Today 8:09 PM PDT by Megan Masters
Guess who we just chatted with?!
We tracked down Lost's creative brain trust Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof tonight to pass along our Emmy congrats (the recently deceased series received twelve nods!), and between gentle sobs (literally!) of joy and loss, the one-time "radio silent" twosome opened up about life after the jet-setting phenomenon—just a little...
First, hi. It's so great to be talking to you both again. And congratulations on the eight Emmy nominations! What kind of emotions go into a day like today—knowing it's Lost's final season?
Carlton Cuse: We never for a minute take for granted that we're entitled to an Emmy nomination. Very worthy shows like Law & Order and 24 and Friday Night Lights weren't nominated today. We recognize that pleasing the fans at the end of Lost was very tall order, so we were extremely happy and gratified to the Academy's recognition for the work of everyone on the Lost team. It was especially gratifying to see that we got Emmy nominations for our really talented collaborators, as well.
Damon Lindelof: Emotionally, it's been a much different experience than we're used to because nomination day has always been on a working day for us. So we'd get the nominations in morning, I would come into Carlton's office, we would hug, we would do a little bit of press and then we'd go, OK what is episode three of season four going to be? This is one of those days when you really realize the fact that we're no longer making the show. We've always taken the month of June as a vacation, but the deeper we get into July without writing new episodes of Lost, the more it begins to sink in. It's like, wow, we're really done. It's one thing to write the final episode and to see the final episode, but now that sense of really looking back on it and it's really over—that cold, hard reality. In the stages of grieving, we're now moving into the acceptance stage, and that is a wonderful thing, but there is a certain degree of sadness to it, too.
Lost received a lot of Emmy love today. Do you think the nods were based more on storytelling and acting, rather than honoring its final season?
C.C.: I don't think you can get an Emmy nomination just based on nostalgia or longevity. If that was the case, Law & Order [would have, too.] What an unsurpassed accomplishment for that show to have been on the air for 20 years! That is stupendous. But we were extremely lucky and we remain enormously grateful to ABC for allowing us to end the show on our own terms. The key for Damon and me in doing so was that the story wouldn't go on too long. That we could end Lost before people got tired of it. We didn't have to stretch our storytelling beyond what we had imagined for the series. To actually get nominated after being able to do that has just made today an awesome day all the way around.
Had the two of you always intended on submitting Lost's finale, "The End," for Emmy consideration, or where there other contenders?
C.C.: It wasn't a preplanned thing, but we'd written the finale and shot it and felt really good about it, and it was at that point we made a decision to submit that episode. It did feel like it was representative of our work, and it was the appropriate culmination of the show and might be the best thing for us to submit, so that's what Damon and I decided to do.
ABC/RICK ROWELL
D.L.: We certainly had a conversation about it, and we alternate playing devil's advocate. The concern for Lost with the Emmys has always been that you don't want to submit an episode that would make no sense to somebody who's never seen the show. And maybe there were some self-contained episodes this season that would work better, but in the final season there are no self-contained episodes of Lost. Even in episodes like "Ab Aeterno," it works because of three seasons of wondering who Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) is. So the conclusion was, if the finale is not the episode we should be submitting, then season six doesn't really deserve to be nominated for an Emmy.
Have you spoken to any other Lost Emmy nominees today?
C.C.: I've not spoken to the actors directly. I've exchanged some emails with fellow nominees, but it is a little bit different this year because we're not in the office, we're not working, we're not sitting down together having breakfast. It's a little different feeling, but there's plenty of love going back and forth between everybody on the show. It's been a really celebratory day. The hidden secret of Lost's success was the incredible alchemy between everyone who worked on the show. It's been one of those days where we've been happy to have an excuse to be back in communication with each other.
D.L.: It feels like before [the end of Lost], the first thing Carlton and I would do when anybody was nominated for anything, we'd get on the phone and congratulate them. Because we were their bosses and that's what you do. But we're not their bosses anymore, now we're just all friends who worked on a show together. And that started on finale night, when we all came together it felt like we all made the show together and there is not hierarchy because we're not working together. We were able to drop the business-like attachments of the show. We were just able to hug each other and cry it out and be emotional and cool with each other. High school is over, we're graduating, everybody's going off to college, we'll always look back at this time with tremendous affection—And [Sarcastically] I don't miss it one bit.
Why break your radio silence now? Was that always the plan, too?
