Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson: The head of the makeup department, Steve LePorte, built this amazing prosthetic out of latex and other unknown materials. It looks so real, it's complete with rubber veins and nerves and a latex tumor. It has plumbing inside it so that blood can well up in there. It's amazing. (Talking about his makeup on Lost)

Michael Emerson: Yeah, it's funny, working on a show with as large a cast as we have here, your work gets sort of compartmentalized. There's still about half the cast that I've never had a scene with but I have missed working with Terry. I think there might be something coming up where we get to do some scene work together. (Talking about the cast on Lost)

Michael Emerson: I have thought right along that Benjamin Linus and his people are rebels or renegades or freedom fighters of some sort and that they are at war with whoever the real powers were that built and control the island. But I don't have a lot of evidence for that either. That's just sort of a feeling I have. I do feel like there are worse people out there than the others. I don't know if worse is the right word. That implies a sort of value judgment. Maybe I should say there are scarier people out there than the others. (His theory of the show Lost)

Michael Emerson: Oh, I don't know that he's any more a villain than he ever was, to tell you the truth. I'm still holding out hope that when the details of his real mission are revealed, we're going to think he's a little more heroic than we have. (Talking about his character in Lost being a villan or not)

Michael Emerson: I know my wife likes Locke, but she likes Sayid too. I don't know - there's so many likeable characters to choose from. You've got to love Locke, though; he's a sturdy fellow and you feel sympathy with him. You feel like you're in good hands. (Talking about his favorite character in Lost)

Michael Emerson: It was on every Wednesday in our home because my wife is a Lostaholic, but I would watch most of them. I would be doing housework and stuff passing through the living room, so I was pretty well caught up on it, but once I got the job then of course I had to cram a little bit. (Talking about his interest in Lost before joining the cast)

Michael Emerson: I don't know. Hubris? Arrogance? Over-education? I don't know what it could be. (Talking about what he thinks his character on Lost is guilty of)

Michael Emerson: I've played villains on stage — you know, the Iagos and so on — but I think of myself as a funny person. I mostly did comedies before I did TV work.

Michael Emerson: Things that are sparsely played, and have an empty quality to them, I find very appealing. (Referring to his role on ABC's Lost)

Michael Emerson: A better question might be what is it about those characters that appeals to audiences, or an even better question is why do audiences perceive them as creepy? I don't know if it's something in me. I don't know if it's in the playing of it or the perceiving of it. It's an interesting issue, though. (On portraying 'creepy characters')

Michael Emerson: It worries me a little bit the reach and power of TV. More people saw me in The Practice than will ever see me in all the stage plays I ever do. Which is sort of humbling. Or troubling. Or both.

Michael Emerson: I've been blessed by doing classic plays on Broadway, which was one of my great dreams forever.

Michael Emerson: You work four days, and then one line is left when you see it. Demoralizing. (About doing movies)