In Britain, Season 5 of LOST will be released on October 26, 2009, which spurned on this interview with MIchael Emerson—ESBaker

Season Five of US drama series Lost crashes onto Blu-ray and DVD on 26th October 2009, as the stranded survivors of the Oceanic Airlines 815 crash continue their frantic bid to escape the island…and their demons.

In a groundbreaking narrative which jumps erratically through time, Lost: Season Five inches towards resolution, following two parallel storylines focused both on and off the island; on the island, the remaining survivors end up stuck in a period of time after being stranded with the Dharma Initiative in 1977. The other story continues the original timeline, following the Oceanic Six’s return on Ajira Airways Flight 316 in 2007.

Michael Emerson plays the sinister Ben Linus…

What do you think of Ben Linus?

I think Ben is a complicated character. He’s capable of murder and all kinds of seemingly heinous behavior, but we’re not quite sure what his larger game is. What are the stakes? What is he playing for? What is the prize? And who benefits from the prize? Who might he be saving or protecting? I think the jury is still out and I’m happy about that. Maybe at the end of the show we might never know whether he’s the good guy or the bad guy. It would be fine with me if the ending was completely ambiguous in that regard.

What reaction do you get when people meet you on the street?

People seem thrilled. They seem very exited about Lost and they greet me as an ally in this exciting journey of the show. They are excited that I have been able to challenge them or confuse them and thwart their expectations. Occasionally people are a little bit worried or nervous – and I notice that people tend to be physically formal with me. People don’t hug me. They keep their distance and they reach out to shake my hand. They keep their eye on me because they’re not quite sure what my next move might be.

Do people get worried if you are on the same plane as them?

I wondered about that yesterday when I was on a flight to Los Angeles. Lost is not a show that will help anyone feel comfortable about air travel, but then it is a show about magic and people should take comfort in the notion that the plane crashes on Lost are not accidents.

Do you have a favorite episode?

I have favorite moments. I like the sweaty, confined, dangerous scenes where two people are playing a battle of wills and waiting to see who wins. I love that kind of thing. I have a couple of those scenes every season and they’re always interesting to film.

Why does Ben Linus get beaten up so much?

I think he might be the most beaten-up character in the history of television. If that’s the case, you have to think that it can’t be accidental. I think Ben Linus enjoys his beatings on some level.

How is he so resilient?

Because the beatings are strategically useful. Ben takes a beating, but in the course of the beating, he gets information that he would otherwise not find out. He always wins the intelligence game.

How physically demanding is your work on Lost?

Every day on set is physically demanding because of repetition. Even if you’re just sitting in a chair and playing a scene, you are holding poses and you’ve got tension to deal with. The action days with the running, fighting, tackling and shooting are really challenging. I’m not getting any younger and you feel beat up at the end of the day no matter how careful you are. During the 20 takes of a tackle or a fall, you are inevitably going to get bumped. You turn your ankle, you stub your toe, you bruise your ribs and you hit your head on a tree trunk. It’s nothing major. It comes with the territory.

How did you become involved with the show?

The producers found me. I’m not sure how exactly, although I think they saw my reel. I played a might-be serial killer called William Hinks on The Practice and it was well received – and it made people nervous. I think the producers of Lost saw that and they liked the ambiguous nature of the character. It was someone you weren’t quite certain about, someone whose exterior belied their interior. Those were the qualities they were looking for and they thought I was right for this part. At that point, I wasn’t particularly nervous about the job because I had no idea it would turn into years of my working life.

When did you find out you were going to be a series regular?

I found out very gradually. I began to get an idea that something was up because they would never let me go home. I would wrap on the third episode and they’d say, “Actually, you can’t go yet. There’s something for you in the next episode.” And after the next episode, they’d pull me aside and say, “There’s something for you in the next episode.” I remember shooting a scene in the hatch where Sayid was torturing me and demanding answers when I started talking to him about my leader, who was a fearful man and could not be crossed. He would kill me if I told Sayid anything.

The director walked over to me between two takes and said, “Listen. This leader that you answer to is the scariest guy in the world. He’s really scary.” And I said, “Well, okay. I can play that, but what if the leader was me?” And he looked at me and he said, “I can’t talk about that.” That’s when I thought, ‘Oh, here we go. I see what’s going on. They’re going to need me around for a little longer.’

Do you discuss your character’s storylines with the producers?

No, not really.

Aren’t you curious to know more about your character?

All in good time. It will come. I trust the writers and the producers. They’re clever fellows.

Is it difficult to play Ben without knowing your end plan?

No. I thought it would be at first because I come from a theater background and this is very different. When you work in the theater, you spend a lot of time creating a back-story to your character. You find out motives and interior monologues. It’s a relief to just show up and play the scenes in the moment on the day.

Do you know what happens at the very end of Lost?

No. The producers and the writers have a master outline, but I don’t know what happens.

Would you like to know the outcome or do you prefer to be kept in the dark?

I’m happy to be in the dark. I prefer it that way so that I am not responsible for big secrets.

How would you like to see it end?

Well, I can’t say specifically what the end might be – but I want it to spectacular. I want it be the kind of ending where everybody goes, “Oh my God… It was right there before my very eyes for six years and I never realized.”

SOURCE:  Last Broadcast