D.L.: It wasn't a thought at the time. Every year after the finale we've always gone into radio silence just because we're pretty sick of ourselves, so we can't even imagine what everybody else thinks of us. And we've always broken our radio silence at Comic-Con, and this year we're obviously not going to Comic-Con because it's about promoting something to come. The idea of looking back on the show is not something we were particularly interested in, looking back at ourselves. But around a week ago, Carlton and I had both been on vacation and received an email from someone at ABC asking [if we would] be willing to do some press. And that was our first contact with each other where it was like, alright, of course. If the show gets recognized, it feels totally appropriate for us to express out feelings about how awesome that is. There's no reason to not talk about Lost ever again, it's just not in our DNA. Had the show not been nominated for anything, I'm sure Carlton and I would have emerged at some appropriate time over the summer to talk about—
CC: To begin begging for work at Starbucks. [Laughs.]
Before you go, we'd love to know if you have any other Emmy nominated faves this year—besides Lost, of course.
C.C.: I was very happy for Ryan Murphy to see how much love Glee got. It's exciting that the show really feels like it's in the zeitgeist now, and for us having been fortunate to ride that zeitgeist wave for awhile, it's great to see that Ryan is surfing it, too. He's a wonderful guy and the show is worthy of all the attention it's getting.
D.L.: And also Carlton and I, and all the writers in the writer's room's favorite show this year was Modern Family. We would talk about it every Thursday morning. And Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd are just really class acts, and everyone on that show is so sweet. Also, in the year Lost came about, it was Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, and people were saying all hail the drama, and the return of comedy is dead. Since Friends and Seinfeld, there really hasn't been anything. And now you look at comedy and there's not just Glee and Modern Family, but also The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, and comedy has never been bigger. Comedy is completely strong. And that's not even mentioning 30 Rock and The Office, which are two incredible comedies. On the drama side, it was really cool see Matthew [Fox] get recognized as lead actor, but also to see somebody like Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton break into that mix. Friday Night Lights is clearly a show that's gotten enormous critical acclaim, but just never connected with Emmy voters, and it's really cool that it finally got acknowledged.
And that's all, folks. Do you love Darlton, or do you love them? And how much do you miss Lost, because those almost-tears on the phone were very real, and the mere sound of Damon and Carlton's voices pushed up over the edge. In the best way, of course.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b189521_losts_creators_talk_emmys_life_after.html
Showing posts with label Interviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interviews. Show all posts
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Lost Blog
The LOSTBlog just posted an interview that I did with them about my love for Lost, how I got into the show, the creation of this blog and my store and designs along with much more. They have such an awesome blog with tons of great Lost related stuff! Make sure to check out my interview and then check out all of their awesome stuff that they have posted. http://lostblog.com/2010/03/01/interviewpaulborrowsroom23/
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The LOSTBlog.com Interview: 16 Questions We Asked Anil of The ODI
(I've become friends with Anil who runs ODI through covering different Lost events, so I wanted to post this interview that The LostBlog did with him.)
by Catherine Ryan Howard on Feb.03, 2010
ShareWell LOST fans, how are we all feeling today? I, for one, am feeling a tad sleep deprived, having stayed up to watch LOST live as it aired on the East Coast; due to my unfortunate GMT time zone and post-premiere-watching hyperactivity, I didn’t get to bed until 5.30am. (Oh, but it was SO worth it!)
by Catherine Ryan Howard on Feb.03, 2010
ShareWell LOST fans, how are we all feeling today? I, for one, am feeling a tad sleep deprived, having stayed up to watch LOST live as it aired on the East Coast; due to my unfortunate GMT time zone and post-premiere-watching hyperactivity, I didn’t get to bed until 5.30am. (Oh, but it was SO worth it!)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Verizion VCAST After Episode Interviews
Hi,
I work for Moxie Interactive and am reaching out again on behalf of Verizon Wireless because we think you may be interested in the additional Lost content:
Can you believe it’s the beginning of the end of LOST: THE FINAL SEASON? Verizon knows you want to give your readers the most up-to-date LOST answers, so we’ve got something for you.
Starting at 2am EST the day after each episode, only Verizon brings you the Slapdown co-creator interview series and extended sneak previews 24 hours before anyone else. Let your readers know they can check out www.VerizonWireless.com/LOST to get all the exclusive videos, full episodes and more with V CAST Video on Demand.
Namaste!
Watch LOST: THE FINAL SEASON Tuesdays 9/8c on ABC.
