LOST clues & impact from the stars
“The End” is near for Lost, plus Desmond & Richard
“The End.” That’s the title of the final episode of Lost. But after six years of plot-twisting/mind-blowing shows that will be the subject of endless debates, will the mega-mystery truly be over on Sunday, May 23? Or, just like the original Star Trek series, will Lost take on a life of its own?
Lost could become immortal, just like Richard, one of the most intriguing characters on the ratings-grabbing ABC series. Nestor Carbonell, who plays Richard, and his castmate Henry Ian Cusick, who plays the equally fascinating Desmond, sat down for a chat about the show during the recent ABC press day at Disney headquarters in Burbank.
Although both Carbonell and Cusick remained quite ambiguous about the final hours and resolutions, they did (unwittingly) offer a few clues and opinions about the impact of the show.
When asked if the finale answers all the questions, Cusick deflected the probing query saying, “I don’t even know what all the questions are.”
But he was definitive about the idea of him turning into the new Jacob, protector of the island. “No, I’m not turning into Jacob,” Cusick laughs. “No, I don’t think that’s happening.”
But Cusick adds that Desmond has a strong purpose and he’s very clear about his objectives.
“I think what you’ve got so far is that, he’s certainly on a mission. He certainly knows exactly what he’s about. He’s certainly driven. He’s not talking to the rest of the group ‘what should we do?’ He’s not trying to figure stuff out. He knows exactly what he’s doing. And he has such a strong purpose and he’s very clear about his objectives.”
What has surprised Cusick most about the storytelling and his character? “I guess the ability to see that the future. You know those flashes, that was surprising but kinda cool at the time. For my character there’s always been that surprise factor. When I thought I was going in one direction, they would all of a sudden switch it. So I thought I was a doctor, then I was in the army, then I was monk.”
It made Cusick’s head spin sometimes. But he says, “Eventually you just go with the script. Say ‘I give up. I give it over to you.’ And I’ll just say the lines and go with it.”
Carbonell says the twists kept things interesting and challenging for him. That’s part of the magic of Lost.
“On no other show, certainly that I’ve done, do we get to play sides of these characters that we’ve gotten to play. I never thought that I would be immortal. And that sort of presented itself to me, I think in the third or fourth episode where I appeared.”
Carbonell says, “It’s been a treat for all of us. (Usually) you’re confined to a certain palette of colors on a TV show, because I think viewers want consistency. They want to be able to tune in and say ‘I know that character and this is what he or she would do. And this show challenged that and stretched every facet, certainly with character development. I found myself speaking Spanish in my back story, a hundred and so years ago.” So Carbonell says he was delighted to find himself immortal. And Cusick found himself with different backgrounds and different powers, going back and forth into the future. And the rest of the cast has had the chance to play many different facets of their characters.
How has the show had an impact on the actors? Carbonell explains, “I was a fan before I got on the show. My wife was a real die-hard fan, and she turned me on to it. I knew it was an incredible show creatively. So I was nervous when I first started.”
He says his fears were completely allayed as soon as he got to the set, and realized it was a great working environment. “Very relaxed in Hawaii,” he reveals.
But off the set, and back on the mainland, Carbonell says, “People started approaching you. And, you know, the fans are so die-hard and loyal and bright, and they want to know things. I started to see that even after my little stint initially. And this year it’s certainly been incredible.”
Regarding the finale, Carbonell says the show does an amazing job resolving the dynamics of the characters. But he admits he doesn’t know exactly how it all ends.
“They just don’t trust me. I have that face,” he laughs. “I could have gotten the script, obviously, but I said I wanted to see how it ends with the rest of America. I want to be surprised.”
As it has since the beginning, Lost is sure to surprise us with “The End.”
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