You may have heard by now that the producers of Lost sorta kinda like to guard the show’s secrets.
But what you might not know is that gaining access to the show’s set in Hawaii is about as easy as, say, giving birth while doing the hokeypokey. On one foot. On a flying trapeze.
It’s the sort of thing that seems impossible—and you certainly don’t personally know anyone who’s done it, right?
Well, my friends, now you do. (And thankfully, I am not talking about the hokeypokey.)
After a two-and-a-half-year "media credential request" process (which started out somewhat civil and escalated into me on my knees, whining, "If you don’t let me on set I’ll dieee!") the powers that be on Lost took pity—or ran out of ear plugs—and invited me to go where very few reporters have gone before: behind the scenes of Lost, right in the smack of Lost beach, to watch how the show is created and interview the cast—all 13 of whom just so happened to be working while I was there.
Somebody pinch me. (And please let it be Josh Holloway.)
In the video clip at the top of this item, you can see a "Spoiler Smash" of the scoop I gathered on set (we also put the video transcript for this one in the message boards). And because we got so much footage from this visit, as an extra bonus, we will bring you two new video clips each Wednesday for the next three weeks, with intimate, up close and personal interviews with your Lost faves (Josh, Evie and Terry, just to name a few).
From these clips, you should be able to pick up on the vibe at Lost HQ. But just in case, I want to share with you...
Three things you must know about what it’s like to be on the set of Lost:
1. Their Jobs Do Not Suck: Now, this isn’t to say that the Losties don’t work long and often physically demanding hours (oh, how they do—and we should be so grateful to them for it!), but the Lost set is without a doubt the most peaceful setting you could possibly imagine. For starters, it’s located on the north shore of Oahu on a gorgeous (you’ve seen it) beach that has only one tiny dirt road into it—and your name must be on the list to gain access. Once you’ve passed the velvet rope (this one’s made of jungle vine), you go down a windy trail that leads to the actors’ trailers and then down to the beach, to the main Lost set—which has Eko’s church and the graves on one side, and on the other, the Lostaways’ main camp.
When you walk into the main camp, you honestly feel as though you have crawled inside your TV set and arrived on Lost island. In fact, I actually thought I’d walked into a shot and ruined some kind of panoramic scene, because everywhere I looked, the Losties were just hanging out together and being Losties…Jorge Garcia (Hurley) and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) were deep into a game of Scrabble. Evangeline Lilly (Kate) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) were giggling and girl-talking in the corner. And Josh was flipping his signature Sawyer hair while ponying up to the fruit juice bar next to Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin). Just a regular day on set, waiting for the cameras to roll. They all bust ass, learn their lines, shoot their scenes, and when they stop, the cast will either hang out together and eat a meal, take a nap in one of the tents or hit the beach to go surfing.
The only downside of a Lost set visit? You do not want to leave!
2. This Cast Does Not Suck: You know about their stellar acting abilites from watching the show, but I can also tell you that these are some of the most grounded, sincere and ridiculously fun actors you will ever meet. The kind of people who hang out in the chair after an interview is finished, just to ask how you’re doing. I mean, honestly. It’s almost too much goodness to endure!
And just as proof of what I’ve told you before—that Daniel Dae Kim just might be the nicest actor alive—let me point out that one cameraman told me, "They’re all amazingly cool here. And you know who always goes out of his way to say hi to me and call me by name when I see him around town?" "Daniel Dae Kim," we said in unison.
3. These Last Five Episodes Will Blow You Away: Truth told, as a condition for gaining access to the set, I had to sign a very strict confidentiality agreement in pig’s blood (or maybe just give a verbal agreement) that I would not give away any of the major reveals that lie ahead. And holy crap, I had no idea how many reveals I would have to keep secret!
There are so many huge, show-altering (I’m not kidding) twists and turns in the works for the final episodes of the season, I’m going to have to superglue my bottom lip to my eyebrows to keep from blurting out all the goodness that Lost has in store. But in the meantime, along with what the cast tells you in the clip, here are the final scoopy bits I can leave you with:
- There will be a huge, Armageddon-ish battle between the Others and the Losties and it will not be the kind of thing you’d see in the 8 p.m. hour. Think savage. And think freakishly good.
- Another Other will get a flashback. And it just might be the best episode ever. So, will it be Ben? Michael Emerson coyly answered a question about such a prospect, saying, "I would look forward to a Ben flashback. I can't wait for such a thing to happen. I'm not sure when the audience is going to see that happen, but…When we do a Ben flashback, what would be the use of it if we didn't get to go back in time with Ben and see him? How exciting will that be? To see little Bens or different stages of Bens, maybe a whole mess of Bens! I can't wait for that." Neither can we fans!
- There will be at least one character death that comes as a complete and total shock to the fans.
- There will be at least two smoochfests between two different sets of characters before the season ends. Awww...yeah.
Feel free to discuss the latest reveals in the Comments section below (I know you'll want to talk about what Evie says about her "gentleman caller" in the video clip!), and make sure you tune into ABC each Wednesday at 10 p.m. for the final episodes of Lost, because trust me, there's so much big stuff happening, you'll be SOL at the watercooler the next day.
P.S.: A special thanks to Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and ABC for letting a dangerous little spoiler hound like me anywhere near Lost island. You didn't even sic the magical spiders on me, and that was just plain nice.