- Sam McPherson is responsible for this interview and its transcription.
Steven Labrash as Morgue employee
Steven Labrash is an actor who has made an appearance on Lost as a Morgue employee in the episode "Not in Portland". These questions were created by Sam McPherson, and asked via email on June 16, 2008.
Lostpedia: Do you watch Lost? If so, are you a die-hard fan or just a casual viewer? And do you have a favorite episode, character, etc?
I didn't watch lost at first, but then I started to hear the buzz about the show it peaked my interest. I heard from a few people that the show was a little confusing to pick up mid season so I decided to watch it from the beginning when the DVD's came out. I bought it and ended up watching the entire season on a 3 day weekend. I absolutely loved the first season. The second season was a bit of a letdown for me and by the time the last season came around i considered myself a casual viewer. My favorite character has got to be Locke. For me he is the "everyman" and overcomes whats been thrown at him. My favorite episode is "Not in Portland" but that's probably because of the cast.
Lostpedia: What was it like to act alongside Elizabeth Mitchell? Are there any memorable stories from your time on the set?
Elizabeth was nice to work with, but to be honest I didn't know her character on the show yet (no one did), the only thing i recognized her from was "Santa Clause". The person that I was geeked about was Zeljko Ivanek. I have always been a huge "OZ" fan and i loved his character on that show. I felt sorry for him during the first part of our shoot because the anatomy lab is about 65 degrees and he had to lay down on an metal autopsy table shirtless. I originally had 3 lines on the show and the first two lines got cut during editing. These two lines were the ones where Zeljko (Edmund) had to lie on the cold table.
Lostpedia: You had previously stated that you were concerned about Lost filming in the labs at your university, but later changed your mind. What were your concerns, and what adjustments were made by the crew to calm these concerns?
Originally the show contacted us during the second season and wanted to film in the anatomy lab. I politely told them we could not allow it and the request went away. During the third season the same request was made and once again I vetoed the idea. Then someone went farther up the chain and I was requested by my bosses boss to be supportive of the shoot. My basic concerns deal with our Willed Body Program. I did not want the families of our donors to think their loved ones were being used to film a TV show. Some one from the publicity department at Lost got the local paper to write an article about the shoot and mention that although the cadaver lab was being used to film, the cadavers had all been removed and replaced with dummies.
Hawaii is such a small community and the show has such a great following on the Island that I just wanted to make sure our families didn't think we were compromising their loved ones.
Lostpedia: Were there any lines that you filmed but were cut from the final broadcast of the episode? If so, what were they?
I actually had 3 lines but the first 2 got cut. I don't remember exactly what they were but they had to do with Juliet identifying Edmund, and that she was his "ex-wife".
Lostpedia: Have you thought about doing any more acting roles?
I am honored to be a small part of such a great piece of pop culture. My getting this part is a lot like lightning, I don't ever think it will strike again. I joked my way into this role and was lucky enough to get the part. I was also my good fortune to do my audition in the anatomy lab, on the same spot that they would eventually film. If I had to do my audition in a studio, in front of the casting director instead of in the anatomy lab surrounded by cadavers i would never have gotten the part.