Thanks,
Danielle
I work for Moxie Interactive and am reaching out again on behalf of Verizon Wireless because we think you may be interested in the additional Lost content:
Can you believe it’s the beginning of the end of LOST: THE FINAL SEASON? Verizon knows you want to give your readers the most up-to-date LOST answers, so we’ve got something for you.
Starting at 2am EST the day after each episode, only Verizon brings you the Slapdown co-creator interview series and extended sneak previews 24 hours before anyone else. Let your readers know they can check out www.VerizonWireless.com/LOST to get all the exclusive videos, full episodes and more with V CAST Video on Demand.
Namaste!
Watch LOST: THE FINAL SEASON Tuesdays 9/8c on ABC.
Thanks,
Danielle
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Creators of ‘Lost’ Say the GPS Unit Is Plugged In
By EDWARD WYATT
Published: January 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES
FROM the time that Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashed on a mysterious island in the 2004 premiere of “Lost” on ABC, almost everything that appeared to be true about the fate of the survivors has become if not actually false, then at least vastly more complicated that it originally seemed.
The island itself, for example, which at first seemed to be disconcertingly deserted, soon proved itself to be even more disconcertingly inhabited. While those inhabitants (known as the “others”) are liars, kidnappers and murderers, ultimately their crimes are revealed to serve a larger, protective purpose. And though it appears that for survivors of the crash the ultimate goal is to leave the island, many who do leave find themselves inexorably pulled back.
For the men pulling the levers behind the “Lost” curtain, finding ways to wrap up both the fate of the story’s characters and the mysteries of the island for the program’s final 16 episodes, which begins Tuesday, is a multifold challenge.
“Normally the thing that you have to execute is coming up with fulfilling endings and resolve the fate of your characters,” said Damon Lindelof, an executive producer who, with Carlton Cuse, oversees the series and is writing the key episodes for the coming season. “But we also have the added weight of how are we going to resolve this mythology.
“The show is so predicated on questions. So now we’re in answer mode, and have been for quite some time.”
And while the creators of “Lost” have assured viewers for much of the last five years that yes, they know the answers to those questions, they acknowledge that they do not yet know exactly how the series will come to a close. The final episodes have not yet been written, much less filmed.
“We came up with the final image of the show a long time ago, back when we were first plotting out the mythology in the first season,” Mr. Cuse said. But he added: “We still have six hours of the show to make. That is sort of the equivalent of three feature films. We have to do all the writing for those in about eight or nine weeks, and we have to finish shooting them between now and the middle of April.”
The creators are willing to make a few promises, which they outlined this month in an interview and in discussions with reporters at a meeting of the Television Critics Association. Viewers will not have to wait until the last moments of the series finale to get many of their answers, they say. Beginning with the season premiere, revelations about some of the most fundamental mysteries will come fast and furious.
Some of the “Lost” actors, in fact, implied that viewers hoping to quench their thirst for answers in the season premiere might find themselves drinking from a fire hose.
“It felt like a finale,” said Josh Holloway, who plays Sawyer, the brooding loner who seems to think best with his shirt off. “That scale. Wow.”
But providing answers does not necessarily means that resolutions will be simple. Emilie de Ravin, whose character, Claire, was pregnant when the plane crashed, gave birth on the island and all but disappeared into a spiritual netherworld in Season 4, admitted that she was initially a bit confused.
“I think I had to read it about three times before it actually made sense,” said Ms. de Ravin, whose character plays a bigger role this year. She was confused, she added, but “in a great way.”
“Not helping,” said Mr. Lindelof, who said of his biggest nightmare, deadpan: “Get ready to scratch your heads, America.”
The creators say their hope is that this final season might feel like a first, in that a viewer does not need to have watched the 95 previous episodes in order to enjoy the final chapter.
“There’s an inherent process when you’re ending something to sort of be thinking about the beginning,” Mr. Lindelof said. “One of the things that I think we are trying to do — all of us, the actors and the writers as well, in the sixth season — is to show the audience the before,” as well as the after.
Therefore episodes in the final season will continue to provide plenty of back story. That way viewers “have some sense of, ‘Oh, this is what he used to be and who they are now,’ ” Mr. Lindelof added. “So you really get a sense of how far that person’s come.”
“Lost” remains, by almost any measure, one of ABC’s biggest hits. But its viewership has fallen by about 30 percent from the first season, when an average of 15.5 million viewers tuned in each week, to the fifth, which drew about 11 million a week, according to Nielsen. Last season’s finale drew about 10 million viewers, compared with 14 million to 20 million in the earlier seasons.
