'Lost' takes fans behind the scenes
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer
At yesterday's panel discussion on "Lost," nobody was giving away any of the popular TV show's upcoming secrets.
Still, more than 300 fans who showed up for the event at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 theaters went home pleased, happy to have seen and heard three of their favorite stars in person and learn many behind-the-scene tidbits about the show's production.
For instance, Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley, can't believe anyone thinks he's the same guy in those local KFC commercials. The Shakespearean-trained Michael Emerson, who was Henry Gale but now is Ben Limus, thinks the best villains are often very likeable, like his own character. Henry Ian Cusick, the Scottish-Peruvian actor who portrays Desmond, now thinks of Hawai'i as home.
And that snowy flashback scene of Pittsburgh on the show recently? It was really shot near Honolulu Harbor using tons of ice trucked in from a refrigeration company in the area, said producer Jean Higgins.
"It was a great chance to get a little insight into the personality of the actors, to see and listen to them in person," said Debra Watson, from Knoxville, Tenn., who flew to Hawai'i last week to see the season premiere and stayed around for yesterday's panel discussion, part of the ongoing Hawaii International Film Festival.
Pete Schiavone, visiting from Ruidoso, N.M., brought six members of his family in from their North Shore condo after learning about the seminar in a HIFF brochure they picked up at Times Supermarket.
"We're all Losties," he said.
For more than 2 1/2 hours, Higgins and the three actors graciously answered questions from a seminar moderator and the crowd. Then they all stuck around to shake hands, sign autographs and have their pictures taken with everyone who asked.
"They're all very humble and down to earth," said Ingrid Sabas, a fan from Waikiki. "It was nice to see they all have a sense of humor, too."
The panel participants shared their thoughts on acting, the changing nature of television, the challenges of filming in Hawai'i ("When we were filming the pilot at night, every single bug in the jungle came flying out and found my hair," Garcia said), the joy of having their own action figures, even the mysterious nature of the fictional island where they are all marooned. There was only one question they wouldn't touch: What's going to happen next?
"All I can say is: Stay tuned," Higgins said. Besides, they probably couldn't say if they wanted to, she added, since she and the cast usually get the scripts for the next show just a few days before filming begins.
Higgins wouldn't rule out the possibility that there might be a "Lost" movie someday. "Our vision for the show is really oversized," she said.
The stars especially seemed to relish an audience question about how the show's island affects their own characters and acting.
"There are a lot of stories about the island itself that haven't been told yet," Garcia said.
That's why, Higgins added, the show's producers have never let viewers see the full extent of the island. "We remind ourselves now and then that this show is still foremost about survival, and we can't let any of the characters get too comfortable. There's still a lot of danger lurking out there."
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