Post by bobdoc on Feb 2, 2010 11:15:07 GMT -4
The pre-premiere interviews keep coming, this one from Britain's Digital Spy. From www.digitalspy.com/tv/s10/lost/tubetalk/a200906/qa-michael-emerson-on-the-lost-finale.html
Benjamin Linus has been something of an enigma since his first appearance back in season two. In the (many) years of Lost that have followed, he's given us plenty of jaw-dropping moments: he moved the island; he allowed his daughter to die; he killed Locke. But we've also felt sorry for Ben - let's not forget the tumour on his spine, his unrequited love for Juliet, and his being judged by the smoke monster. So is he a good guy or a bad guy? With the final season on the horizon, Tube Talk's Adam Tanswell caught up with Michael Emerson to find out more.
How does it feel to be working on season six?
"I'm still having loads of fun because I have a great character and great scripts. I have really enjoyed acting in this mysterious world - and I've enjoyed playing this mysterious character. The writers take care of everything for me. I just keep it simple and play Ben dark and ambiguous, which keeps the audience interested but unknowing. It's been a joy to work this season and every other season."
What are your thoughts on the theory that Ben Linus is the unknown hero of the show and that he isn't evil?
"I've always thought this was completely possible - and it’s still possible. We're more than half way through filming the season and I still have no idea how things are going to turn out. When we started work on season six I thought to myself, 'Surely, I'm going to be able to see the path of this character now.' But I'm still grasping around. I have no idea what's going to happen."
When do we start to get answers in the final season?
"That's one of the things that's exciting about season six. It's still complicated and mystifying - and that's part of the fun. I can't put my finger on where we're going, but I'm always the last person to figure anything out. I always rely on other people to tell me what's going on, so I'm probably not the best person to answer this question."
How would you like the show to end?
"I don't think about things like that. I trust our writers to have a much larger imagination than me. Whenever I come up with ideas, they are always insufficient."
Is Matthew Fox really the only actor on set who knows the ending?
"People always think that Matthew knows the ending, but I'm not so sure. He could be making it up. How will we ever know if he knew the ending unless he makes a recording on a tape recorder, dates it and seals it in a safety deposit box to open after we finish filming? We may never know the truth."
What has surprised you the most about Ben Linus?
"I am surprised that he has been on the show this long. And I'm also surprised that he is still as interesting as ever, but again that's down to the wonderful scripts we get on the show."
Do you like him?
"Ben is a calculated character. I think you have to be able to find sympathy in every character you play or you have to be comfortable with them because a character lives inside you - but Ben shocks me all the time. I've often been shocked by the things they've had me do, like the assassination of the Dharma Initiative. When I read that in the script, I thought, 'That's harsh.' It's so dark and there's no good spin to be put on it."
Do you consider your work on Lost an easy job?
"It is easy on a certain level. I don't have to invent a character every day and I don't have to jumpstart a story every day like you do when you're working on a play. I just have to put on the clothes and I'm pretty much ready to be Benjamin Linus. I don't know when I'll ever have that ease in my work again."
What is your happiest memory that you will take away with you when the show finally ends?
"They have always been wonderful to work on, but there is one other moment that stands out in my mind as a wonderful memory to take away when this has all finished. It's the scene where Ben and Sawyer stand on the cliff. We were working at a beautiful place called Makapu’u and we were looking out over the sea trading quotes from Steinbeck. I had a rabbit in a backpack and it was absurd, but there was this majestic scenery in front of us. I remember thinking, 'Can we just put down the cameras now and stand here to look at this wonderful view?' I'm definitely going to miss moments like that."
How does it feel to be working on season six?
"I'm still having loads of fun because I have a great character and great scripts. I have really enjoyed acting in this mysterious world - and I've enjoyed playing this mysterious character. The writers take care of everything for me. I just keep it simple and play Ben dark and ambiguous, which keeps the audience interested but unknowing. It's been a joy to work this season and every other season."
What are your thoughts on the theory that Ben Linus is the unknown hero of the show and that he isn't evil?
"I've always thought this was completely possible - and it’s still possible. We're more than half way through filming the season and I still have no idea how things are going to turn out. When we started work on season six I thought to myself, 'Surely, I'm going to be able to see the path of this character now.' But I'm still grasping around. I have no idea what's going to happen."
When do we start to get answers in the final season?
"That's one of the things that's exciting about season six. It's still complicated and mystifying - and that's part of the fun. I can't put my finger on where we're going, but I'm always the last person to figure anything out. I always rely on other people to tell me what's going on, so I'm probably not the best person to answer this question."
How would you like the show to end?
"I don't think about things like that. I trust our writers to have a much larger imagination than me. Whenever I come up with ideas, they are always insufficient."
Is Matthew Fox really the only actor on set who knows the ending?
"People always think that Matthew knows the ending, but I'm not so sure. He could be making it up. How will we ever know if he knew the ending unless he makes a recording on a tape recorder, dates it and seals it in a safety deposit box to open after we finish filming? We may never know the truth."
What has surprised you the most about Ben Linus?
"I am surprised that he has been on the show this long. And I'm also surprised that he is still as interesting as ever, but again that's down to the wonderful scripts we get on the show."
Do you like him?
"Ben is a calculated character. I think you have to be able to find sympathy in every character you play or you have to be comfortable with them because a character lives inside you - but Ben shocks me all the time. I've often been shocked by the things they've had me do, like the assassination of the Dharma Initiative. When I read that in the script, I thought, 'That's harsh.' It's so dark and there's no good spin to be put on it."
Do you consider your work on Lost an easy job?
"It is easy on a certain level. I don't have to invent a character every day and I don't have to jumpstart a story every day like you do when you're working on a play. I just have to put on the clothes and I'm pretty much ready to be Benjamin Linus. I don't know when I'll ever have that ease in my work again."
What is your happiest memory that you will take away with you when the show finally ends?
"They have always been wonderful to work on, but there is one other moment that stands out in my mind as a wonderful memory to take away when this has all finished. It's the scene where Ben and Sawyer stand on the cliff. We were working at a beautiful place called Makapu’u and we were looking out over the sea trading quotes from Steinbeck. I had a rabbit in a backpack and it was absurd, but there was this majestic scenery in front of us. I remember thinking, 'Can we just put down the cameras now and stand here to look at this wonderful view?' I'm definitely going to miss moments like that."