‘You’re uncomfortable makes me laugh’: Lost’s toxic behind-the-scenes revealed

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for “Lost, Gone.”

Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cousy are facing serious allegations of racism and toxicity that allegedly occurred during the production of the hit series.

The testimonials come from a book out on June 6 in the US, written by Maureen Ryan and titled burn. Vanity Fair He obtained a few pages of the book, which is made to order in advance, and looks back at the show’s six seasons, which ran from 2004 to 2010, in a noticeably vulnerable way.

These excerpts show that the writers were asked to focus on Locke, Kate, Jack and Sawyer, and according to one of the show’s writers, the instructions were: “Nobody cares about the other characters. Give them some scenes on another beach.”

One of the first to notice these decisions is Harold Perrineau, who plays Michael, the father of little Walt: “It became very clear that I was black. Daniel was Asian. Then there was Jack, Kate and Sawyer.” Then the actor warns the producer: “I don’t have to be, I don’t have to have the most episodes – but I want the middle ground.”

To which the producer replies that we easily recognize Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Which means that Perino, being black, will never mislead the majority of society. This is an insult to Perino, and the plot proposed for his character (Michael finds Sawyer questioning his past, without mentioning Walt, who has just been kidnapped) clearly does not fit him:

I can’t be someone who doesn’t yet care about missing black kids, even in the context of fiction. It promotes the narrative that no one cares about black children, not even black fathers.

After some discussion with the producer, Carlton Cousy informs him that his character will not return beyond the second season. Damon Lindelof then hilariously comments in the writers’ room: “He called me a racist, I kicked him in the ass.”

Season 3 author Monica Owusu-Brien recalls: “Everybody was laughing, there were so many racist things and then laughing. (…) It was horrible.”

“All I wanted to do was write cool episodes for a cool show, but that wasn’t possible with this team.”he continues. “(…) Partly because they didn’t like their colorful characters. When you come home and cry for an hour before you see your kids to release all the stress you’ve been holding in, you don’t go away. Write something good afterwards.”

What was happening on Lost clearly crossed the line, writes Vanity Fair. There was a “coterie” of people who found it amusing if a comment or joke was “shocking”. Everything was said in a sarcastic tone like “I’m laughing” and “I’m laughing when you’re uncomfortable.”

According to the witnesses interviewed, these attitudes masked an atmosphere of inappropriate remarks and insults, as well as comments about ethnicity and gender, which crossed the line.

When writing about the death of Mr. Eco’s character, Cuse said: “I want to hang from the highest tree. Oh, if only we could cut off his dick and shove it down his throat.”

At the time, Lindelof seemed to have a rhetoric that a screenwriter who wasn’t unhappy was a screenwriter who didn’t care about his work.

One of them, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, would leave the writing team after the second season because of this toxic and racist environment. An anonymous source adds:

“After the end of the second season, after the congratulations, I could see that some people were tired of being there (…)”. Lindelof and Cuse were held to have the right to hire and fire without cause… “And they used it.”

Answer by Cuse & Lindelof

Damon Lindelof gave an interview included in the book in which he responds to these allegations: “My level of absolute inexperience in management or leadership, my role in creating an atmosphere of creative danger, risk, in the process to ensure safety and comfort…J.

“Harold is absolutely right to point this out. It’s one of the things I really regret almost 20 years later. Harold had legitimate and professional concerns about his character and the important fact that Michael and Walt – and Rose – were. The show’s only black heroes.”

“I swear to you, I don’t remember these specific words”He comments on quotes attributed to Cusa or himself. “Which doesn’t mean they didn’t talk, it bothers me – (…) that I or some of my friends could say it just doesn’t make sense.”

Kuzma issued a press release regarding the writers’ testimony and comments they would hear in the writing room:

“I am deeply sorry that anyone involved with Lost had to listen to them. They are insensitive, inappropriate and offensive. It breaks my heart to hear them. Knowing that people have had such a bad experience makes me very sad. (…) Never sued. Me or ABC Studios. I wish I had known. I would have done what I could to change that.”