LOST'S MISTER EKO SPEAKS OUT!
Lost's Mr. Eko has left the island! Eko, played by British-born actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 39, was killed off the show on Nov. 1, when his life was ended by the dark forces that have made the show one of the most watched dramas of the year. In an exclusive interview with Star, Akinnuoye-Agbaje talks about his time on the show, why he's quit and life playing the bad man.
Why have you left Lost?
I'm leaving because I am going to direct my own feature. For the past five years I have been developing a biographical project that was accepted into the Sundance screen writers lab and it's getting a lot of buzz. When I first joined Lost, I discussed with the creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof that I probably could only give a year because this was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. A year has expired and we looked for a place in the story where it would server the arc of the character and also the show where I could be released to pursue other things.
Are you sad to be leaving?
Not really, because the type of actor I am I like to move on. I like to keep it fresh. The arc of that character was served. We have had three flashbacks which really gave you another dimension of who he was and if indeed it hasn't been served and the audience feels frustrated they just have to sit around and wait for me to pop up in something else. Obviously bonds were formed in Hawaii and I made a lot of friends. I'm not sad, I'm actually excited. It was a great great journey and there was some great guys to work with.
What was it like coming into a hugely successful show in the second season?
It was work as usual. I was coming off another show shooting with Jim Sheridan on Get Rich or Die Tryin' when the creators approached me and it left me with two weeks from the end of that to the beginning of Lost during which I had relocate from London to Hawaii. I didn't have much time to ponder on the meaning of the character. They gave me a stick and said you had to knock these three guys out. That was a great way to enter. The cast were very welcoming. The only thing that was a culture shock for me was the phenomenon of Lost because I was completely unaware of it. I was totally in the dark because it hadn't actually aired in the UK.
Who did you get along with best with on the show?
Obviously there are a lot of British boys in here so that was easy. There was Dominic Monaghan, Naveen Andrews, Ian Somerhalder. It was always nice because of football. We had a sense of humor only us can relate to. And, Harold Perrineau. We lived next door to each other and there was a common bond because we did Oz together. There were lots common interests. I am bit of loner though and that's of my own choice. I like to do the solo thing. I remember in the beginning people used to meet up and go around to other people's houses when it was your episode. That was really nice.
What was the lowest point of your career?
I decided to take two years off. I got as little jaded after Oz. I moved back to London. I was pretty much thinking I was going to give up the acting lark. It's quite hard to move forward and I was getting stereotypical roles. I was quite frustrated and depressed. My agent dropped me and it kind of tumbled. That was what urged me to start writing my own stuff.
Why do you think you have always been cast as the bad man?
There are many dimensions to me as an actor and the obvious one is the powerful/physical because it's on the surface. I'm 6'2" and I weigh 225 lbs. and that is probably the most inference one can draw. It's an easy move to put me in something intimidating and forceful. If you look at the characters I have played from Adebesi, to Majestic even to Eko. I have always tried to infuse other dimension. Whether it be the sense of humor in Adebesi, a sense of compassion in Eko or even in Majestic a sense of mad maniacal imbalance.
Does it come naturally?
I have plenty of experience (laughs.) Stay in this industry for more than ten years and I will come naturally. I have always tried to give the bad man another dimension. Likeable, loveable or forgivable. What I have tried to do is make them human. Nobody is perfect. People mess up then people get up and when you have a character that is flawed but still tries to make something of his life, people relate to that because we all do it. I think I have a plethora of range that Hollywood hasn't been introduced to. Nothing great happens overnight, but I think that night has come.
Is there anyone special in your life who you share this with?
There have always been special people in my life and there always has been and that's how I am able to do this, to be honest. I have great friends and they support me, its great network I've got.
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— LEE HANNON
