Welcome to Néstor Carbonell Central the official fansite for Emmy winning actor & director, Néstor Carbonell. You may remember him from his role as Luis Rivera in Suddenly Susan, as the ageless & enigmatic Richard Alpert in Lost, or as stoic Sheriff, Alex Romero in Bates Motel. His other roles include his Emmy winning guest appearance in Shogun as Vasco Rodrigues, the Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as numerous voice acting credits. In addition to acting he has stepped behind the camera to direct, produce, and screen write. Néstor currently co-stars in The Morning Show as Yanko Flores
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Nestor Carbonell and Henry Ian Cusick Interview LOST

Collider   |   Written by Sarah Wayland

Article From Collider

After six roller coaster seasons, the hit television series Lost is coming to an end on May 23rd. Whether all the questions get answered or not, one thing is for certain – the phenomenon will be a part of television history that is always remembered.

Actors Nestor Carbonell and Henry Ian Cusick, two of the show’s stars, recently did press to talk about the very highly anticipated finale. Even though no spoilers could be given, they did reflect on what it’s like, now that Lost is coming to an end. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Nestor Carbonell as Richard LOST image
Question: How relieved are you guys that the show has almost come to an end?

Nestor: I’m really sad. I want to be able not to answer questions.

What do you guys think of the ending and what do you think fans will think?

Henry: In the true nature of the show, the show has always brought up a lot of debate, and there will be a lot of debate about the end of the show and the meaning of it. For some people, it will be very definite. We all get the same script and we all watch the same episode, and we all have different opinions on it, week to week. That’s what happens.

Is there any redemption or closure for your character?

Henry: Absolutely.
Nestor: There absolutely is. The show raises so many questions that are mythological and biblical, and scientific issues and questions, but at the heart of it, the show has been about the characters and, specifically, the aspect of love in their lives. What the finally, for me, has done so well is really focus on that element of the show, which is what is at its heart. Love has destroyed and made us greater people. Desmond lost Penny and Richard lost his wife. We’ve all had tragic episodes with love, and that’s really what is at the heart of the show. For others who feel that way, the finale will be great closure.

Henry, why do Desmond and Penny have such an epic romance that is so integral to the show?

Henry: Theirs is a very old-fashioned love story. Desmond is somebody who has lost his love, and he’s trying to get back to it. It’s timeless. The fans just went for it, and they did a good job writing it.

What makes Desmond so special?

Henry: They gave Desmond these traits of being noble and being an everyman character that people could relate to, and yet he has just carried on, doing the best he could, given the circumstances he was in. That’s always appealing. And then, he was given the ability to see the future, and that’s cool.

Why was Desmond not in the final cast portrait?

Henry: I’m a guest star. I’m only in seven episodes.

Nestor, for the episode you did in Spanish, how did they write that? Did they write it in English and then have it translated?

Nestor: Well, they wrote it in English so that production could understand everything that was being said. But, Connie Saucedo, who works on the show and is originally from Mexico, translated all the text. She did a phenomenal job of translating, and I speak Spanish as well. My parents are both Cuban. We went through it together and made minor tweaks, but Connie really did the bulk of the work. She did a great job. It’s another example of not knowing any other show that will spend 30 minutes of an hour in primetime, doing it all in Spanish with subtitles.

Did either of you take any souvenirs from the set?

Henry: No. We got nothing. I’m hoping that they’ll send us something.

What do you wish you had taken?

Henry: I don’t know. I would like something, but I find it hard just to think of one thing. I would like to have a Lost clapper board with the numbers and the clock at the top.

What was it that you really wanted answered in this final season?

Nestor: For me, it really was about how they were going to resolve all of these relationships that have either been in conflict or that were personal. That, to me, was addressed, so I was very satisfied with what I got. I wasn’t looking for answers to questions that were more minutiae. I was looking for bigger theme answers, and I definitely got those.

Henry: I forgot what the questions were. After awhile, when I was doing “Happily Ever After,” and I realized where I was in my life and where Desmond was, coming from a base of love and coming from a place of no fear and being more spiritual, it just seemed to elevate it. I realized that the little questions were not important. It became about the overall thing, and about life. All of a sudden, those questions just seemed trivial. I don’t care. I don’t care what those answers are.

Where are you guys going to be for the finale?

Henry: I don’t know. I’ve got a soccer game.

Nestor: I’m going to be here in L.A. We’re doing Jimmy Kimmel, and I’ll be watching with everyone else. I haven’t read the entire script because I didn’t get all of the acts. I’ll be watching the final end of it with everybody.

Does being a part of something like this raise the bar for future projects? What do you think about when you’re looking for the next gig?

Nestor: You’re right. Before I was on the show, because I was a fan of the show, I recognized that this show has broken convention, in every single way, and elevated TV. You’re not going to find better writers than the writers on this show. It’s incredible, what they’ve done with story, character and format. They invented this incredible world that we got to play in. I’ve been blessed to have worked before on TV, and I’ve had great luck and worked with great people, and this has been another phenomenal experience. And, we got to shoot in Hawaii, on top of that. So, how do you top this? How do you follow something like this? Who knows. For me, it’s always about what’s on the page. I have tremendous respect for writing. When you recognize good writing and you’re lucky enough to get it, like with Lost, that’s what I follow.

Lost has had a pretty big impact on television and pop culture. What do you think the legacy of this show is?

Henry: It’s special. It’s a phenomenon. You’ll have to ask us in five or 10 years time, to see what impact the show had on American TV.