The following contains spoilers for Lost.Josh Holloway, the actor best known for bringing to life one of the most important survivors in Lost, has revealed that he didn’t exactly love one aspect of his character. Although he was a bit rough at first, Sawyer became extremely popular with fans, and a key player in the journey to survive the events that took place on the mysterious island. Nevertheless, the character’s story before the plane crash was that of a villain – a morally corrupt man who used his ravishing good looks to con women. Yes, there was a reason, but that didn’t make Sawyer any better. Holloway was recently a guest at the convention FanExpo in New Orleans, where he participated in a panel alongside his Lost co-stars Dominic Monaghan and François Chau. The panel saw the Lost cast navigating the 20-year legacy of the ABC series, and answering a few questions from fans. It was a great conversation that found the three performers looking back on the show’s legacy, with Monaghan saying: “Lost has that effortlessly cool vibe to it. The name of the show is cool. What the creators were willing to do, how they were willing to push it, how they never played it safe.” The trio also talked about their respective characters and their roles in the hit drama. Given how important Sawyer was to fans, many tried to get Holloway’s take on the origins of his character, and he was very candid. As it turns out, like many in the audience, Holloway didn’t fully connect with Sawyer’s sketchy past.
What Did Josh Holloway Hate About His Character on ‘Lost’?

Josh Hollowy as Sawyer in LostABC

From the beginning, Sawyer was one of the most divisive and controversial characters on the show. While many were charmed by his rakish smile, Sawyer was also the guy hoarding necessary items to survive on the island. Additionally, when many realized there had been a convict aboard Oceanic Flight 815, they thought Sawyer was the guy.

However, as time passed, and Sawyer began to open up and show he was also vulnerable and sensitive, we all changed our minds. Until his backstory was revealed, anyway, and viewers learned that Sawyer was a con man. Taking a question about his character’s balance between the pain of having lost his family and his conman persona, Holloway revealed that, although Sawyer became one of the series’ most popular survivors, he wasn’t keen on his character because of this detail:

“Honestly, I did not like Sawyer conning women. That was something I did not digest well. So, I used the brief, from his family being destroyed obviously to rationalize that within myself. But also, let the flavor of ‘I didn’t like myself’ come through.
“That was interesting for me. It was great, that episode where I got to kill Sawyer, the actual Sawyer guy. But I freaked him out a bit. I had to choke him with a chain. But he was cool, and I didn’t hurt him with a chain.”

Release Date

2004 – 2010-00-00

Network

ABC

Directors

Jack Bender, Paul A. Edwards, Tucker Gates, Eric Laneuville, Bobby Roth, Greg Yaitanes, Daniel Attias, J.J. Abrams, Karen Gaviola, Kevin Hooks, Rod Holcomb, Stephen Semel, Adam Davidson, Alan Taylor, David Grossman, Deran Sarafian, Fred Toye, Mario Van Peebles, Marita Grabiak, Mark Goldman, Matt Earl Beesley, Michael Zinberg, Paris Barclay, Robert Mandel

Writers

Jim Galasso, Christina M. Kim, Graham Roland, Kyle Pennington, Brent Fletcher, Dawn Lambertsen Kelly, Janet Tamaro, Jeffrey Lieber, Paul Dini, Jordan Rosenberg