Where Are They Now: Catching Up with the Cast of Lost

A few weeks ago—September 22, 2015, to be exact—J.J. Abrams’s show Lost celebrated its eleventh birthday. That’s right; it’s been eleven years since we were introduced to the misfit castaways of Oceanic Flight 815, the Dharma Initiative, that terrifying Smoke Monster and the ever-mysterious Jacob. Even after eleven years, fans are still trying to come to terms with the show’s series finale, which in true show fashion left viewers with more questions than answers. What did it all mean? Were the castaways in some kind of purgatory all along, or were they somewhere else?

Sadly, that is not what this article is going to be about. Sorry, Lost fans; you’re going to have to continue to chew on that finale without any assistance from me. Where I am going to take you, however, is on a journey back to the Island, so that we can get caught up with all the actors who played our favorite characters. Come on; let’s get Lost together!

Matthew Fox (Jack Shepherd)

Before Lost, Matthew Fox had already begun to become a well-known face. From 1994—2000, he played Charlie Salinger on the TV series Party of Five. However, most people who see him now can’t help but associate him with his role as Dr. Jack Shepherd, who became the reluctant leader of the castaways and the show’s flawed hero. While Lost was on the air, Matthew Fox was involved in a number of other projects, including the movies Smoking Aces, We Are Marshall and Vantage Point. Since Lost, Fox has focused mostly on movies; fans can see him in the recently released horror movie Extinction alongside Jeffrey Donovan, and the upcoming western Bone Tomahawk, in which he stars alongside Kurt Russell and Patrick Wilson. Bone Tomahawk is slated for release on October 23, 2015.

Evangeline Lilly (Kate Austen)

In many ways, Lost launched Evangeline Lilly’s career. Before portraying the beautiful and mysterious Kate Austen, Lilly played minor roles on shows such as Smallville, Kingdom Hospital and Tru Calling—so minor, in fact, that the characters she played didn’t even have names. Her career after Lost, however, is another story. While the show was on the air, Lilly played Connie James in the movie The Hurt Locker. After Lost ended, she landed the role of Bailey Tallet in the movie Real Steel, the role of Tauriel in the movies The Hobbit: The Desolations of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and the role of Hope van Dyne in Marvel’s Ant-Man. Not bad, huh?

Josh Holloway (James “Sawyer” Ford)

Like any good supernatural drama, Lost had a love triangle, and the third prong in Lost’s love triangle—which included Jack Shepherd and Kate Austen—was the suave and dashing James “Sawyer” Ford. After Lost, Holloway was involved in several movies, including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Battle of the Year and Paranoia. In 2014, he starred as Gabriel Vaughn on the short-lived TV series Intelligence, and later this year, he can be seen in the upcoming TV series Colony, which oddly enough is being compared to Lost!

Jorge Garcia (Hugo “Hurley” Reyes)

Who didn’t love Hurley, the show’s endearing castaway who later became a lottery winner? Prior to Lost, Hurley’s real-life counterpart, Jorge Garcia, was already beginning to cement himself as an actor, first coming to public attention with his performance of Hector Lopez on the TV series Becker. However, his career really took off after Lost. Post-Lost, he has guest-starred on a variety of shows, including Fringe, Mr. Sunshine, Californication, Once Upon a Time, Maggie and How I Met Your Mother, and has had series regular roles on Alcatraz and Hawai Five-O, and can soon be seen in the comedies The Healer and The Ridiculous 6.

Naveen Andrews (Sayid Jarrah)

The London born actor who played the most level-headed of the survivors, Sayid Jarrah, has had quite the prosperous career since Lost ended. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise; prior to Lost, he was already making a name for himself by starring in the movies The English Patient and Rollerball. While Lost was still on the air, Andrews was scoring roles in movies such as Planet Terror and The Brave One, and guest-starring on the critically acclaimed show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Post-Lost, he’s been involved in a number of television series, including Sinbad, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and most recently as Jonas in the web television series Sense 8. He also did voice-acting for the character Sabal in the video game Far Cry 4.

