New interviews with HIC! TV Guide and People Magazine

HIC's in there,Lost 8 April 2010 | 0 Comments

We’re super thrilled for these! Thanks to Ian for doing them!!

Many thanks to Susan for posting the TV Guide interview…and to Natalie (any relation to JJ?) Abrams for snagging it!

Lost‘s Henry Ian Cusick: Desmond “Totally Driven by Love”

Apr 7, 2010 06:59 PM ET
by Natalie Abrams

Lost

All Desmond needs is love. That seems to be the takeaway message of Tuesday’s episode of Lost, which is cheekily titled “Happily Ever After,” in which Des, Charlie and Daniel all pined for women they barely knew. Our beloved Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) and Penny (Sonya Walger) do finally reunite — again — but that’s only the beginning. Cusick tells TVGuide.com who else he’ll be consulting, what Mrs. Hawking’s role is in the chaos, and the answer behind Lost — well, what he thinks it is anyway.

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TVGuide.com: How does it feel knowing that Desmond is the key to everything?
Cusick: Desmond certainly is a part, but is he the key? There’s not one character that is the key. There are many characters that will have to step up and do things before this is resolved. Desmond has a part to play, a significant part, but there are many others that will step up.

TVGuide.com: “Happily Ever After” was very similar to “The Constant.”
Cusick: It was an interesting episode. Compared to the other Desmond-centric episodes, it wasn’t so high-stakes and angsty, with Desmond running through the jungle and shouting for Penny. This was a bit slower, I thought. The Desmond in the sideways was very different from the Desmond on the island.

TVGuide.com: Would you say that Desmond is everyone’s constant?
Cusick: No, I don’t think that’s right. In the flash-sideways, the characters are all slightly different from the characters on the island. They’re all slightly hypnotized or haven’t seen the truth. Like Desmond, he’s slightly dead in this life. He’s just a hollow corporate guy until Charlie [Dominic Monaghan] comes along. Desmond also recognizes that everyone in that sideways world — there are clues when you look in the mirror — when they look at their reflections, they go, “Hang on, what is reality?” They’re aware something is not quite right, but they can’t put a finger on it. Desmond now knows he’s alive again and knows his purpose.

TVGuide.com: And now he wants to find everyone on Oceanic 815 to show them that truth.
Cusick: Yeah, at the end [of the episode], Desmond says “Where’s the manifest? I need to show them something and it’s going to be beautiful.” When they get to see this other world, that’s when their hearts will open and know what they have to do; they’ll know the truth.

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TVGuide.com: Based on what Desmond, Faraday (Jeremy Davies) and Charlie saw, their flashes seem to be based in love. Would you say that’s a strong theme of the series?
Cusick: Yes, you’re absolutely right in a sense that the driving force of Lost is love. Desmond is totally driven by love. What’s interesting is how they see this other world. Charlie and Desmond both had near-death experiences and they recognized their loves. It’s sort of spiritual, the thing they have to get to at the end of this, what Desmond has to do.

TVGuide.com: Since it appears that one has to almost die to see the alternate universe, does that mean everyone in the sideways universe has to die to fuse the two timelines?
Cusick: We don’t know which is the real universe at the moment. We don’t know which universe the show will end up in. Desmond is going to show them a glimpse of the other world and we’ll see how and if they collide, and what will happen when they do.

TVGuide.com: Desmond changed his fate in the sideways universe by meeting Penny. Does the fact that he suddenly then woke up mean their fates are determined by their upcoming choices?
Cusick: Desmond says to Charlie that there’s always a choice. He’s only out for a very short time when he’s given that electromagnetic charge, but when he comes back to the island, he is enlightened and knows exactly what his mission is. He embraces that and now knows what he has to do, so he follows Sayid [Naveen Andrews] because that is a way for him to further his mission. He’s not struggling with anyone; he knows what has to be done. It’s a very odd moment with Sayid, but this is the way for him to fulfill his mission.

TVGuide.com: Is Desmond claimed like Sayid and Claire (Emilie de Ravin) are?
Cusick: No, absolutely not. He’s not claimed at all. It’s the polar opposite. Sayid and Claire have been claimed by the Man in Black. Desmond, on the other hand, has had an epiphany. He’s enlightened. He has no fear of the Man in Black.

