Facts From a TV Junkie: 'Lost'

Hello all! Chances are if you're reading this it means you, much like myself, are addicted to TV. You just can't ever get enough of that small screen action! Well, I'm here to tell you that I feel your pain and would like to help you in your noble quest for TV knowledge, which is why I've taken it upon myself to create this fun, weekly feature. Every week, I will dig up new and interesting facts about a show and share them with you right here. So sit back, relax, and let the trivia madness commence!

This week, let’s flashback (or forward or sideways) to the mysterious island-centric show we know as ‘Lost.’ From a deadly smoke monster to completely random polar bear sightings, this show never failed to captivate its audience and leave them with more than a few questions. (How about that ending, eh?) And while it’s impossible to expect to understand everything about this iconic series, there are a few interesting details I was able to uncover. We have to go back!

Did You Know:

1. The two-part pilot episode was the most expensive in ABC's history.

It reportedly cost somewhere between $10 million and $14 million. To help put this into better perspective, the average pilot is usually in the region of only $4 million. Seems pretty steep, right? Even by Charles Widmore standards.

2. Sawyer was supposed to be older and not Southern.

It’s hard to imagine, but the character was originally meant to be an older, slick, suit-wearing city con artist from Buffalo, NY. However, when Josh Holloway forgot a line during his audition, he kicked a chair in frustration and swore loudly. The writers liked the edge he brought to the character so much in that moment, they decided to write Sawyer as more of a Southern, darker drifter instead.

3. The infamous numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 all add together to equal 108.

No, this is not part of some strange math lesson (I have no business conducting any such thing). It’s significant because 108 also happens to be the amount of time alotted before having to re-enter those precise numbers into the computer inside the hatch. It’s also the exact number of days that the castaways spent on the island before the Oceanic Six were rescued. Of course, many dedicated ‘Lost’ fans have already figured all this out, but it’s still definitely worth mentioning.

4. Yunjin Kim, who played Sun Kwon, initially read for the character of Kate.

But even when the producers decided she wasn't what they were looking for in that particular role, they opted to create a brand new character for her, along with a spouse.

5. Heroin was basically Charlie’s precious.

Ever notice that look Charlie would get in his eyes while holding that tiny bag of heroin? Actor Dominic Monaghan claims to have patterned this performance after that of his former co-star, Andy Serkis, in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ — holding the drug much like Gollum would hold a certain all-powerful ring. Speaking of heroin (as one does), those little bags were actually filled with brown sugar.

6. Originally, Ben Linus was only supposed to appear for a few episodes in Season 2.

However, the producers were so impressed with Michael Emerson’s performance that they promoted him to a series regular and rewrote the part of Henry Gale/Ben to feature the actor more prominently. It kinda makes you wonder where the storyline would've gone if The Others' ringleader hadn't stuck around.

7. Dominic Monaghan originally auditioned for the role of Sawyer.

Obviously, he didn’t end up getting the part, but the actor made such a great impression during the audition that the part of Charlie became altered to accommodate him. (The character was originally going to be a 45-year-old washed-up rock star.)

8. The only member of the principal cast who didn't have to audition for a role was Terry O’Quinn.

Having already worked with O’Quinn during the second season of ‘Alias,’ J.J. Abrams knew the actor would be perfect for the part of John Locke and decided to just offer it to him flat-out. So, in a way, the island creator really did choose him.

9. Michael Keaton was originally cast as Jack Shephard.

Umm...WHAT?!?! Okay, so here's what happened: In the first draft of the script, Jack was supposed to be killed by the monster after they arrived at the cockpit. However, ABC told the producers that it would be unwise to kill off the hero so soon in the series, so the script was re-written. After the change, Keaton backed out of the role since he didn’t want to commit to a regular series.

10. Forest Whitaker was originally cast in the role of Sawyer.

However, he decided to opt out of the deal in order to direct ‘First Daughter,’ which oddly enough starred Michael Keaton as the President of the United States. Additionally, both Matthew Fox and Jorge Garcia also auditioned for the character of Sawyer, since the other characters hadn’t been developed yet.

11. The symbol on Boone's shirt is the Chinese symbol for the number 84.

I know, I know — again with the numbers. But stick with me here. When reversed, the number becomes 48, which is the exact number of survivors from the plane crash. Again, you may have already figured this out years back, but it just serves as further proof that nothing on this show was ever insignificant or arbitrary.

12. Jon Hamm auditioned for the role of Jack Shephard.

Can you imagine? Don Draper, out of a suit and stranded on a magical island. Sounds like someone has been reading my dream journal again. You just know he would’ve been able to negotiate his way out of there in a matter of minutes. This guy knows how to make any sort of pitch sound good…whether it be to a room full of advertising executives or a gang of mysterious island inhabitants known as The Others.

I hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Facts From a TV Junkie. Check back next week for another fix!

'One Tree Hill' < Previous | Next > Stay tuned!