Emilie de Ravin (Claire Littleton)

Before claiming the role of Claire Littleton on Lost, Emilie de Ravin was already well on her way to solidifying her career as an actress. Her first on-screen role was The Demon Curupira in the TV show Beastmaster, which was quickly followed by a series regular role in the show Roswell and the role of Chris Hargensen in the early 2000s remake of Carrie. While Lost was on the air, she starred in several movies, including The Hills Have Eyes, The Perfect Game and Public Enemies. She currently plays the role of Belle French/Lacey in the TV series Once Upon a Time and can soon be seen in the movie The Submarine Kid, which is being marketed as “a modern American fable.”

Dominic Monaghan (Charlie Pace)

I think it’s fair to say that Dominic Monaghan didn’t need any help from Lost career-wise. Before playing Charlie Pace, Monaghan had already scored the role of Meriadoc Brandybuck in the blockbuster Lord of the Ring series. While Lost was on the air, he played Chris Bradley/Bolt in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Simon Campos in the TV series Flashforward. In 2010, he starred alongside Megan Fox in Eminem’s music video for “Love the Way You Lie.” Since Lost, he’s starred in a multitude of television shows, including Goodnight Burbank, The Unknown and The 100 Code. Fans can anticipate seeing him in the movies Deep Burial and Pet, as well as the TV series Quantum Break.

Ian Somerhalder (Boone Carlyle)

Ian Somerhalder was only on Lost for a season or so, but fans won’t soon forget him. While on Lost, he starred in movies such as Pulse and Marco Polo. After his character died on the show, he starred as Nick in the TV series Tell Me You Love Me. Fans can now see him in The Vampire Diaries as the older of the two vampire brothers, Damon Salvatore.

Maggie Grace (Shannon Rutherford)

Like Somerhalder, Maggie Grace, who played Boone’s stepsister (and lover) Shannon, was only on Lost for a short time, but that was enough for the show to really give her a leg up career-wise. After being on the show, she starred in several movie blockbusters, including Taken, Taken 2, Taken 3, The Twilight Saga—Breaking Dawn, Parts 1 & 2 and Lockout. In addition, she played Faith in the TV series Californication, Susanna in the short-lived TV series Susanna and Dr. Christine Wesh in Masters of Sex. Fans can anticipate seeing her in the upcoming movies Showing Roots, The Scent of Rain & Lightning and The Choice.

Yunjin Kim (Sun-Hwa Kwon)

In many ways, Lost really helped jumpstart Yunjin Kim’s career. While on Lost, she did a number of movies, such as Diary of June, Seven Days, Two Sisters and Harmony. Post-Lost, she starred in the movies Heartbeat, The Neighbors and Ode to My Father. She is currently starring in the TV show Mistresses as Karen Kim.

Daniel Dae Kim (Jim Soo Kwon)

  

Daniel Dae Kim’s career as an actor was already solidified by the time Lost rolled around. Before Lost, he starred in a plethora of television shows, including Crusade, Miss Match, Angel, Star Trek: Enterprise, ER and 24. In addition, he starred in the Oscar-winning movie Crash as the character Park. While on Lost, he played Dr. Tsi Chou in the miniseries The Andromeda Strain, and did a lot of voice acting in video games such as Saints Row, Scarface: The World is Yours and Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Burning Earth. After Lost ended, he continued doing voice acting in video games and cartoons in addition to starring in movies such as Insurgent and K Town Cowboys. He can currently be seen in the television series Hawaii Five-O.

Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus)

Out of all the characters in Lost, the one that stands out most clearly in my memory is Benjamin Linus aka Henry Gale, who was the leader of a group of island natives called the Others. Although Ben began as an antagonist in seasons 2 and 3, he gradually became a reluctant ally to the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, all the while remaining one of the most mysterious and cunning characters in the series. Needless to say, he wouldn’t have been as compelling of a character had Michael Emerson not played him. Before joining Lost, Emerson had been involved in several television shows, including The Practice, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The X Files and Without a Trace, as well as the movies Saw and The Legend of Zorro. After Lost ended, Emerson joined the cast of Person of Interest, on which he is still currently starring.

