With only a handful of Lost episodes left (forever!), the very sweet and gracious Daniel Dae Kim took five minutes out of his busy interview schedule to attempt to talk to me about the end of the series without revealing anything that would get him into trouble. It was a precarious dance, but we got it done, and I even found out that Naveen Andrews is a "Human Jukebox" to boot. Who knew?
Daniel Dae Kim: Mindy, did you know TWoP is one of the only sites I read about the show?
TWoP: Is it really?!
Kim: Mm-hmm.
TWoP: Are you a fan of our recapper?
Kim: I am, and I think the people who are writing into your forum are very smart. Very detail-oriented, but not in a freakish kind of way. [Laughs.]
TWoP: Thanks! We do try not to be scary. So you've filmed the finale -- do you know how Lost ends, or is it still being kept even from the cast?
Kim: No, I know how it ends.
TWoP: Just out of curiosity, do you know if it matches up with what Matthew Fox alleged he knew it was last year?
Kim: There is an element that he and much of the cast knew for many years, and I believe, if it's what I'm thinking of, the answer is yes.
TWoP: Are you satisfied with the ending?
Kim: Personally, I am. That doesn't necessarily mean everyone will be, but the things that I love Lost for the most have been concluded in a satisfying way.
TWoP: I know you can't reveal any specifics, but just because some people are worried, what would you say to assure them?
Kim: Well, here's what I'll say: The storytellers of Lost have taken us on a pretty great journey, and there have been questions along the way, and criticisms along the way, but if you look at the totality of the show, or the experience of it as a whole, I think as long as you look at it from that perspective you'll be happy.
TWoP: Some fans found Sun and Jin's reunion a little anti-climactic. Can you speak to that at all?
Kim: Yeah, I can. I can see their viewpoint. I think the important thing though, is that to the characters involved -- specifically Jin -- whether the reunion had taken an hour or 10 seconds, it wouldn't matter to him. It would still mean the world to him, whatever timeframe it took.
TWoP: Do you know why it was done that way? Was it just because they had so much storytelling to get done in that episode?
Kim: You know, I honestly don't. That's more a question for the writers.
TWoP: Do you have any good stories from the final day or the wrap party?
Kim: I would just say that there was such a feeling of camaraderie on the set on my last day, that I just felt it was the right scene to be shooting on that day.
TWoP: So cryptic!
Kim: I'm sorry!
TWoP: No, I know, you can't say.
Kim: I'm sure that when you see it you'll be like "Ahh, that's what he meant."
TWoP: Do you have a favorite memory from the show?
Kim: One of my favorite memories was when the entire cast would be called for large group scenes and we'd be out on the beach or in the jungle, and all the chairs would be set up on a gorgeous day, and Naveen and Terry and Josh would bring out guitars and we would just sing between takes.
TWoP: Really?
Kim: Yeah, sometimes for hours.
TWoP: That's amazing. Any particular songs?
Kim: We were singing everything from folk, to rock, and Naveen Andrews is a human jukebox. He's an exquisite guitar player and an incredible singer, and Terry is the same way. So among their musical catalogs, there were songs from the Police, to the Beatles, to Sade, to Crosby, Stills & Nash, Green Day -- our group sing-a-longs were some of my favorite memories.
[Publicist kindly tells me I've got one last question.]
TWoP: What's going on with Hawaii Five-O?
Kim: I'm really excited about it! It's nice to have a project to look forward to after something as significant as Lost comes to a close. It's Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who were involved with Star Trek, along with J.J. and Damon, so in a weird way it's kind of like keeping it in the family. Peter Lenkov is the executive producer, who's got quite a track record. It's a big script, it's ambitious, it pays homage to the old series, as well as modernizing it and updating it for today's tastes. And though other remakes of old TV shows haven't been successful in the past, I have high hopes for this one.
TWoP: Well, thank you for talking to me. We're very excited about the finale.
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Kim: Thanks! I'll be sure to read what you guys think.Discuss your theories in our forums, then see where we think Daniel would be if his career had gone sideways!
Take a look at the 15 major questions that Lost has yet to answer this season.
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