make it happen?" I think that just made it so believable and so good in Season 4.

IGN: This is a show where secrets are integral. How much do Damon [Lindelof] and Carlton [Cuse] tell you ahead of time?

Mader: Oh god, nothing! None of us know anything! It's funny when people ask, "What do you guys do on your downtime in-between scenes? Do you all sit down and talk about the show?" I say, "No, none of us know anything. We're all sitting there talking about the iPhone vs. the Blackberry," you know what I mean? [Laughs] That's about it.

IGN: So was it funny for you to just jump in and do a scene with a polar bear skeleton and think, "Eventually I'll find out what this is about!"?

Mader: "No idea what this means, but lunch is in ten minutes!" [Laughs]

IGN: You and Jeremy [Davies] have a subplot about his romantic interest in you, which has been a sweet little part of the show. Has that dynamic been fun to explore?

Mader: Yeah, it's cute and I think we've got really good chemistry. I think it reads really well on screen. I think the two of us work pretty well together and he's really good.

IGN: What did you think about Charlotte's decision to stay on the island?

Mader: Well, we found out in the season finale that she was born on the island. I don't know what it means, and I'm trying not to think about it too much, because I don't know what they're going to write. So I don't want to become too attached to some stupid theory in my head, because there's no way I'm going to come up with something as good as Damon and Carlton. So I'm just letting it go, and ignorance is bliss at this point!

IGN: This is a show where fans come up with a lot of crazy theories.

Mader: Oh my god, I love it.

IGN: Have you been reading what they're speculating about your character?

Mader: I've made myself a new rule to try and stay off of blogs and websites and just kind of not do it, because then I get all wrapped up into it and then I want to read anything negative about myself.Fans come up with the best theories. I love it! That's what I love about the show is that it's intelligent. I'm a bit geeky, so I love the whole geek factor. Really smart people follow the show and they get so into it and try and figure it out and it's such a cool thing.

IGN: Do fans approach you a lot with their theories and questions?

Mader: I get questions everyday on my Facebook and my MySpace page, begging me for answers. But I just don't know! [Laughs] And they don't believe me! They're like, "Come on! You know you know!" I'm like, "I really don't know!"

IGN: Are you filming Season 5 yet?

Mader: No, we're still on hiatus. We go back later in August. I'm on holiday.

IGN: How do you like filming in Hawaii?

Mader: It's beautiful. The people are really nice. It's really relaxed. It's like L.A., but even more relaxed. It's really chill.

IGN: The only complaint I hear is how much it can rain.

Mader: But I'm English. That makes me feel at home! When it starts pissing down, I just put the kettle on. I'm like, "Oh, isn't this lovely? I I'll have a cup of tea." Oh, I love it.

http://tv.ign.com/articles/896/896946p1.html