Terry O’Quinn (John Locke)

First of all, I want to say: Terry O’Quinn is NOT dead. The actor was hit with a death hoax a few years back that left many fans convinced that he had indeed passed away. Lucky for us, that is not the case! Like so many of the others on this cast, Terry O’Quinn was already an accomplished actor before he joined Lost as the philosophical John Locke, who was in many ways the foil for the practical Jack Shepherd. He had already had recurring roles on JAG, Alias and The West Wing. After Lost, he continued this career trajectory, earning recurring roles on 666 Park Avenue, Falling Skies, Gang Related, Hawaii Five-O and Full Circle. He can soon be seen in the romance Nouvelle Vie and is in the process of filming the TV movie The Adversaries.

Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond Hume)

Who could forget Desmond Hume, the man found living inside the mysterious hatch at the beginning of season 3, and who was tasked with pressing a button every 108 minutes in order to save the world? The actor who played him, Henry Ian Cusick, has gone on to lend his talents to quite a few television shows and movies. Some of these shows include Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Fringe, The Mentalist, CSI, Body of Proof, Scandal and most recently The 100 as Councilor Marcus Kane. He will soon be reuniting with his Lost costars, Jorge Garcia and Harold Perrineau, for the movie When We Were Pirates.

Harold Perrineau (Michael Dawson)

Before playing Michael Dawson on Lost, fans were already well-acquainted with Harold Perrineau. From 1997-2003, he played Augustus Hill on the HBO series Oz, and played the character Link in two of the movies in The Matrix trilogy. After leaving Lost at the three season mark, he had recurring roles on The Unusuals and Sons of Anarchy, as well as a starring role in the short-lived television show Blade and a series regular role in Constantine. In addition, he also played Jack in the movie Zero Dark Thirty. He can soon be seen in the movies When We Were Pirates, The Dancing Bull, The Best Man Wedding and Without Ward.

Malcolm David Kelley (Walt Lloyd)

Malcolm David Kelley, who played Walt, the son of Michael Dawson, was only in the series a short time, but he certainly left an impression. After leaving the series, he played Benjamin Cooley on Saving Grace, Finn Katins on Gigantic and guest-starred as the character Curtis Hill in The Closer. In 2010, Kelley teamed up with his Gigantic costar Tony Oller to create the pop/rap duo MKTO, and he has been creating music and touring ever since.

Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet Burke)

Elizabeth Mitchell joined the series in the third season as the fertility researcher Juliet Burke for the Others. However, she ended up befriending Jack and the rest of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 and became their ally. Since being on Lost, Mitchell has had a very fruitful acting career, claiming series regular roles in Revolution as Rachel Matheson, in Once Upon a Time as Ingrid/Snow Queen, and in Crossing Lines as Carine Strand. In addition, fans can anticipate seeing her in The Purge 3, which will be released in 2016.

Mark Pellegrino (Jacob)

Last but certainly not least, we have Mark Pellegrino, who played the mysterious and powerful Jacob. It’s fitting that I saved him for last, I think. Jacob, while only seen in a few episodes, maintains a presence throughout the entire series. As the guardian on the Island, he caused all of the events that took place, from beginning to end, in response to a quarrel with his brother and nemesis, The Man in Black. Jacob was at times benevolent and at other times terrifying, a fact made possible by the immensely talented actor who played him. After the series ended, Pellegrino went on to star in a multitude of other television shows, such as The Closer, Supernatural, Revolution, Being Human, The Tomorrow People, The Returned and Quantico. He can soon be seen in the upcoming comedy Strangers in a Strange Land, a film that was written and directed by his wife, Tracy Pellegrino.