Lost in Hawaii - Season Two
Introduction
On September 5th, 2006, the 2nd season of one of television's biggest phenomena arrives on DVD, titled "Lost - The Complete Second Season - The Extended Experience". Since the show's electric premiere episode in 2004, Lost has not only become a hit with mainstream television viewers and critics -- taking home 6 Emmys from 12 nominations in 2005 -- but its elaborate mythology has led to an incredibly devoted online fan base and has spawned numerous ancillary avenues for continued entertainment, not the least of which is the "Lost Experience", an official online game to keep the fans busy while the show is off the air.
With a network of tie-in websites, streaming episodes available for download, podcasts from the cast and producers, and the upcoming "Lost Video Diaries" for mobile phones, Buena Vista Home Entertainment has been at the forefront of the new era of television marketing, so it was entirely fitting when they held an award-winning celebration for the 1st season DVD release [report] in 2005 (yes, they have awards for this: Best Press Event Consumer/Mass Media, to be exact). One year later, in preparation for the upcoming 2nd season DVD release [review], Buena Vista threw another party on the North Shore of Oahu, this time a more subdued and intimate event at the beautiful Ola restaurant on the sands of Kuilima Cove. DVD Talk was there to speak with the cast and crew about the latest season and what the future might hold in the upcoming Season Three.
N.B.: Nearly all of these interviews directly or indirectly reference plot points from Lost's first and second seasons, and considering the manner in which this show is structured, it would be nearly impossible to present these interviews in a way that did not reveal their secrets. You have been warned. Also note that due to the fast-paced nature of these red carpet events, I have teamed up with other interviewers to provide you with as much material as possible.
Michael Emerson
First up was Michael Emerson, introduced to the cast in the latter episodes of the 2nd season as the ominous "Henry Gale". Thoughtful and engaging, he looked us in the eyes when he spoke and really made an effort to put some contemplation behind his responses. He was the perfect way to start the event.
Interviewer: So, do you think Henry Gale has a place to be redeemed this season?
Emerson: Oh, yes. You mean, "Will he rise in the sympathy system of the viewership?" Yes, I think he will.
Interviewer: How so?
Emerson: I think not by changing his fundamental character, but by us perceiving him afresh by virtue of context or new circumstances. I think the more we see of what his day-to-day problems are, what his agenda is, the better we will like him. I'm not saying we'll really, really like him.
Interviewer: It seems like everybody on the show is guilty of something. What do you think Henry Gale is guilty of?
Emerson: I don't know. Hubris? Arrogance? Over-education? I don't know what it could be (laughs).
Interviewer: Prior to this you were known for being in Saw. What draws you to these "creepy" characters?
Emerson: A better question might be, "What is it about those characters that appeals to audiences?", or an even better question is, "Why do audiences perceive them as creepy?" Let's say I got to the studio one day and I play it in neutral -- I don't make any judgment about the character or the material or anything. And then when it comes out and it's all chopped together and there's music and stuff, people go "my God, that's scary!" But I don't know what the scary element is. I don't know if it's something in me. I don't know if it's in the playing of it or the perceiving of it. It's an interesting issue, though.
Interviewer: Now that we know who you are, how much did you know when you first came in, and how much did you adjust your performance to sort of play to the ambiguity of the role?
Emerson: I had no idea who he was or where they were going with it, nor did we take any story meetings or anything like that. It was just show up on the set and say these words, and I was sort of winging it, but I think maybe they were evolving an idea of the character as well. So they watched how I solved little problems and they thought, "ah, maybe that's alright." So maybe we've all grown into the role a little bit or found a direction for it by -- I don't know -- accident partly. But no, there was never much discussion about the story or the arc or anything like that. It's really interesting.
Interviewer: Did that absence of direction make it harder or easier to create the character?
Emerson: I was sort of relieved. It sort of lets me just play around with the thing. I get to just come in and act instinctively a little bit, which is a dangerous thing, probably. I wouldn't want to overdo it on the instincts. But it has all gone alright so far, which is not to say that every part you ever get works out very smoothly, because sometimes even the smallest parts are like pushing a big rock up a steep hill -- none of it seems to be right. But this one has always felt good, I have to say.
Interviewer: How familiar were you with Lost before you joined the cast?
Emerson: It was on every Wednesday in our home because my wife is a Lostaholic, but I would watch most of them. I would be doing housework and stuff, passing through the living room, so I was pretty well caught up on it, but once I got the job then of course I had to cram a little bit.
Interviewer: Who would you say is your favorite character, or perhaps your wife's favorite character?
Emerson: I know my wife likes Locke, but she likes Sayid too. I don't know. There's so many likeable characters to choose from. You've got to love Locke, though; he's a sturdy fellow and you feel sympathy with him. You feel like you're in good hands.
Jorge Garcia
Photo courtesy of BVHE
Jorge Garcia (Hugo "Hurley" Reyes) quickly followed, carrying a big smile on his face and an enthusiasm for his part in the show.
Interviewer: It seems like Hurley has evolved over the course of the first two seasons -- his fears have changed. What do you think he is fearful of now?
Garcia: Making it back to camp, right now, I think is probably his biggest fear.
Interviewer: Does he?
Garcia: It looks like he's going to make it. I had an executive producer assure me of that. He says the good thing about being on an island is that as long as the water is on one side and the mountains are on the other, eventually you will make it back.
Interviewer: It seems like a lot of the show is saints versus sinners. Where do you think Hurley lies in that spectrum?
Garcia: I'm going to go with "mostly good". But no one's completely good, so I'm just going to say "mostly good".
Interviewer: And if you won all of that money in a lottery, what would you buy?
Garcia: Hmm. A house.
Interviewer: In Hawaii?
Garcia: For sure.
Interviewer: In comparison to Season One, how would you characterize or differentiate your experience working on Season Two?
Garcia: Well, there's something cool about an being an actor when you're a regular as opposed to being a guest star, for example, because you can settle in and kind of enjoy and play at what you do. Because when you're a guest star, you're essentially auditioning every day at work, and coming into Season Two was fun going through the first week of being rusty like after you've had the summer off and have just been kind of messing around and stuff. So the first line you flub and getting into all of that stuff is the cool thing, and also enjoying the whole idea that this is now the longest acting gig that I've ever had and that here I am at Season Three of a TV show. Just crossing that threshold, it's a great accomplishment.
Interviewer: How does it feel to have an action figure?
Garcia: Fantastic! I mean, I saw the prototype at Comic-Con, held it, touched it, and now I'm anxious to see it in the plastic and the package and that whole thing. I mean, I'm going to buy a lot. I mean, they'll send me some but I'll probably buy a lot more and just give them to everybody for Christmas.
Interviewer: Last year a lot of time was spent introducing the characters. How much input or influence do you feel like you've had developing the character with the writers during Season Two?
Garcia: Well, a lot, but it's kind of an indirect way. It's kind of what I do with the scripts that are sent to me, and then that will inspire them to write. You know, after "Dave" [Season 2, Episode 18], I got some calls from ex-producers and they loved it and said, "It was great, and the emotional stuff was great, and we have a lot more suffering for you coming up" and sort of things like that. That's kind of the feedback they tend to give me.
Interviewer: Who's your favorite character on the show?
Garcia: Probably Sawyer. As far as memorable lines, it's probably neck-and-neck between Hurley and Sawyer.
