Jorge Garcia 09/10

What was the secret to the success of Lost?
I have a number of theories, but I think people were immediately drawn to Lost because we were very different to any other show on television. Its originality was a big deal. Back in the beginning, they were writing the script as they were casting the show, which meant the creators chose actors they wanted to work with before having a story for them to fit into. That helped to create characters that people cared about. Plus, everyone is going to talk about your show if you throw in a Twilight Zone ending to the pilot episode.

Where do you think you would be and what would you be doing if you hadn’t won the role of Hurley?
I would probably still be hustling for an acting career in Los Angeles. I’d be going to acting classes, I’d be submitting my pictures to agents and I’d be doing whatever I could to get a job.

What have you learned about yourself after playing Hurley for six years?
I have learned that I have the endurance to do a job like this. What we did was not hard labor. We were not doing construction, but there were definitely days when you felt like you earned your pay. I also learned that when I have to deliver, I can deliver – but it was challenging to learn how to concentrate. Before I started work on Lost, I didn’t have much experience in television. I had a couple of small parts in movies, but that was about it. The show has been a huge education to me on acting with cameras and crews. I’ve got a lot more experience than I thought I would have.

What’s the most important acting lesson you learned during Lost?
I learned to be prepared and I learned to concentrate. It was a lot tougher than I expected at times. For example, look at the scene where Hurley has to tell Claire that Charlie is dead. We shot that scene over the course of three days because it was a big group scene – but then it started to rain on us, so we had to stop. We shot that scene on a Thursday and Friday, but we had to come back on Saturday to finish because of the rain. The more emotional, crying moments were shot towards the end of it, but when they edited the scene they decided they wanted to add a few more lines of dialogue. So we all had to return to the set and be right at that moment of emotion to pick up a couple of lines. There was no build up to it and there is no warm up for it. We just had to get there and do it on the spot. I feel we did well with things like that. You’d never know if you watched that scene, but so much went into it.

What else did you learn as an actor?
I also learned that there are moments when acting becomes magical. There are certain things you find and discover in the moment of shooting – and it’s exciting for an actor when that happens. We were shooting a scene where Jack comes to visit Hurley in the mental institution, which was a really weird scene to film. Hurley is just staring at the wall. He’s almost catatonic telling the story about how Charlie has been visiting him. There was something about the air quality in that room that if I refused to let myself blink, I could see my eyes would start to water. So I tried to do the whole scene without blinking and it resulted in tears running down my face. When I was doing that scene, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is really exciting. It’s going so well.’ People don’t want to cry and they always fight it and try to hide it, which is how it came across in that scene. To get that moment on the show was really exciting for me as an actor. I was really proud.

It’s been noted in the press that you are a great music collector. What music would you choose as a soundtrack for the island?
For the island? Wow, that’s a great question. It would be extremely interesting to try and find a way to mix tropical music with an eerie sci-fi vibe. I’m imagining creepy bells and eerie sounds with a tropical steel drum behind it. Would that work? I’d love to have a go at creating that mix.

Talking of music… Is it true that you’ve been singing in a band called the Lost Souls with Matthew Fox?
That’s not true. I don’t know who made that story up, but there is no Lost Souls band. Matthew Fox and I are not in a band together. Sorry.

But it’s all over the internet…
I know. That story went everywhere, but it was completely false. It’s weird. While I’m dismissing rumors, I’m not a voice in the Hitman 2 video game either. That was picked up in the press, but it’s not true either.

What’s the weirdest rumor you’ve ever read about yourself?
The weirdest? I have no idea. Those two are pretty much up there at the top of the list. I remember my first batch of interviews for Lost when the Lost Souls questions came up. I think we were in Monte Carlo for their TV festival when I was asked about it and I didn’t have a clue what the journalists were talking about. Afterwards, I went looking for the story online and I saw that it was out there – but it was completely untrue. I’m sorry, but if Matthew Fox and I formed a band, we wouldn’t call it Lost Souls.

What would you call it?
I don’t know. It would be something crazier and something much better thought out than Lost Souls, though.

Can you sing?
Yes, I sing. There is a band called Band From TV that I go and perform with from time to time. Greg Grunberg from Heroes plays the drums, Hugh Laurie from House plays the keyboards and Bob Guiney does a lot of singing with them. I would join them whenever I could, but my schedule used to be pretty tight and I rarely had enough time to travel from Hawaii to wherever they were playing. It’s always fun to perform with those guys. We did a performance at Atlantis in the Bahamas last year, which was amazing. So yes, I sing. I sang in a band in college, too.

What’s your karaoke song?
My karaoke song always tends to be Delilah. I like to be loud when I’m doing karaoke, but I’m thinking of changing songs soon. I think I want to move onto a Gary Puckett & The Union Gap tune.

You are well known for keeping up to date with a lot of fan theories about the show. What was the craziest idea you came across?
The craziest idea I ever came across was a theory about cloning. Some fans thought that the plane landed safely in LA, but we were all cloned while we were in the air, so the show was all about our clones. Can you imagine that? Lost was really a crash story about clones! That’s why Jack’s dad was walking around on the island. He had been cloned from the cargo area, so his clone was alive on the island. That was a big, crazy idea for sure.

You have a very wholesome image. What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve done in public since appearing on Lost?
To be honest, I’m pretty boring. I don’t get outrageous. I’m sorry. Actually, I remember when we first moved over to Hawaii. During Season One, all of the cast would hang out together – even on the weekends – because we didn’t really know any other people in Hawaii. We’d hang out at each other’s homes and there would’ve been one point where I jumped into the ocean with no clothes on. That would be the most outrageous thing I’d ever done.

How much do you enjoy life on Hawaii?
I like it a lot. I’m usually pretty quiet, but I have a garden and I like to go and work out there. That’s where I can find my moment of peace. I head out there and I get my hands dirty or I clip stuff and gather everything for composting. I live close to the water, so I might go for a run or take a dip. I also go to the movies whenever I can. I don’t care what I go to see. I just show up and see whatever is starting next.

What plans do you have now that the show has ended?
The only plan I have for now is that I’ll be moving back to California to try and pick up some work. I think it’s still pretty early in my career, so it’s going to be worth moving back to show up for potential castings or whatever. But beyond that, I don’t really know what I’m going to do.

Have you been offered many projects or roles?
There has been some vague interest out there for certain things, but I’ve got nothing to report at the moment.

How much are you going to miss Hawaii when you leave?
I will miss Hawaii terribly. I dread returning to civilization, but I feel I’ll be back at some point. I’ll leave some kind of roots on the island because I loved the place even before I lived here. Hawaii has always been somewhere I’ve wanted to live, so I definitely see myself returning. I’ll be back one day.