( continues...) uttered a speaking line in Hollywood yet. ''She was beautiful, but there was a goofy quality about her,'' recalls Abrams, ''so it didn't feel like she wasn't a human being.''
Visa issues nearly scotched this find; Lilly was cleared for work less than 24 hours before shooting her first scene. Not that she was sold right away: ''When I first read [the audition scenes], I was like, 'What? Gilligan's Island with 15 people? And what is the thing in the bushes?' When I read the full script, I started to go, 'Wait a minute -- these guys can write.' I'm not a sci-fi person. I'm not a big action-adventure person. I don't even own a TV. But I remember thinking 'Wow.'''
Lost premiered Sept. 22 with a gutsy two-parter that began at the site of a horrific plane wreck (whoa, that dude just got sucked into the engine!), featured a pilot being brutally killed by an off-camera creature, and ended with our veritable U.N. of survivors discovering a 16-year-old looped distress call indicating that they might not be alone. Despite having all the makings of a noble TV failure (glowing reviews, unusual premise), Lost drew 18.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched drama debut at 8 p.m. in five years (since NBC's Providence), and proving that a killer high-concept series can be king. ''Still, to this moment...I can't... it feels impossible,'' stutters Abrams, whose previous shows have teetered on the cusp of cancellation. ''I see the top 10 list and I see Lost is there and it looks like something that a friend would mock up just to hurt me.''
Cast members aren't sure what to make of the hubbub either -- specially because they've been marooned far away on Hawaii's North Shore since shooting began in July. (They've finished 13 of 23 episodes and will wrap in March.) ''The agents call up from L.A. and say, 'Here's how you did last night,''' says O'Quinn (Locke). ''I'll have to have the empirical evidence before I believe anything.'' And on that rare visit back to the mainland? ''I did take a trip to L.A. recently with Matthew, and we were in the airport and we had a few really bizarre looks from people hoping that we weren't going to get on their flight,'' says Monaghan (Charlie). ''It's definitely weird walking around airports now, because we are associated with bringing down a 747.''
They're also connected to a series that raises more questions than a philosopher on speed. Are they all dead? What's up with the black and white stones? Will Gilligan ever hook up with Mary Ann? (Oh, wait -- wrong island.) The query most often posed to the Lost bunch, though, is even more perplexing: What in the name of Mr. Rourke is that people-chomping creature tromping through the trees? ''It looks like a camera on a stick,'' quips O'Quinn, whose character is the only one who has seen The Thing. Even when it comes to their own backstories, the cast receives just the essential info. ''Which, by the way, could be a two-syllable word,'' says Ian Somerhalder, a.k.a. Boone, brother to spoiled babe Shannon (Maggie Grace). ''I've been waiting for over 100 days to find out what the hell I'm about. It's like J.J. and Damon are playing a chess game, we're the pieces, and they're just like, 'That was a great move! Check.''' Then again, certain cast members don't take nothing for an answer. Notes Grace: ''There's always an on-set writer and we can't resist. So we'll go out for drinks, wait till the wine kicks in, and go, 'Oh, hey, so about that monster...' But they don't usually bite.''
Considering those tantalizing TV mysteries that ultimately disappoint (damn you, Twin Peaks!), fans need to know: Are they getting strung along here on a creative high-wire act? While Lindelof promises that Lost isn't ''a big smoke-and-mirrors trick,'' Abrams acknowledges that they're still discovering the show for themselves. ''It's like using a Ouija board. You're telling this story, but you're like, 'Are you pushing it?' But we have a big-picture idea of (continued...)