Michael Emerson Interview
I'm not one of those people who believes actors are their characters. I've never slapped Dominic Monaghan for Charlie's attack on Sun and I wouldn't hold Harold Perrineau responsible for Michael's murderous actions. But there were a couple moments during my chat with Michael Emerson where Ben Linus came through so clearly, I experienced a chill.
Part of what makes the "Lost" creation so creepy is the cadence with which Michael delivers those deliciously diabolical lines. And that unmistakable voice exists 24/7, so when he talked about their May 23 series finale being something audiences will have to "chew on," I shivered.
In addition to inducing chills, Michael also gave me goosebumps while talking about "Lost's" final few episodes. Not only because he admits to still be figuring out the epic finale, but because his flash-sideways admission has me rethinking everything I believed to be true.
PopWrap: This must be a weird time for you all -- you've filmed the finale, but no one's seen it yet.
Michael Emerson: Yeah, it is a kind of limbo, which is ironic given the show [laughs].
PopWrap: Currently Ben is off with Alpert and Miles -- what exactly are they doing and when will we see Ben again?
Michael: They have gone to get explosives and Alpert is determined to blow up the plane because he feels like the man in black must never leave the island. [He's back] next week and Ben has a lot to do in the subsequent episodes.
PW: Does that mean we'll see Ben with Alex again?
Michael: I’m not even trying to be coy, but you will see them together again, however, not in the shape you expect it.
PW: What else can you tease about the final few episodes?
Michael: Well, we're almost done with Ben’s flash-sideways journey. Most of what we have with Ben from now on will be in the present island narrative. And in the coming weeks Ben ends up in a new and dangerous alliance that has a surprising outcome.
PW: The flash-sideways added another incarnation of Ben to your repertoire -- do you have a particular favorite version of Ben to play?
Michael: I haven’t consciously played any different Bens until the flash-sideways in season six. I know that he looks, talks and is a great deal like island-Ben, but the recipe is completely recalculated. He has many of the same qualities but they’re in a different part of the spectrum of human traits. It was an exciting opportunity to create another character -- like, what would Ben have been if he were more like us. Those qualities were fun to try and flesh out.
PW: A lot of fans have wondered what the actual purpose for the flash-sideways is -- will it eventually be explained?
Michael: Yes, but they’re not going to spoon feed it to you. For me, the ending of the series required some analysis. It’s not given to you on a dish, neatly organized with a fancy bow put on the end of it. What it does have is a great soulfulness and the ending is human scale.
PW: You mention that Ben's off-island journey is almost done, how so?
Michael: You won’t realize this until the series is done, but more than anyone else’s flash-sideways - his [episode, "Dr. Linus"] resolved Ben’s character. You may not feel that way yet, but it brought us very close to wrapping things up his arc. What I mean is, if you never saw Ben again in the series, you could look back after the finale and think, “oh, OK - I’m at peace with the way he wrapped up.”
PW: It sounds like fans will have to do a lot of rewatching once the series finale airs.
Michael: Yeah. Well, I think that’s a possible response for some people. I have received the finale by degrees. I read the script without the secret scenes, then I read the secret scenes, then I shot the script and each time I’m thinking about "what does this mean?"
When I first read it, the ending wasn’t clear to me - but since then it’s grown more clear and I have to say, grown more satisfying the more I think about it. I expect a mixture of satisfaction and consternation amongst the viewers when it airs. But once they rewatch it, rethink about it and possibly look at the saga again, gradually they will feel like they have just read a good novel -- but you have to chew on it for a while.
PW: I know you've said that people seemed afraid of you, Michael Emerson, on the street after Ben joined "Lost," but as Ben has changed and evolved have you noticed a change in the public perception of you?
Michael: Oh yes, especially in season three and four, when Ben was more of an unknown and sinister character, I think people were frightened. He had captured their imaginations. People have a softer take on him now, and are fonder of Ben because he’s become their Ben. “Oh, there’s good ol' Ben, up to his good ol' Ben shenanigans.” People are friendlier now and less afraid. But that’s natural. He’s been repositioned on the scale of good and evil on the show. Plus, there are now much worse characters out there.
PW: What's your post-"Lost" plan?
Michael: I think it’ll be wise for me to return to the stage for a little bit. To recharge the batteries a bit and get myself reoriented to the basic work of analyzing, writing and building a character.
PW: So we won't see you jumping into some attempted Ben-erasing slapstick comedy?
Michael: No [laughs], but I do think of myself as a comedy player, so I'd like to do something that’s funny. I just don’t know if you can leap right from "Lost" to something full-on silly. I think there will have to be some sort of middle ground.
Not really spoilery. He just mostly talks about how he feels about the ending, but doesn't really give specific plot points.