And it is perhaps the most loyal viewers — who, having immersed themselves in every detail of every show, might therefore be hoping that every puzzle will be solved — who stand to be the most disappointed, according to the creators.
“Obviously not every question’s going to be answered,” Mr. Cuse said. “We felt if we tried to just answer questions, it would be very pedantic. Apart from that, we also really embrace this notion that there’s a fundamental sort of sense of mystery that we all have in our lives, and certainly that is a huge part of the lives of these characters.”
“To sort of demystify that by trying to literally explain everything down to the last little sort of midi-chlorian of it all would be a mistake in our view,” he added. (In “Star Wars,” midi-chlorians were life forms existing inside all living things; that the “Lost” creators might explain the real-world implications of their fantasy world by referring to another fantasy world is perhaps part of the reason that the series has lost viewers.)
But Mr. Cuse remains optimistic: “I think there would be, hopefully, a kind of healthy cocktail of answers, mystery, good character resolutions and some surprises.”
As with the Harry Potter series, another fantasy that the creators often cite as inspiration, the end is likely to have more to do with character resolution than with the solving of mysteries like what exactly the island is. Does Kate, the sexy fugitive, for example, end up with Sawyer or Jack, the reluctant leader of the band of survivors? Is John Locke dead or alive? Will Hurley ever lose weight?
If the creators are not saying, they do promise one other thing. While the ending of the series will almost certainly provoke some debate, it will not be of the type created by, say, the black screen that ended “The Sopranos” or the “It was all a dream” or “It all took place in someone’s imagination” endings of “Newhart” or “St. Elsewhere.” And like David Chase, the “Sopranos” creator, they do not plan to answer questions after the finale.
“We feel like over the course of the entire season we’re going to be answering questions and explaining things,” Mr. Cuse said. “We’re really going to focus on making sure the resolution of these characters comes to a place that we as writers feel satisfying. And that’s kind of the best approach we can take to make the show end well.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/arts/television/31lost.html
Published: January 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES
FROM the time that Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashed on a mysterious island in the 2004 premiere of “Lost” on ABC, almost everything that appeared to be true about the fate of the survivors has become if not actually false, then at least vastly more complicated that it originally seemed.
The island itself, for example, which at first seemed to be disconcertingly deserted, soon proved itself to be even more disconcertingly inhabited. While those inhabitants (known as the “others”) are liars, kidnappers and murderers, ultimately their crimes are revealed to serve a larger, protective purpose. And though it appears that for survivors of the crash the ultimate goal is to leave the island, many who do leave find themselves inexorably pulled back.
For the men pulling the levers behind the “Lost” curtain, finding ways to wrap up both the fate of the story’s characters and the mysteries of the island for the program’s final 16 episodes, which begins Tuesday, is a multifold challenge.
“Normally the thing that you have to execute is coming up with fulfilling endings and resolve the fate of your characters,” said Damon Lindelof, an executive producer who, with Carlton Cuse, oversees the series and is writing the key episodes for the coming season. “But we also have the added weight of how are we going to resolve this mythology.
“The show is so predicated on questions. So now we’re in answer mode, and have been for quite some time.”
And while the creators of “Lost” have assured viewers for much of the last five years that yes, they know the answers to those questions, they acknowledge that they do not yet know exactly how the series will come to a close. The final episodes have not yet been written, much less filmed.
“We came up with the final image of the show a long time ago, back when we were first plotting out the mythology in the first season,” Mr. Cuse said. But he added: “We still have six hours of the show to make. That is sort of the equivalent of three feature films. We have to do all the writing for those in about eight or nine weeks, and we have to finish shooting them between now and the middle of April.”
The creators are willing to make a few promises, which they outlined this month in an interview and in discussions with reporters at a meeting of the Television Critics Association. Viewers will not have to wait until the last moments of the series finale to get many of their answers, they say. Beginning with the season premiere, revelations about some of the most fundamental mysteries will come fast and furious.
Some of the “Lost” actors, in fact, implied that viewers hoping to quench their thirst for answers in the season premiere might find themselves drinking from a fire hose.
“It felt like a finale,” said Josh Holloway, who plays Sawyer, the brooding loner who seems to think best with his shirt off. “That scale. Wow.”
