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spicedogs‘Lost’ returns with 8 episodes
by Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
1/27/08
In a season stuffed with small, stop-gap TV shows due to the Hollywood writers’ strike, a big one is finally returning.
“Lost” opens Thursday, with eight new episodes and endless possibilities.
Last season ended in heroics. Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) drowned in the Looking Glass station after turning off a jamming signal so rescuers could contact the island.
And Hurley discovered an old vehicle on the island and used it to plow over a gunman and save his friends.
And now? “There’s not a parade for him or anything,” says Jorge Garcia, who plays him. “But it does start right up where it left off. ... A lot of it is about: ‘Who are these new people? Are they really here to rescue us?’”
Don’t count on it. The plan has been for “Lost” to wrap up its run with three 16-episode seasons. This year – trimmed in half by the writers’ strike – is just the start. Then what about the rescuers? “In typical ‘Lost’ fashion they are not what they seem to be,” Garcia says.
No one ever is. At first, even the actors don’t know what their characters are up to.
“At first, we’ll play it up and we’ll play it down,” says actor Michael Emerson. “Then we’ll start to see which one they choose in the editing.”
Still, Emerson says he was able to quickly hone in on his character, the enigmatic Ben. “I knew it was going to be one of those really good characters. I instinctively knew how to play him.”
Ben was the leader of “The Others,” who seemed to be manipulating those who had crash-landed on the island. Now Ben is warning about the rescuers who showed up in the last new episode viewers saw last May. Few people believe him, however. Now things are in flux.
“No one has a home anymore,” Emerson says.
“Everything is changing.”
And that seems to be the show’s natural state. Garcia was there from the start and has been told that he was the first person cast. Back then things were just being figured out. “The first idea they had was that Hurley was a repo man,” he says.
Then came hints of a larger fate – and of a link to a specific set of numbers. Those turned out to be numbers that he chose when he won a lottery for millions; they also were crucial to an island computer.
All of that was in his backstory. More important is the way he’s evolved on the island.
“Every year, Hurley has taken a lot more ownership of the situation,” Garcia says. “At first, he was just the guy who passed out the food. He was not trying to be a hero.”
For Garcia, 34, this has been a life-changing experience. A massive guy who was a high school wrestler in Nebraska, he’s become an instantly recognized star. Unlike his colleagues, he has a tough time being anonymous in Hawaii, where the show is filmed. “It’s kind of hard to hide me,” he says.
And for Emerson, 53, it’s been his third classic villain or semi-villain role. “For a country guy like myself, it has been a bit dizzying,” he says.
Emerson grew up in the central Iowa town of Toledo, which then had a population of 2,200. He acted in high school then went on to Drake University, New York City and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
He worked as an illustrator in New York before his acting career took off. Emerson has been on Broadway in “Hedda Gabler” and “The Iceman Cometh”; he married actress Carrie Preston and landed key TV roles.
One was as William Hinks, the serial killer in “The Practice.” Emerson won an Emmy in 1997. Another was as the villainous Zep Hindle in “Saw.”
Then came Ben, joining a show that was already successful. It seemed like a perpetual hit – except for the decision to give it a definite end date.
“The businessman in you says, ‘I wish it could go on forever,’” Emerson says. “As an artist, I think, ‘What a really cool, bold thing to do.’”
Now he and Preston split their time between homes in Hawaii and New York City. Some actors, including Garcia, have made Hawaii their main home.
That’s where all the filming is done, even for the flashback scenes set in other parts of the world.
“It’s a little weird, because you’re clean for those scenes,” Garcia says. “You get to work with some new people.”
Some actors – including Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly – have also been in “flash-forward” scenes, showing the characters after getting off the island. Garcia won’t say if he’s done any of those.
Specifics are scarce: Garcia says the fourth episode of this season has interesting moments for Hurley. Emerson says the sixth has key scenes for Ben. ABC says Michael (Harold Perrineau) will be back.
Mostly, though, “Lost” fans will have to wait and guess. They’ve done that for three seasons; now it will be three and- a-fraction.
