'Lost' actor notes lack of screen time
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
"It's nice to be able to work," says Naveen Andrews.
It's the sort of humble statement successful actors use when the work is stable and plentiful. And with his high-profile role as Sayid on "Lost," and parts in two films currently in production, Andrews is at no loss for work.
But Andrews was making a specific reference - to his recent work on an episode of "Lost" that centers on Sayid - and the implication was anything but benign.
Caught at the Honolulu Marathon Expo last week, Andrews said he and other cast members have been dismayed at the sporadic work they've been given this season, a product of the show's fragmented storylines. Andrews' screen time in particular has been noticeably diminished in the six episodes broadcast so far.
"It certainly becomes a drain," Andrews said. "It has upset a lot of cast members. If this is the way it's going to be, I don't know if the viewers - or us - can sustain it.
"I honestly feel that if the audience isn't given more than extraneous clues, we're going to dip somehow," he said. "The first season was truly unusual, but now we're becoming just another show."
Part of the problem, Andrews said, is that ABC has had "more input" this season.
Rumors have been swirling since the off-season that Andrews would be written off the show this year. Asked if this season might really be his last, Andrews shrugged and said, "not as far as I know."
He described his upcoming episode as "unusual" and "really intense."
Andrews, who has used his summers to continue his film career, has two movies scheduled for release next year: "The Brave One," a revenge thriller starring Jodie Foster, and "Grindhouse," a B-movie homage combining two features - one written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, and the other by Quentin Tarantino. Andrews will appear in the Rodriguez segment, called "Planet Terror."
More 'Lost' news
ADVERTISEMENT