But providing answers does not necessarily means that resolutions will be simple. Emilie de Ravin, whose character, Claire, was pregnant when the plane crashed, gave birth on the island and all but disappeared into a spiritual netherworld in Season 4, admitted that she was initially a bit confused.
“I think I had to read it about three times before it actually made sense,” said Ms. de Ravin, whose character plays a bigger role this year. She was confused, she added, but “in a great way.”
“Not helping,” said Mr. Lindelof, who said of his biggest nightmare, deadpan: “Get ready to scratch your heads, America.”
The creators say their hope is that this final season might feel like a first, in that a viewer does not need to have watched the 95 previous episodes in order to enjoy the final chapter.
“There’s an inherent process when you’re ending something to sort of be thinking about the beginning,” Mr. Lindelof said. “One of the things that I think we are trying to do — all of us, the actors and the writers as well, in the sixth season — is to show the audience the before,” as well as the after.
Therefore episodes in the final season will continue to provide plenty of back story. That way viewers “have some sense of, ‘Oh, this is what he used to be and who they are now,’ ” Mr. Lindelof added. “So you really get a sense of how far that person’s come.”
“Lost” remains, by almost any measure, one of ABC’s biggest hits. But its viewership has fallen by about 30 percent from the first season, when an average of 15.5 million viewers tuned in each week, to the fifth, which drew about 11 million a week, according to Nielsen. Last season’s finale drew about 10 million viewers, compared with 14 million to 20 million in the earlier seasons.
And it is perhaps the most loyal viewers — who, having immersed themselves in every detail of every show, might therefore be hoping that every puzzle will be solved — who stand to be the most disappointed, according to the creators.
“Obviously not every question’s going to be answered,” Mr. Cuse said. “We felt if we tried to just answer questions, it would be very pedantic. Apart from that, we also really embrace this notion that there’s a fundamental sort of sense of mystery that we all have in our lives, and certainly that is a huge part of the lives of these characters.”
“To sort of demystify that by trying to literally explain everything down to the last little sort of midi-chlorian of it all would be a mistake in our view,” he added. (In “Star Wars,” midi-chlorians were life forms existing inside all living things; that the “Lost” creators might explain the real-world implications of their fantasy world by referring to another fantasy world is perhaps part of the reason that the series has lost viewers.)
But Mr. Cuse remains optimistic: “I think there would be, hopefully, a kind of healthy cocktail of answers, mystery, good character resolutions and some surprises.”
As with the Harry Potter series, another fantasy that the creators often cite as inspiration, the end is likely to have more to do with character resolution than with the solving of mysteries like what exactly the island is. Does Kate, the sexy fugitive, for example, end up with Sawyer or Jack, the reluctant leader of the band of survivors? Is John Locke dead or alive? Will Hurley ever lose weight?
If the creators are not saying, they do promise one other thing. While the ending of the series will almost certainly provoke some debate, it will not be of the type created by, say, the black screen that ended “The Sopranos” or the “It was all a dream” or “It all took place in someone’s imagination” endings of “Newhart” or “St. Elsewhere.” And like David Chase, the “Sopranos” creator, they do not plan to answer questions after the finale.
“We feel like over the course of the entire season we’re going to be answering questions and explaining things,” Mr. Cuse said. “We’re really going to focus on making sure the resolution of these characters comes to a place that we as writers feel satisfying. And that’s kind of the best approach we can take to make the show end well.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/arts/television/31lost.html
Friday, January 1, 2010
Josh Holloway - TV Guide Magazine Interview
Posted by DarkUFO at 12/28/2009 01:00:00 PM
He’s been shot, repeatedly beaten to bloody hell, circled by a hungry shark, chased by a Smoke Monster, electrocuted and locked in a polar-bear cage with only decades-old fish biscuits for sustenance. But James “Sawyer” Ford’s greatest adversary has long been Josh Holloway, who decreed early on that his wily hillbilly deserved to die as karmic penance for years spent conning the innocent.
But with just four months left of filming on the final season of Lost, the 40-year-old actor has had a change of heart. He’s lobbying for a stay of execution. “After six years, I love this character—he’s a living, breathing part of me,” says Holloway. “And I think he deserves a second chance to rectify some things he’s done. It would be a shame if he were not given that opportunity. I’d feel cheated.”
This newfound compassion sprang to life sometime between the shooting of last season’s explosive finale, in which Sawyer failed to save his sweetheart, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), and the first few episodes of the coming season, which finds Sawyer wrestling with deep guilt.