SOURCE:TulsaWorld.com
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| ABC/Art Streiber Michael Emerson |
Gannett News Service
1/27/08
In a season stuffed with small, stop-gap TV shows due to the Hollywood writers’ strike, a big one is finally returning.
“Lost” opens Thursday, with eight new episodes and endless possibilities.
Last season ended in heroics. Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) drowned in the Looking Glass station after turning off a jamming signal so rescuers could contact the island.
And Hurley discovered an old vehicle on the island and used it to plow over a gunman and save his friends.
And now? “There’s not a parade for him or anything,” says Jorge Garcia, who plays him. “But it does start right up where it left off. ... A lot of it is about: ‘Who are these new people? Are they really here to rescue us?’”
Don’t count on it. The plan has been for “Lost” to wrap up its run with three 16-episode seasons. This year – trimmed in half by the writers’ strike – is just the start. Then what about the rescuers? “In typical ‘Lost’ fashion they are not what they seem to be,” Garcia says.
No one ever is. At first, even the actors don’t know what their characters are up to.
“At first, we’ll play it up and we’ll play it down,” says actor Michael Emerson. “Then we’ll start to see which one they choose in the editing.”
Still, Emerson says he was able to quickly hone in on his character, the enigmatic Ben. “I knew it was going to be one of those really good characters. I instinctively knew how to play him.”
Ben was the leader of “The Others,” who seemed to be manipulating those who had crash-landed on the island. Now Ben is warning about the rescuers who showed up in the last new episode viewers saw last May. Few people believe him, however. Now things are in flux.
“No one has a home anymore,” Emerson says.
“Everything is changing.”
And that seems to be the show’s natural state. Garcia was there from the start and has been told that he was the first person cast. Back then things were just being figured out. “The first idea they had was that Hurley was a repo man,” he says.
Then came hints of a larger fate – and of a link to a specific set of numbers. Those turned out to be numbers that he chose when he won a lottery for millions; they also were crucial to an island computer.
All of that was in his backstory. More important is the way he’s evolved on the island.
“Every year, Hurley has taken a lot more ownership of the situation,” Garcia says. “At first, he was just the guy who passed out the food. He was not trying to be a hero.”
For Garcia, 34, this has been a life-changing experience. A massive guy who was a high school wrestler in Nebraska, he’s become an instantly recognized star. Unlike his colleagues, he has a tough time being anonymous in Hawaii, where the show is filmed. “It’s kind of hard to hide me,” he says.
And for Emerson, 53, it’s been his third classic villain or semi-villain role. “For a country guy like myself, it has been a bit dizzying,” he says.
Emerson grew up in the central Iowa town of Toledo, which then had a population of 2,200. He acted in high school then went on to Drake University, New York City and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
He worked as an illustrator in New York before his acting career took off. Emerson has been on Broadway in “Hedda Gabler” and “The Iceman Cometh”; he married actress Carrie Preston and landed key TV roles.
One was as William Hinks, the serial killer in “The Practice.” Emerson won an Emmy in 1997. Another was as the villainous Zep Hindle in “Saw.”
Then came Ben, joining a show that was already successful. It seemed like a perpetual hit – except for the decision to give it a definite end date.
“The businessman in you says, ‘I wish it could go on forever,’” Emerson says. “As an artist, I think, ‘What a really cool, bold thing to do.’”
Now he and Preston split their time between homes in Hawaii and New York City. Some actors, including Garcia, have made Hawaii their main home.
That’s where all the filming is done, even for the flashback scenes set in other parts of the world.
“It’s a little weird, because you’re clean for those scenes,” Garcia says. “You get to work with some new people.”
Some actors – including Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly – have also been in “flash-forward” scenes, showing the characters after getting off the island. Garcia won’t say if he’s done any of those.
Specifics are scarce: Garcia says the fourth episode of this season has interesting moments for Hurley. Emerson says the sixth has key scenes for Ben. ABC says Michael (Harold Perrineau) will be back.
Mostly, though, “Lost” fans will have to wait and guess. They’ve done that for three seasons; now it will be three and- a-fraction.
SOURCE:TulsaWorld.com
