A new report, based on interviews with the cast and writers of Lost, reveals an unspoken racist and toxic culture behind the scenes of the hit show. In a Vanity-Fair-published excerpt from the upcoming book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, reporter Maureen Ryan details the hostile working environment behind the scenes of Lost. Ryan interviewed over a dozen people who worked on Lost across all six seasons.
Actor Harold Perrineau, who played Michael, told Ryan that the show constantly favored the white characters over the people of color. When Perrineau attempted to bring up his concerns, they were met with indifference or outright hostility. Eventually, he was fired before season 3 began shooting. Additionally, while the cast made early efforts to have equal pay, the cast ended up having compensation tiers, the highest of which was entirely occupied by white cast members.
The writer’s room itself was reportedly also hostile to people of color, especially women. Writers who took offense or spoke up were ostracized. Multiple sources related that when Perrineau’s departure from the show was discussed, Lindelof said, “[he] called me racist, so I fired his ass.” Writer Hsu Taylor claimed that co-showrunner and executive producer Carlton Cuse took false credit for an acclaimed episode she had written and denied her work opportunities.
When Ryan relayed and asked co-creator Damon Lindelof about the experiences of the Lost cast and crew, he said that he was “shocked and appalled and surprised.” While he claimed to have no memory of the incidents, he does not believe that anyone is making it up. When asked about Perrineau’s comments in particular, Lindelof said, “What can I say? Other than it breaks my heart that that was Harold’s experience… I’ll just cede that the events that you’re describing happened 17 years ago, and I don’t know why anybody would make that up about me.”
Cuse claimed that he was not present for and does not remember offensive or malicious behavior. He said, “I did not know people were feeling that way. No one ever complained to me, nor am I aware that anybody complained to ABC Studios. I wish I had known. I would have done what I could to make changes.”