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by Scott Juba Published: March 14, 2005
Harold Perrineau has a knack for selecting complex roles and pulling them off with ease. Besides playing a number of diverse theatre roles, Perrineau portrayed a wheel chair bound man on “Oz” and has made guest appearances on “Law and Order: SVU”, “ER”, and “The Cosby Show”. He currently stars on “Lost” as Michael, a father trying to reconnect with his son, Walt, after not being present during his son’s childhood years. “The beginning perception was that maybe Michael was not a great guy,” Perrineau says. “Then it turned into the perception that he is a good guy. In future episodes, I’d like to see a little more struggle with Walt, and maybe an exploration of the notion that Michael’s not as a good a guy as we thought he was, but then sometimes he is a better guy. I’d just like to play around with the character a little bit.”From the beginning, “Lost’s” creators envisioned Perrineau in the role of Michael, but as Perrineau explains, a scheduling conflict almost kept him from accepting the part. “I know that J.J. Abrams and the creators of the show said that they were thinking about me for the role, and that’s what my agent told me. Originally I wasn’t available, because I was doing a play. I know all these other guys in Los Angeles wanted to go in and audition for the part. Then they changed the dates, so I was able to go in and audition. Once I got the role the creators were like, ‘Great. Now that we know you’re doing it, we know where we want to go with the character’. So that’s how it worked out.” A native of Brooklyn, New York, Perrineau found re-locating his family to Hawaii for the filming of “Lost” to be a jarring transition. “In New York, living is hard,” he remarks. “You’re always hustling, moving, going, doing this or doing that. But I’m accustomed to it. I’m from there. I know how to get things done. In Hawaii, things are really laid back. Sometimes it’s really frustrating getting things done or finding what I want. Sometimes I’m still on my New York time, so I look pushy [laughs]. There were a lot of nights in the beginning when my wife, my daughter, and me were all in the house walking in circles asking, ‘What are we doing here? There is nothing to do!’ [laughs]. So the transition’s been a little weird, but it’s cool. It’s an adventure.” Hopefully Perrineau and his family will continue to grow fond of Hawaii, because according to Perrineau, “Lost” may continue for as many as six to eight seasons. “When the show first got picked up, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof said that they knew where they wanted Lost to go for six years. We were all like, ‘Really?’. They said, ‘We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but we have the beginning and the end set for six years’. Then after the first couple of episodes they said, ‘We have the beginning and end for eight years’. So they’re certainly on a roll.” Although the writers of “Lost” know where the series is headed, they remain tight lipped about the direction of the plot lines. As Perrineau tells me, the cast members know little more than the television audience does. “We’re doing a thing now,” he says, “as I watch it unfold, I’m like, ‘Where is this going?’. I literally don’t understand where this is going at all [laughs]. Now I’ve gotten use to not even asking and just waiting for the script. I’m just as surprised as the audience.” Originally, Perrineau expected the writers to further explore the attraction between Michael and Sun. Now he’s unsure if that plot angle will be expanded. “It seems to have taken a little respite,” he comments. “There’s not too much going on with it now. Originally when I was talking to the writers they said that they would definitely explore it further. Now they’re not saying anything. I’m like, ‘What’s up with Sun?’. All I hear back is silence [laughs].” On “Lost”, as time passes, all of the castaways are slowly melding into one big family. In real life, the cast members have formed a similar bond. Every week they gather together to watch the show at the home of the person who is featured in that week’s episode. Perrineau tells me Matthew Fox (who he affectionately refers to as “Foxy”) started the tradition. “When we first got to Hawaii we were all scrambling for a place to live,” Perrineau explains. “Matt Fox and his wife had found a really nice house. I think Foxy said, ‘Hey, let’s all come to my house and check out the show. It’s my episode’. Then we said, ‘We should do this for everybody’s episode.’ I’m not sure, but I think it started like that.” Perrineau also credits Matthew Fox with being the cast member who is least like his character. “I think the thing that makes him really appealing is that they have all the hero stuff with him,” he says. “He’s handsome, he’s tall, he’s running around saving people’s lives. But Matt Fox, himself, is just a really interesting guy. He’s got a lot of stuff in his background, and you can see it behind his eyes, that has nothing to do with any of that stuff. When you talk to him, you’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect that at all.’ So I’d say he’s least like his character.” Perrineau goes on to say that Terry O’Quinn and Jorge Garcia are most like their characters. “Jorge’s a really funny guy,” Perrineau remarks with a laugh. “Like Hurly, at those right moments he will say something that will crack you up.” He adds, “Terry O’Quinn is like Locke, because he is a mysterious, fascinating guy. He lives up on the north shore in this house in the woods. You’ll see him, and he’s always walking around like Locke does.” As Perrineau speaks about his time on “Lost” and the friendship he’s made on the set, it’s evident that he is currently working in an environment that allows his artistic creativity to flourish. A smart, funny, and personable individual, Perrineau seems to have found a home on “Lost”. Photos Copyright 2004 ABC, INC, REISIG & TAYLOR Links Lost Official Site Sirlinksalot Lost-Media.com Lost-TV.com Looking Lost.net |
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