Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse, showrunners from the dramatic series lost (2004-2010), were singled out this week as allegedly encouraging racism and toxicity during the production of the hit ABC program.
Such remarks are part of the forthcoming book burn it downby author Maureen Ryan, whose excerpt focused on lost was released early via Vanity Fair. There is the testimony of members of the cast and production team that Lindelof and Cuse “tolerated and even encouraged” a work environment frequently plagued by toxic and racist comments.
For example, there are statements that the showrunners “they didn’t like colored characters” in lost, or that, unconcerned about the discomfort that was lived inside the writers’ room, Lindelof insisted that writers had to be miserable to be reliable and show true interest in a project. The soon-to-be-published book also includes some of the Emmy winner’s responses to the allegations against him. And although he does not accept absolute guilt, he does acknowledge that he “failed” to provide “safety and comfort” to his collaborators.
Read below some key points of the alleged racism experienced behind the scenes of lost, according to the fragment released this Tuesday. The book burn it down will be published in its entirety on June 6, 2023.
Favoritism towards white actors
A screenwriter of lost stated that the writers were constantly told that the white characters Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) were the heroes and that the rest didn’t really matter. Linked to this, the same book by Maureen Ryan states that Harold Perrineauinterpreter of Michael Dawson in the first two seasons of the series, expressed great disagreement with his white co-stars leading the main subplots of lost, and even had the opportunity to speak directly with a producer about this obvious favoritism with racist overtones. And in response, such a producer allegedly explained to him that “this is how the public follows the stories”; that in this case, Locke, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were characters with whom it was easier to feel “affinity.”
In this regard, Damon Lindelof declared for the book burn it down that there were always signs of disappointment from “each and every actor” who felt they were not used enough in the series. But as far as Perrineau’s complaints are concerned, the showrunner he accepted that they had a more serious background and agreed with them.
“Obviously there was disproportionate attention paid to Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer, the white characters. Harold was absolutely right to point that out. It’s one of the things I’ve deeply regretted in the two decades since,” Lindelof said. “I think Harold legitimately and professionally conveyed his concern for his character and how significant it was that Michael, Walt and Rose were really the only black characters on the show.”
Departure of Harold Perrineau
Perrineau also stated that his sudden departure from lost it was announced by Carlton Cuse shortly before filming the final episode of the second season. By then, the actor had already told Cuse that he did not agree with some of the decisions made around his character, such as not being too concerned about the disappearance of his son in fiction. From Perrineau’s perspective, this furthered “the narrative that nobody cares about black children.”
Cuse would have preferred to sever employment ties with Perrineau after the latter told the showrunners that “if they had nothing good for him, he preferred to leave”, according to the actor’s version. On the other hand, Monica Owusu-Breenwho served as a writer for the third season of lostrevealed that Damon Lindelof went so far as to declare in front of the writing team that Perrineau’s departure was due to the fact that “he called me a racist, so I fired him.”
“Everyone laughed,” Owusu-Breen said of her teammates’ reaction. “There was a lot of sh*t, a lot of racist sh*t, and then laughter. It was horrible. I was like, ‘I don’t know if they’re taking this as a joke or if they’re serious.’ But it wasn’t funny. That [Lindelof] say that was horrible.”
For his part, Lindelof told Maureen Ryan that he didn’t remember saying that 17 years ago, but he also couldn’t explain why someone would make something like that up about him. And he added: “It breaks my heart that this was Harold’s experience.”
Toxic and racist comments
At the time of writing the death of Eko Tunde (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) in lostMonica Owusu-Breen recounted that she had to deal with some racist proposals from Carlton Cuse:
“Carlton said, ‘I want to hang it from the highest tree. God, if only we could cut off his penis and stick it down his throat.’ At that point I told him, ‘You might want to tone down the lynching footage, lest it be offensive.’ And I was clearly upset.”
About this and other inappropriate comments that are attributed to the duo of showrunnersDamon Lindelof responded as follows:
“I just can’t imagine Carlton saying something like that. […] I have no recollection of those specific things. And I’m not saying they didn’t happen. I’m just saying that it’s literally baffling to my brain that they happened and that I witnessed them or that I said them.”
According to other testimonies referred to in the book burn it downin the workspace of lost It also happened that the only Asian-American member of the writing team was referred to as “Korean” and not by his real name. There were also those who stated that “no grandparent would want a slant-eyed grandson” when learning from a classmate that he would adopt an Asian child.
“I deeply regret that someone in lost have had to hear them [esos comentarios]. They are highly insensitive, inappropriate and offensive,” Cuse said in a statement (via Variety). “It is deeply disturbing to know that there were people who had such bad experiences. I didn’t know people felt that way. No one ever complained to me, nor am I aware of anyone complaining to ABC Studios. I wish I would have known. I would have done what I could to make changes.”
In the words of screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who resigned from lost after season two, the writers’ room was “a predatory ecosystem with its own carnivorous megafauna.”
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.