- Sam McPherson is responsible for this interview and its transcription.
François Chau portrayed Pierre Chang throughout seasons two, three, four, and five of Lost. Questions for this interview were submitted here, as well as through the forums and Twitter. The interview was conducted over email and was posted on July 14, 2009.
Chau as Chang in "Because You Left"
Lostpedia: After spending three years on the show restricted to performing in orientation videos, what was it like to finally get to work with the full cast?
Needless to say, it was really great to finally get to meet the other cast members, and to do scenes with other people and have some interaction with other characters. The cast are an incredible group of people, and it was just a pleasure to finally hang out with them. Some of them, I've known and worked with before.
Lostpedia: Over the summer, you appeared in the Comic-Con video in which your character addressed the audience through a "pinhole" in time. Did you film the video alongside Jeremy Davies, or was his voice added to the video in post-production?
I filmed the Comic-Con video with Jeremy. Some of the stuff we shot, I am told, is bonus material that will be in the DVD.
Chang in the Dharma booth video
Lostpedia: The storyline for season five did not include the filming of the video. What accounted for this change?
I don't know why this scene was not included in season 5. Ours is not to reason why. Ours is just to do what's in the script they give us.
Lostpedia: In the first episode of season five, "Because You Left", Daniel Faraday bumps into Chang at the Orchid construction site, which is later shown to be part of a much longer sequence in "The Variable", when Faraday reveals to Chang that he is from the future. Were these scenes filmed together, or were they filmed separately?
We shot that scene in The Orchid at the beginning of the season, then came back later and recreated the scene from some different POV's.
Miles, Chang's son, saves him during the Incident.
Lostpedia:When were you told that Miles Straume (Ken Leung) was your character's son? How did you react?
I found out that Miles was my son when I read the script they gave me a few days before we started shooting. Well, I was surprised to say the least, and very pleased with this turn of events for my character. I have to say though, I heard this theory from people as far back as when Miles first came on the scene.
Lostpedia: Horace is said to be the leader of DHARMA on the Island, and Eric Lange has said that Radzinsky is second in command. Where do you think Dr. Chang sits in the DHARMA hierachy?
I had always been told that Dr. Chang was the head guy, but I guess in the last few episodes of season 5, we find out differently. My take is that Horace heads up the whole operation on the island, while Chang and Radzinsky are in charge of different stations and projects, and they all report to "Ann Arbor". I liked it better when I thought Chang was in charge.
Lostpedia: Your character was present at the Swan site when the Incident occurred and the hydrogen bomb was detonated. There have been many theories about what will happen following the explosion. What do you think will happen?
My theory is that both happened. The bomb does go off, as Alpert said he saw the aftermath, and at the same time, there was another time shift and some get sent to another time. I don't think everyone survives.
Chau as Pierre Chang
Lostpedia: Is there a reason why your name is never credited in the episodes you appear in?
Ah, the story of my name and credit on the show. It started as a difference of opinion between the producers and my agents about what my credit should be. We settled on "no credit" at first. As the character got more popular as the "mysterious Dr. Candle", it was decided to keep the mystery and stay with no name.
Lostpedia: Have we seen the last of Pierre Chang? Do you consider his story to be finished or do you think there is more to be revealed in season 6?
I sure hope we haven't seen the last of "Dr. Chang"! We know that he survived "The Incident" as he refers to it in the Swan orientation film. Of course, I hope we see a lot more of Dr. Chang in season 6, but that is up to the writers and producers, and how they go about wrapping things up.
Lostpedia: What roles (outside of Lost) do you have planned for the future?
I don't have anything planned outside of Lost right now, I do guest-star on other shows, but nothing in the immediate future.
Lostpedia: Thank you for your time, Mr. Chau.