Still, whatever fate the island gods (aka exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) bestow on Sawyer, come May 2010, Holloway will be ready to slip out of those soiled denims, cut off that long hair and move back to Los Angeles to pursue film roles. “By then, Sawyer’s story will have been told,” says Holloway. “My journey has been full.”
Strolling past a beach not far from his home in Oahu, Holloway says he’s not alone in his feelings of satisfaction and gratitude. With the groundbreaking series’ end nearing, he’s noticed the cast rediscovering a profound appreciation for the show and one another. “It’s just been a pleasure on set this year,” he says. “When we see each other, there’s this joy that’s lovely.”
“It feels like high school’s going to end, and we’re getting wistful,” agrees costar Terry O’Quinn (Locke). “There’s a sweetness to these days.”
“Everyone has a sense of last moments,” echoes Michael Emerson (Ben). “Maybe this will be the last scene we shoot at this old location…or maybe this is the last time I’ll talk to this particular character.”
But it hasn’t always been like this. Holloway concedes that as the seasons wore on, dips in camaraderie could be seen as actors buried their heads in both iPhones and feature-film scripts. Now there’s “silly conversations” with Emerson, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) and Ken Leung (Miles), impromptu jazz sessions with O’Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) and Naveen Andrews (Sayid). And Yunjin Kim (Sun) says she, Jeff Fahey (Lapidus) and Leung have even taken Pilates classes together, “as an excuse to hang out off set.”
“There is an energy here now that is reminiscent of the first year, which was so magical,” says Holloway.
Back then, Holloway never could’ve envisioned the bizarre turns the trippy series would take, including time travel, conversations with the undead and the discovery of an ominous giant four-toed statue. Yet he acknowledges the roller-coaster plot brought out some of Sawyer’s finest moments. His favorite: when Sawyer and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) were imprisoned face-to-face in the Others’ cages in Season 3. His least: Sawyer’s recurring con of sleeping with women, taking their cash and skipping town. “It didn’t feel real, and I always felt stupid doing it,” he says.
More recently, he objected to his character’s content life with Juliet, which turned Sawyer into somewhat of a softie. “I rejected it when I first got the scripts. I was like, ‘C’mon, he’s a nice guy now? Head of security? What bulls--t.’ It was scary for me. I didn’t want to lose his edge.”
Holloway needn’t worry. Come February, he—and fans—can expect a reemergence of the sorely missed badass Sawyer. But not before tying up the Juliet story line. Mitchell, who’s moved on to star in V, recently returned to Hawaii to shoot some top-secret scenes.
“It was pretty poignant and important to the setup of things people will discover later on,” says Holloway. “We had this amazing experience, and then she was gone again.”
Similar reunions were recently enjoyed with other long-gone costars. Ian Somerhalder (Boone), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Rebecca Mader (Charlotte) have all returned to film a few scenes. And Emilie de Ravin’s Claire will be back full-time this season.
But the reunion many fans are dying to see is Sawyer and Kate. In last season’s ender, the two shared a longing glance, witnessed by an intuitive (and heartbroken) Juliet, who realized there’s still major chemistry brewing. Still, in the aftermath of Juliet’s demise, Holloway says Sawyer’s agony makes it “not possible for him to be with Kate. Right now, he doesn’t give a f--- about life…or anyone in it. He’s destroyed inside. There’s an undeniable love for Kate, but everything inside of him is fighting not to go there.”
Holloway’s not even sure he could swallow a happily-ever-after conclusion for Sawyer and Kate, whom he describes as two lone wolves—passing ships in the night. “I think she would have a happier life with Jack,” he admits. “More so than with Sawyer.” Kim, whose Sun remains separated from husband Jin this season, disagrees: “I think Kate’s suited for Sawyer.”
At this point, Holloway can guarantee only one happy ending: his own. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to take this journey with this group of people and with this caliber of writing,” he says. “It’s priceless what it’s done for me as an artist and a human being. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Source: TV Guide Magazine
He’s been shot, repeatedly beaten to bloody hell, circled by a hungry shark, chased by a Smoke Monster, electrocuted and locked in a polar-bear cage with only decades-old fish biscuits for sustenance. But James “Sawyer” Ford’s greatest adversary has long been Josh Holloway, who decreed early on that his wily hillbilly deserved to die as karmic penance for years spent conning the innocent.
