spicedogs | Michael Emerson on a Podcast

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Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I'm not really working on anything, but "Lost." We're on hold in limbo waiting to see if we can go back to work or not.

Q) What is new this season with your character Ben on "Lost?"

A) As people may remember from the finale of last season, Ben is in sort of bad shape. He's been beaten up pretty badly and he's tied up with ropes, being dragged around the jungle basically. We're going to pick right up where we left off and that situation is going to go from bad to worse. Ben is in a situation which he hasn't been in before where he sort of has reduced resources now. He doesn't have any weapons or any warriors or henchmen. I'm afraid we're going to have to see how Ben survives on his wits alone. I think that's going to be the main thrust of his story in season four.

Q) Was there instant cast chemistry when you joined or did it take time to develop?

A) I think it takes time because "Lost" is so compartmentalized. There are whole bunches of cast members that I've never had a scene with. It's not like we're all together every day. I'm still waiting to have scenes with lots of the big characters on the show. You tend to get friendly with the people that you work with, for the most part. I had instantly good chemistry with I think everybody that I had scenes with, particularly Terry O'Quinn who is sort of my primary scene partner. I do get along famously with Elizabeth Mitchell, who plays Juliet. She and I have lots of scenes together and always have a good time.

Q) Where do you draw on for your portrayal of Ben?

A) I don't have a model for Ben in my mind or he's not based on any person that I know. As Ben Kingsley said, "I just try to learn the lines," and then somehow the lines sort of inform how it gets played. I think I instinctively knew that Ben was a sort of ambiguous character. He would work best if he were a bit of a mystery and if he were a man that had secrets that he did not give up easily. I've sort of stuck with that and it seems to have served me fairly well in the course of my work on the show.

Q) With the short season, do you think the viewers will be cut short based on the big picture or will they be satisfied?

A) We don't know how long this season is going to be, do we? We have eight episodes in the can, but I know that the network has every intention of finishing the season if they can if the strike is resolved fairly soon. If the strike is not resolved, I guess eight will have to be it for this season, but it's a pretty good eight. It tells a lot of story and there is a lot of intriguing development. It actually has a pretty good button on the end of it. If we had to walk away from it after eight episodes, it would be a darn good cliffhanger. I think it would be worth people hanging on and see what happens next season when we can finally get back to work.

Q) What has been your most memorable moment from filming "Lost?"

A) There are lots of really memorable moments. A scene that I will never forget is the scene I had with Sawyer (played by Josh Holloway) where we were standing on the edge of a cliff looking out at the sea at another island in the distance. It was a scene where we were quoting Steinbeck to each other. I'll never forget that day and the place where we shot it, which was so breathtakingly beautiful and also really dangerous to be standing on that edge of the cliff. It was about a hundred and fifty feet down to the crashing surf from where we were standing and the director said, "Michael, could you stand a little closer to the edge," and I said, "No, I don't think I can!"

Q) Is there a routine you go to in order to prepare yourself for the physical aspects of the show?

A) I don't know if you try to get in shape for the work or if the work keeps you in shape. It is a really physical show that, if nothing else, we do a lot of running around outdoors, chasing through the jungle. There are so many fights and things, as well. You never know how it is going to happen. You just sort of show up on the day and if there is a fight in the scene you just show up and know they are going to take it apart, piece by piece. You may have some lumps at the end of the day, but it probably won't kill you. You'll get the job done as easily and safely as you can.

Q) Why do you think people continue to tune in to see "Lost?"

A) I think because partly it is a really good show and is brilliantly filmed because there are no other shows that have as exotic a landscape as our's. Also, because I think the story has a universal appeal and it has it on many different levels. It is on the surface an action adventure. It operates on the level of fantasy. It has science fiction dimensions to it. It's allegorical and metaphorical. It has some serious meditations in it on the themes of trial and redemption, about making up the sins of your life. It's about whether there is a possibility of a clean slate or a fresh start in this life. I think it fires on so many cylinders that there is something for everyone and I think the way that it is arranged in this sort of huge puzzle with so many interesting questions and mysteries in it. I think it is really intriguing to a lot of people.

Q) What has been the highlight of your career?

A) There are a number of landmarks or signposts that stand out in your mind. You remember the first good review you got in New York. You remember the first time you were in a Broadway show. You remember when you received an Emmy award. All those sorts of things. Then, there are also private landmarks. You remember the first time you knew you solved the Shakespearean character. You remember the first time you got to work with someone that was an idol of your's. These are the things.

Q) What made you originally want to be an actor?

A) I'm not really sure. I think it is an outgrowth of reading so many books when I was a little boy. I think I was always interested in that fantasy world of stories, faraway places, interesting situations and exotic characters. To be an actor is a way to continue to live in make-believe world for all of your life if you play your cards right.

SOURCE: StarryConstallation