- Sam McPherson is responsible for this interview.
John Henry Canavan
John Henry Canavan is an actor who has made an appearance on Lost, as Simon Pace, Charlie's father, in "Greatest Hits." The interview was conducted over email on June 17, 2008.
Lostpedia: Do you watch the show? If so, are you a casual viewer, or a die-hard fan? Do you have a favorite character?
I love LOST and have since day one. Getting to do an episode was such a thrill for me because it marked the first time in twelve years of doing film and tv work, that I was working on something that I actually watch! I made a point of saying as much to Damon and Carlton.
Lostpedia: Did you base your performance off the first actor to play Simon Pace, or did you make it your own?
I did go back to see the first glimpse of Charlie's dad but it wasn't enough to base anything on or do anything with so I made it my own. In fact, I actually made Simon "Scottish" having made the move to Manchester, with the thought that the true connection between Desmond and Charlie was that they were brothers, also something I mentioned to [Damon and Carlton] which they seemed intrigued by, but I guess it didn't fly. What can I say? I loved the show and wanted to be a continued part of it. Can't kill a guy for trying.
Lostpedia: Did you film any lines that were cut before the broadcast of the episode?If so, what were they?
What you see is what was written.
"I made Simon "Scottish,"...
Lostpedia: Are there any interesting stories from your time on set?
I was beyond excited to be in Hawaii and working on LOST. I was there to play "Simon Pace" and teach my young son "Charlie" to swim, so that he may not drown later in life. Ironically, on my last day on the island, after body surfing into a tide pool on the West Shore I found myself almost immediately 100 yards off shore, patiently struggling to get back to land. After about 35 minutes or so and having regained about 75 yards, with the Lifegaurds applauding my efforts telling me how great I was doing, I was done and they had to come in and get me out of there. Even with their help it still took another 20 minutes to get back on land. Truly a harrowing experience and one I will never forget. I felt like a sock in the worlds biggest washing machine and I am grateful for having gotten out of there alive. The irony surrounding the whole thing is not at all lost on me.
Lostpedia: What acting have you done since Lost? Do you have anything planned for the future?
Since LOST I worked with Alan Ball on his new Pilot for HBO called "True Blood" where I play the first vampire we meet on the show, called "Good Ole Boy". Most recently I have just returned from over a month of shooting in Tokyo, working on an enormous Japanese Foreign Language film due out in November called "Watashi Wa Kai Ni Naritai" or in English... "I Want To Be A Shellfish". But that's another story.