But with just four months left of filming on the final season of Lost, the 40-year-old actor has had a change of heart. He’s lobbying for a stay of execution. “After six years, I love this character—he’s a living, breathing part of me,” says Holloway. “And I think he deserves a second chance to rectify some things he’s done. It would be a shame if he were not given that opportunity. I’d feel cheated.”
This newfound compassion sprang to life sometime between the shooting of last season’s explosive finale, in which Sawyer failed to save his sweetheart, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), and the first few episodes of the coming season, which finds Sawyer wrestling with deep guilt.
Still, whatever fate the island gods (aka exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) bestow on Sawyer, come May 2010, Holloway will be ready to slip out of those soiled denims, cut off that long hair and move back to Los Angeles to pursue film roles. “By then, Sawyer’s story will have been told,” says Holloway. “My journey has been full.”
Strolling past a beach not far from his home in Oahu, Holloway says he’s not alone in his feelings of satisfaction and gratitude. With the groundbreaking series’ end nearing, he’s noticed the cast rediscovering a profound appreciation for the show and one another. “It’s just been a pleasure on set this year,” he says. “When we see each other, there’s this joy that’s lovely.”
“It feels like high school’s going to end, and we’re getting wistful,” agrees costar Terry O’Quinn (Locke). “There’s a sweetness to these days.”
“Everyone has a sense of last moments,” echoes Michael Emerson (Ben). “Maybe this will be the last scene we shoot at this old location…or maybe this is the last time I’ll talk to this particular character.”
But it hasn’t always been like this. Holloway concedes that as the seasons wore on, dips in camaraderie could be seen as actors buried their heads in both iPhones and feature-film scripts. Now there’s “silly conversations” with Emerson, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) and Ken Leung (Miles), impromptu jazz sessions with O’Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) and Naveen Andrews (Sayid). And Yunjin Kim (Sun) says she, Jeff Fahey (Lapidus) and Leung have even taken Pilates classes together, “as an excuse to hang out off set.”
“There is an energy here now that is reminiscent of the first year, which was so magical,” says Holloway.
Back then, Holloway never could’ve envisioned the bizarre turns the trippy series would take, including time travel, conversations with the undead and the discovery of an ominous giant four-toed statue. Yet he acknowledges the roller-coaster plot brought out some of Sawyer’s finest moments. His favorite: when Sawyer and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) were imprisoned face-to-face in the Others’ cages in Season 3. His least: Sawyer’s recurring con of sleeping with women, taking their cash and skipping town. “It didn’t feel real, and I always felt stupid doing it,” he says.
More recently, he objected to his character’s content life with Juliet, which turned Sawyer into somewhat of a softie. “I rejected it when I first got the scripts. I was like, ‘C’mon, he’s a nice guy now? Head of security? What bulls--t.’ It was scary for me. I didn’t want to lose his edge.”
Holloway needn’t worry. Come February, he—and fans—can expect a reemergence of the sorely missed badass Sawyer. But not before tying up the Juliet story line. Mitchell, who’s moved on to star in V, recently returned to Hawaii to shoot some top-secret scenes.
“It was pretty poignant and important to the setup of things people will discover later on,” says Holloway. “We had this amazing experience, and then she was gone again.”
Similar reunions were recently enjoyed with other long-gone costars. Ian Somerhalder (Boone), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Rebecca Mader (Charlotte) have all returned to film a few scenes. And Emilie de Ravin’s Claire will be back full-time this season.
But the reunion many fans are dying to see is Sawyer and Kate. In last season’s ender, the two shared a longing glance, witnessed by an intuitive (and heartbroken) Juliet, who realized there’s still major chemistry brewing. Still, in the aftermath of Juliet’s demise, Holloway says Sawyer’s agony makes it “not possible for him to be with Kate. Right now, he doesn’t give a f--- about life…or anyone in it. He’s destroyed inside. There’s an undeniable love for Kate, but everything inside of him is fighting not to go there.”
Holloway’s not even sure he could swallow a happily-ever-after conclusion for Sawyer and Kate, whom he describes as two lone wolves—passing ships in the night. “I think she would have a happier life with Jack,” he admits. “More so than with Sawyer.” Kim, whose Sun remains separated from husband Jin this season, disagrees: “I think Kate’s suited for Sawyer.”
At this point, Holloway can guarantee only one happy ending: his own. “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to take this journey with this group of people and with this caliber of writing,” he says. “It’s priceless what it’s done for me as an artist and a human being. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Source: TV Guide Magazine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)