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TVGuide.com: Eloise (Fionnula Flanagan) seems like she knows what’s going on in the sideways universe and even tells Desmond that he’s not ready. How is it that she’s conscious of this?
Cusick: She is a law unto herself. She’s working on a different timeline. She always seems to know more than everyone else. She’s like the oracle. If I was a fan watching it, how she seems to know wouldn’t bother me just now, but hopefully these things will be addressed. She’s opposed to the idea of Desmond trying to bring everyone together. She’s trying to cover everyone’s eyes.

TVGuide.com: What’s the mission that Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) wants Des to complete?
Cusick: Widmore and Desmond are on the same mission. Basically, Widmore says if Desmond doesn’t survive the electromagnetic blast, we’re all going to die, so Desmond is there to help make sure that people don’t die, along with a lot of others. There will be more explosions

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Thanks to Wendy for posting the People interview…

Lost’s Desmond Talks Love, Fear and Moving Sideways

April 8, 2010

Call him what you will — The Package, electromagnetic superhero or, simply, Desmond — but Lost’s dashing romantic, played by Henry Ian Cusick, seems to be the key to unlocking some of the drama’s greatest mysteries. In Tuesday’s episode, he could glimpse images from his Island life while occupying the Sideways world, proving that there’s a vital connection between the two, one that will drive the series home to its final episode on May 23. PEOPLE checked in with Cusick on whether Desmond and true love Penny deserve a happily ever after, how he (accidentally!) gave co-star Michael Emerson a black eye, and why he hopes there’s life beyond Lost. – Shawna Malcom

It seems up to Desmond to open the eyes of the other Oceanic 815 passengers about the two worlds, the way Charlie [Dominic Monaghan] did for him.
Totally. I think anyone who doubted the Sideways, or thought they were just filler — now you fundamentally know that the Sideways world is so important to the outcome of the Island world. They say we’re driven by two emotions, love and fear, and Desmond is so driven now by love, which is the one we all want to be driven by. What’s interesting, as you’ll see later on this season, is that some people will do good things for love and some will do bad.

In the episode, Desmond starts off angry, and even violent, but by the end, he’s determined to stay and help his father-in-law, whom he previously couldn’t stand.
I actually had a little bit of a problem with that. I had to speak to [executive producers] Carlton [Cuse] and Damon [Lindelof] because I didn’t get it. They said, ‘Think enlightened.’ But I needed something else so they explained to me that Desmond, now having had a glimpse of the Sideways world, is crystal clear on what he has to do.

So why on earth is he going off with Sayid, who seems to be on the opposing team?
Because he’s not scared. He has no fear in him [anymore]. Nothing is going to disturb him from [his mission] from here on in.

Will Desmond and Penny get their happy ending?
There’s still a chance. But if he doesn’t end up with Penny, I’m cool with that. The fans will want some resolution but I’m just going with it.

When you first joined the show in 2005, did you think he’d become so important?
No. I signed up for three episodes! But he’s come a long way.

Why do you think he’s become such a fan favorite?
He’s a pretty average guy who’s been put in these incredible circumstances, and he just tries to do his best. I think audiences get that and relate to that.

You’re currently shooting the finale. What can you reveal about it?
I don’t think anyone has a complete script. Security is tight and [producers] are keeping the final chapter under wraps. The whole last act is missing! And you definitely need the missing pages because, even up to what I’ve read, it’s still not resolved.

Recently, there have been reports of actors being injured on set. Has filming really gotten that intense?
Michael’s black eye, I must confess, was because of me. We’d already shot [a scene] from many angles, and there was just a lack of concentration on my part and I caught him with my fist. Michael’s been very good–I don’t think he’s told many people that it was me who hit him, but I’ll come clean and say it was. I apologized profusely, and he said, “Don’t even go there. It was just an accident.” But I was like, “Oh my God!”

What has being a part of Lost meant to you?
It’s probably been one of the most important, fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had. Certainly the longest. It’s been a beautiful experience, not only getting to be on a show like this but living in Hawaii and being able to bring my family here. I have three boys [with wife Annie], and we’re still gonna live in Hawaii [after the show ends]. My children are very happy at school and there’s no reason to leave right now.

What would you like to do next?
It’s going to be hard because it has to be something that equals or tops Lost. We’ve been spoiled. I do wonder how this show will affect our careers. Will it help or hinder us? I hope I’m not known as ‘Desmond from Lost’ for the rest of my career. I’m looking forward to other challenges, even as I’m sad to leave this one behind.

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