Iconic Sci-Fi Drama’s Best Character Was Nearly A Guest Star
There are plenty of characters to hate in ABC’s iconic Lost series, but none we loved to hate as much as Benjamin Linus. Ben Linus was first introduced in the Lost Season 2 episode, “One of Them” and the enigmatic character stuck it out through the series finale. However, we may have gotten quite a different show if the writers stuck to original plans and kept his role as simply a guest, in which he was to be written off after three appearances.
So Good, They Decided To Keep Him Around
It has long been reported that Michael Emerson’s Ben Linus was initially only going to make a few appearances in Lost. The actor recently confirmed this in an interview with The Wrap to celebrate the series’ 20th Anniversary. “Yeah. It’s like a character actor’s dream come true: You get called in to do a little job, keep your head down and then you find that whatever you’ve done is so useful to them that they’re going to keep you around,” Emersons said.
Guessed His Hidden Role Before Being Told
Emerson was so good at the role that was initially supposed to be done after appearance three, that he even guessed where things were going before producers even told him. “No one would talk to me about where this was going,” the actor said, adding “‘It would be a real kick if we found out that the hapless balloonist is the leader of The Others, haha.’ And he looked at me, and he blinked a couple of times, and he said, ‘I can’t discuss that with you.’ And then I knew something was up there.”
Who Is Ben Linus?
Ben Linus is captured by Lost’s survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, who keep him locked in the hatch out of fear that he is one of the island’s dangerous “others.” Insisting that his name is Henry Gale and that his hot air balloon crashed on the island, some of the survivors want to believe him, while others are more skeptical.
For four episodes, viewers at home watched and waited to find out whether Henry Gale was telling the truth or not. The way Michael Emerson played this perplexing character kept viewers hooked and waiting for more. Even when you wanted to believe him, the evil spark in his eye and the menacing quality of his face let you know he was hiding something.
Of course, during his fourth appearance (which is likely when the showrunners changed his story), we learn that the character made up his story. Knowing he is one of the others, it wouldn’t be until the Season 2 finale that we would learn that he’s Ben Linus, the leader of the “others” from Lost.
Why Ben Linus Was The Best Character In Lost
The ABC series worked so well because it created captivating stories for each character. However, none were as riveting as Ben Linus’s in Lost. The ex-Dharma Initiative recruit is completely self-aware and believes in everything he does, even when he knows how morally wrong it might be.
As a master manipulator, it was always exciting to watch him weasel his way into safety episode after episode. His cunning ability to survive and the way he somehow always had a hidden plan kept us at home trying to guess what he would do next, but in the end, loving the fact that we never knew what Ben Linus was going to do next on Lost.
Told He Ruined Lost
20 years later, Michael Emerson still feels the impact Ben Linus had on Lost. The 70-year-old actor revealed that to this day, he has fans who hated the evil character come up to him and say that he “ruined” the show.
Hopefully, these were simply fans forgetting that they were talking to an actor and not really Ben Linus. Michael Emerson’s character did quite the opposite of ruining Lost, in fact, he might be exactly what saved it.
Source: The Wrap
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