Henry Ian Cusick interview from the WASHINGTON POST

"He's a survivor, and he just tries to do his best"









As Desmond, Henry Ian Cusick Finds His Way on 'Lost'

WASHINGTON POST
Sunday, April 13, 2008; Page M03


When actor Henry Ian Cusick first joined TV's "Lost," he expected to stay for three episodes. But his character, Desmond Hume -- who sometimes toggles through time and calls his fellow stranded islanders "brotha" with an endearing Scottish brogue -- struck a chord with viewers, and in 2005 the producers made him a regular.


With new episodes set to begin April 24, Cusick, 40, called from his home in Hawaii -- where "Lost" is shot and where he now lives with his wife, Annie, and their three sons -- to flash-forward into his character's future and reveal whether our Brotha Man might (no!) die.


-- interview by Jen Chaney


Viewers really respond to your character. What makes Desmond so likable?

He's a bit of an Everyman. He's not particularly special, and I think people can identify with that. He can't fix the helicopter, he can't fix computers, he's not a doctor. . . . He's a survivor, and he just tries to do his best.


There is a lot of concern about "Lost" spoilers. Do you have to sign a confidentiality agreement every time you get a new script?

I've never signed anything, but there is an unwritten rule that you just don't talk about it. Part of being on "Lost" is the enjoyment of your audience getting things. I want them to be surprised. I don't want to spoil it for them.


I hear you don't have a TV. Why?

When we lived in England, the kids would come home from school and sit down in front of the TV until dinnertime and it used to drive me bananas. When we got to Hawaii, I said, "That's it. We're not having a TV." I thought, we live by the sea. There's so much to do here, we don't need a TV. The only thing I miss is the news and soccer, but I can get that online.


The "Lost" writers are not afraid to kill off characters. Do you worry Desmond could die?

I'd like to stay, but I'm not scared of [him dying]. People who have died have gotten great story lines. Dying is not a bad thing because on "Lost," even if you do die, you may well come back.


Flash-forward into Henry Ian Cusick's future. What will you do after "Lost" ends?

We talk about it, my family and I, because we don't know whether we would leave Hawaii. We usually have just gone with the flow and gone where the work was, but now my kids are getting to a certain age where schooling is important and we want to settle down now. It's difficult. That's always the case for actors like me who don't know what the next gig is. We just go with the flow.





More Questions and Answers With Henry Ian Cusick






Here are a few more of the secrets shared during a recent phone interview with Henry Ian Cusick, the man who plays Desmond on TV's "Lost" and the winner of washingtonpost.com's Lost" Madness contest. Note to "Lost" freaks: He drops a couple of hints about the rest of this season, so pay close attention.


When you received the script for the episode "The Constant," did you fully understand all the time travel stuff, or did you have to read it a few times?

I didn't find it difficult to comprehend or follow. My initial reaction was, how do I play that? I think anyone being in one time all of a sudden and then in another time, and not knowing who people are, that would put you in a mental ward. It would put me in a mental ward. So it was a fine line [for Desmond] to go bananas and not go bananas That was the challenge: To make it believable and not go over the top.


In the recent episodes of "Lost," Desmond and Michael came into contact with each other. Was this the first time they met?

That's an interesting question. Have they or haven't they? In my mind, when Desmond came back to the island and Michael was still on the island, Desmond was pretty drunk and out of it. Whether they met or not is ambiguous but if they had met, Desmond was too out of it [to remember]. Sayid has probably filled him in on what happened.


I know you don't like spoilers, but can you say anything about what we can expect for Desmond in the upcoming new episodes?

Desmond stays on the freighter. And you'll see more shenanigans on the freighter.


Will we see Penny again this season?

That I honestly don't know.


What do you think will ultimately happen to Desmond?

Since he's not one of the Oceanic Six., my thinking is he's on the island. I am guessing there are some survivors and if they have the Oceanic Six that wants to go back, I am guessing some people are alive on the island and maybe Desmond is part of it. Or maybe not. Does he find Penny? I don't know.


Do you think Desmond will die on the show?

I am guessing he does die.


Why do you say that?

I just have a feeling.



END.

NOOOOO!!!! DESSIE WE LOVE U AT THE SHOTGLASS!!!!