- User:Sam McPherson is responsible for this interview.
Keir O'Donnell
Keir O'Donnell is an actor who has guest starred on Lost once in season one. Though the part itself was minor, the role he played, of Claire's boyfriend Thomas, has had huge echoes, considering he is the father of Aaron. The interview was conducted over email on August 5, 2008.
Lostpedia: How did you first come to work on Lost? Are there any interesting stories from the casting process?
When I auditioned and got the role, they still weren't releasing the entire
script so I had no idea where the episode was heading. It wasn't until I
arrived in Hawaii that I received the whole thing. Josh Holloway
(Sawyer......well, I guess you probably know that!) was my brother's
neighbor for a couple of years, so we used to play basketball and have
BBQ's together. I was at my brother's place the day that Josh came home to
say he booked LOST. We were all excited, but had no idea of the huge
impact that it was about to have. So when I auditioned I was aware of the
show, only because of Josh. Also, I was born in Sydney, Australia and grew
up there till I was 10, so the accent was fun for me to put back on.
Lostpedia: Do you watch the show? If so, are you a casual fan or a more serious viewer? Do you have a favorite character or episode?
I hate to admit it, but in total, I've only seen a couple of episodes in
the first season. My friends are all die hard LOST fans so they keep me up
to date on what's happening with the show. Only being biased, I'd have to
say my favorite character is Aaron!
Lostpedia: What was it like working with the Lost cast and crew?
I lucked out by getting to go to Hawaii. I figured because my only scenes
were flashbacks set in Australia that they would probably shoot in Los
Angeles, but the whole cast and crew were over in Hawaii, so it worked out
pretty nicely for me. My episode ("Raised by Another") was still pretty
early on in the show and they were juggling doing a couple episodes at the
same time. The crew were great and worked very quickly.
O'Donnell as Thomas
Lostpedia: Lost had not fully caught on by the time you came to work on it. What were your thoughts about it? Did you think it would become as big of a hit as it has?
That's true. When I got the part they had just finished editing the first
episode so they sent it over for me to watch. As soon as I saw it I knew
it was really special and that people would respond. That pilot episode
actually aired while I was in Hawaii and was a huge hit almost overnight.
I was just glad to be a part of something that people appreciated but had
no idea of the eventual success and ultimately the pivotal relevance of my
character. The writing is so clever and the actors, directors, and crew
have obviously found a key for compelling fans around the world.
Lostpedia: Some of Thomas's paintings have been seen in the show since your appearance. What do you think this means? Are you going to appear in the show again sometime in the future?
I've been told! Truthfully, I have no idea of the significance. All that I
do know is that the art department did a great job with my paintings! I
would love to return to the show. My friends have compiled theories upon
theories as to why and how "Thomas" could appear again.
Thomas paints
Lostpedia: For such a small role, your character has had a big impact on the story (the father of Aaron, the reason Claire was on the island). How does it feel to be such a lasting part of the show's mythology?
It's great. Again, I had no idea that the one episode of my character
could still be so relevant 4 years later. I still receive letters from
fans and meet people who have just watched the first season which is
really cool. It's also nice to be able to explain my role so easily. When
people ask who I played, I just always say, "You know Aaron? Well, I'm his
daddy!".
Lostpedia: What have you been doing since your appearance on Lost, and what do you have planned for the future?
Shortly after my episode of LOST, I played Todd Cleary in WEDDING CRASHERS. From there I did THE BREAK-UP, VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW, PATHOLOGY, AMUSEMENT, some TV episodes and some independent films. I just finished a movie opposite Kevin James, that Adam Sandler produced called PAUL BLART: MALL COP coming out in theatres Jan. 16. '09 and I'm currently shooting multiple episodes of a new FX show called SONS OF ANARCHY. Check out my website for more details.