‘LOST’ Actor Claims He Was Fired From Show for Unbelievable Reason

It's hard to deny that LOST was and still is a landmark television series, even though it ended 13 years ago.

But like many popular TV series of the past, the behind-the-scenes was a bit more complicated, as cast member Harold Perrineau revealed in a shocking new book.

Perrineau, who played Michael Dawson in the mystery drama, opened up in a new book called Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, written by author and TV critic Maureen Ryan, about what he believed led to his firing.

In an excerpt published by Vanity Fair, Perrineau said that he initially believed in the creators' pledge that the series would feature a diverse cast of characters with a story that "was really equitable," saying, “We were all really hopeful about it.”

But soon enough, that proved not to be the case, with the white main characters, Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Jack (Matthew Fox), and Sawyer (Josh Holloway), getting most of the focus.

This came to a head at the start of season two, when Michael's son Walt, played by Malcolm David Kelley, is kidnapped. Perrineau noticed that Michael only mentions Walt once in the first episode, which he says he brought up to the showrunners, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

"Michael’s asking Sawyer questions about his past, about how he feels, but he never again mentions Walt," Perrineau recalled. "I don’t think I can do that. I can’t be another person who doesn’t care about missing Black boys, even in the context of fiction, right? This is just furthering the narrative that nobody cares about Black boys, even Black fathers.”

The actor told the showrunners about his experience and brought up the equal story that was promised when Perrineau took the job. He reportedly said, “If you’re going to use me, let’s work. I’m here to work. I’m good at my job and I’ll do anything you want. Except be ‘the Black guy’ on your show.”

He said the showrunners somewhat excused his concerns. Despite not receiving the response he hoped for, Perrineau continued working hard on the scenes he got, until Cuse told him that his character would not be returning after the LOST season two finale.

Perrineau shared, “I was f----d up about it. I was like, ‘Oh, I just got fired, I think.’”

The actor remembered talking to Cuse about it, with the showrunner reportedly saying, "Well, you know, you said to us, if we don’t have anything good for you, you want to go."

"I was just asking for equal depth,” Perrineau said.

Ryan's book also includes comments from writers on the show who recalled an unwelcome environment in which writers shared racist and sexist comments, with one saying that Lindelof, regarding Perrineau, said that he “called me racist, so I fired his ass.”

The book also recounts a very dark and shocking conversation between writers and Cuse about actor Akinnuoye-Agbaje's character, Mr. Eko, while they wrote his final episode.

Both Lindelof and Cuse spoke with Ryan about Perrineau and the writers' statements about LOST.

Lindelof said, "My level of fundamental inexperience as a manager and a boss, my role as someone who was supposed to model a climate of creative danger and risk-taking but provide safety and comfort inside of the creative process — I failed in that endeavor."

Speaking on the writers' recollections of his statement about Perrineau, he added, "I have no recollection of those specific things. And that's not me saying that they didn't happen. I'm just saying that it's literally baffling my brain — that they did happen and that I bore witness to them or that I said them."

He also recalled other actors bringing up similar opinions to Perrineau, and stated that the lack of equal treatment is "one of the things that I've had deep and profound regrets about in the two decades since."

As for Cuse, he claimed to Ryan that he wasn't present for or didn't hear any of the offensive things LOST writers spoke about, saying in his statement, "It's deeply upsetting to know that there were people who had such bad experiences. 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."

Parade has reached out to reps for Lindelof and Cuse for additional comment but, as of publishing, has not heard back.