Navigating the Future Careers of the Stars of "Lost"

Lost is a subject that's been on my mind a lot recently.  I mean, how could it not be when the finale had the island literally moving, a rather important character in a coffin, and Christian Shepherd making more cryptic visits (seriously, for being dead since the show's beginning, this guy is getting an awful lot of screen time).  I had started wondering about the direction the show would take in its last two seasons, and then an entirely different thought struck me: which of our favorite cast members are actually going to achieve post-Lost stardom and which are going to disappear abruptly like those worthless diversions Nikki and Paulo?

Okay, okay.  I know that I set out to make a blog about movies, and probably look like a bit of a hypocrite sitting here writing about Lost (because it's obviously not discussed enough).  But what I'm interested in is the movie star potential of its cast and really, how can you talk movies without talking actors?

So let's begin the discussion with the cast member who has the least Hollywood potential: Matthew Fox.  It doesn't make sense at first glance, I know.  Despite the praise for Lost's strong ensemble, the guy is basically its star and looks-wise, he's the perfect leading man.  His recent attempts at the silver screen, however, would suggest otherwise.  While co-starring with Matthew McConaughey in the 2006 sports movie We Are Marshall seemed like a small, but safe, step in the right direction, he followed it with two of 2008's biggest bombs: Vantage Point (did I mention his horrendous Spanish accent?) and Speed Racer.  With those crushing disappointments and no other films lined up at present time, it would seem that Knocked Up was right; there really isn't anything interesting (or bankable) about Matthew Fox.

However, there is something very bankable about Jack's half-sister Claire, known in the real world as Emilie de Ravin.  She is probably the Lost cast member that I see having the best shot at celebrity, largely because she knows how to balance commercially and critically successful projects.  She made her film debut in the terrific 2005 indie film noir Brick (also starring the wonderful Joseph Gordon-Levitt) but then took a role in the 2006 horror flick The Hills Have Eyes, which pulled in a respectable $41.7 million.  Since then she's slowed down, but in 2009 she'll appear with critic (and audience) darlings Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in the Michael Mann crime drama Public Enemies.  So yeah, I think she'll be just fine.

Fittingly, Ms. de Ravin's ill-fated onscreen romantic interest Dominic Monaghan also shows great promise.  The fact that Monaghan already had a bit of a name from that little Lord of the Rings trilogy prior to Lost might have something to do with it, but regardless I think Charlie fans can expect some significant movie roles from him in the future.  His success, admittedly, is a little less certain than de Ravin's since he hasn't appeared in a wide-release (or especially well-noted) movie since LOTR, but he does currently have three films in the works, one of which is X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  So while I may be partial to him since Charlie was always my favorite and he may need a little more time before he makes the A- or more likely B-list, I can't help thinking we'll be seeing much more of our dearly departed Dominic.

Now there are some Losties that I see having long careers, but as slightly obscure actors, not stars.  Naveen Andrews (aka resident torture specialist Sayid) is probably the best example.  Like Monaghan, he already had a decent resume (including a part in the nine-time Oscar winner The English Patient) before joining ABC's smash series and, like de Ravin, he continued to take some career-savvy projects in his spare time.  First came the 2004 Bollywood-style Jane Austen adaptation Bride and Prejudice, followed by the critically acclaimed 2007 B-movie homage Grindhouse (specifically the Robert Rodriguez half, Planet Terror) and Jodie Foster film The Brave One (also 2007).  Presently, he just wrapped a horror movie called Animals and, considering his Oceanic Six status, probably has at least another season of Lost.  Although, knowing the show, Andrews might be churning out some post-Lost projects sooner than we think.

As for the rest of the cast, I feel that they have yet to prove the viability of their careers one way or another.  I mean, Evangeline Lilly (Kate) could definitely be big, or screw her chances with a few bad choices, like Matthew Fox.  Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) could easily fade into obscurity, but he did have that spot on the mini-series The Andromeda Strain recently.  Who knows?  One thing, however, is certain: these actors, like their crazy show, just love to keep us guessing.