1 ‘Lost’ Actor Had Their Character Written Just for Them After an Appearance on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
For better or worse, Lost was one of the most influential shows of the past couple of decades. The series, which follows a group of survivors after their plane crash-lands on a mysterious island, sparked a cultural phenomenon with its compelling characters and supernatural mysteries. And one of the ABC show’s most prominent characters had a role written just for them.
Jorge Garcia played Hurley on ABC’s hit drama ‘Lost’
Over the course of its six-season run on ABC, Lost featured an extensive ensemble cast. As the show went on, many original stars left to make way for breakout characters like Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) and Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick).
But even with the ebbs and flows that follow such a broad cast, a few actors remained part of the main cast for the show’s entire run. Jorge Garcia, who played Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, wound up being one of only eight actors to remain a main cast member for every season of Lost.
Hurley’s story centers around his struggled with mental health and the perceived curse from winning the lottery. As the show progressed, he became more and more prominent, ultimately playing a key role in the final season.
How Garcia landed the role of Hurley on ‘Lost’
Initially conceived as a comic-relief character, fans quickly took to Hurley as an unexpected hero. And according to The New York Times, the actor wasn’t just the perfect fit for the character as written. Hurley was created with Garcia in mind.
The role that landed him a seat on Oceanic Flight 815 on Lost was actually a guest spot on an episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Garcia plays a drug dealer in a Season 4 episode titled “The Car Pool Lane.” And Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams spotted his performance.
The show’s team reworked the character who would become Hurley to tailor it to Garcia’s skill set. “J.J. saw Curb Your Enthusiasm, came in the next day and was like, ‘We’ve got to get that guy,'” Garcia told the Times. “It makes you feel like you’re pretty good at what you do.”
What has Jorge Garcia done since ‘Lost’ ended?
Since Lost ended in 2010, Garcia hasn’t landed a role of the same notoriety. But he has kept busy. The actor appeared on shows like How I Met Your Mother, Abrams’ own Fringe, Once Upon a Time, and Californication. Then in 2013, he debuted on Hawaii Five-0, where he was a main cast member from Seasons 5-10.
On the film side, Garcia appeared with Kevin Hart and Josh Gad in 2015 comedy The Wedding Ringer and with an ensemble cast led by Adam Sandler in the same year’s The Ridiculous 6. Most recently, the 49-year-old appeared in 2022’s The Munsters, based on the beloved TV show.
Garcia remains friends with his former Lost castmates even more than a decade after the show ended.
