(Continued)

What's the one thing about the show that most people would be shocked to learn?

The show has such a grave tone that there's not a lot of hilarity or comedy exactly. And I think people would be surprised to know how much fun there is on the set when we're shooting it. The camera crew is hilarious. And there are numerous practical jokes and pranks that go on the set, which are fun (Laughs).

Have you ever been the victim of a practical joke?

No, I haven't. I'm not that kind of guy. I've been in the theater for too many years. And not only do I not care for it, but I'm superstitious about it.

In the theater, you feel like the Gods are fickle. And they will not bear much teasing or playing around with. So, there's a sort of underlying gravity about the rituals of the theater. And I bring those with me when I do TV work. I don't goof off very much, but other people do, and it can be terribly amusing (Laughs).

I love this. Todd McFarlane's toy company recently announced that their next series of "Lost" characters will include a Henry Gale figurine. So, will you put one on your mantle?

I would not display it prominently in my home just because we don't have a very pop culture d?cor in our apartment. But I would be very pleased to see it and to own one. I think it will be fun. And maybe I'll keep it in the bedroom or something? (Laughs).

Do you know what sound clips are going to be on it? And were you involved in the design process?

They had three or four that they were going to pick from and they're all from those first few episodes of captivity. But I've already posed for it. You sit in a hotel room with this contraption on your head and they go around you with a laser scanner reader thing and it generates a three dimensional image of your face and head on a computer screen. And then you do different facial expressions and stuff. And they can make this perfect replica.

I'll be curious to see it when it's done. It was really an interesting process.

The McFarland figures are some of the most realistic around.

Yes, that John Locke one is about perfect. It looks really good. And then Jorge's is really convincing also.

In another interview, you mentioned that your wife is a Lost-a-holic and has been following the show since Season 1. With you on the show now, and especially with the crazy role you play, what does she think? Has her perspective on the show changed at all?

Yes, she has. She used to be one of those purists who didn't want any spoilers, didn't watch previews, didn't watch next week on "Lost." None of that stuff. She wanted the pure article. And at first, she didn't want to hear any spoilers from me, things that I knew or things that I was shooting. But now, I think she's softened up a bit and she doesn't mind being on the inside and being a step or two ahead of the viewing audience.

Does she cheer for your character?

She cheers for him the way actors cheer for other actors when they're doing a good job. I think she thinks he's creepy (Laughs). And I think she's happy that I'm very little like the character I play.

Sometimes she'll look over at me and say, "You are something else!" (Laughs).

Speaking of Carrie, you've worked with your wife on numerous occasions ("Straight-Jacket," "Grace & Glorie," "The Journey") and even had a role in "29th and Gay," which she produced and directed. What's it like working with her?

I really like working with my wife because she's like this renaissance girl. She's a 'really' good actress. And if you've seen "Straight Jacket," you know what she can do. She's an extraordinary player and then she's also got a gift for ordering people around and being a director as well! And it's always a lot of fun.

And I have to say it's kind of a turn on for me to watch her be a director because she really takes charge. She really has answers for everything. She knows just what she's doing and it's really exciting.

Are you planning any future collaborations?

We're always going to be because we're both pretty good players and we like being in the same place at the same time. So, I'm sure other opportunities will come up.

Recently, Damon Lindelof met with ABC to discuss the longevity of the show, suggesting an end after four or five seasons (no more than 100 episodes). Regardless of when the show runs its course, where and what do you see yourself doing afterwards?

Well, I think the first thing I'll do when I know I have a stretch of time is to go get myself in a play somewhere. Because I'm a little off my agenda. My agenda has always been that when I am an old man, I will be playing those classical parts (Prospero, Lear, etc.). But in order to do that, I have to keep my hand in, I have to keep working that muscle. The memory, if nothing else. I need to be learning a lot of lines.

And you're not required to learn that much material when you're working on TV. So, you get a little lazy in the brain.

There's never a day when you're going to do more than five pages. And it won't be all of your lines. The memorization gets easy. So, I need to get back into the thick of really trying to learn big chunks of material and keep up the voice and body work which is required of you on stage.

Lastly, if you were writing the finale for Ben, how would you like it to end for him?

Wow! I guess I would like it to have an amazing twist. I would like us to find out that Ben was something so other than everything we thought of him. And I don't know what that would be exactly.

But I think it would be interesting to find out that he was something holy . That would be so off the wall. Or that he was a projection of the spirit of a five-year old Buddha! (Laughs).

Michael Emerson Interview (BACK)