Lance Reddick Still Bothered That Lost Killed Off His Character

There were all sorts of shocking twists, turns, and surprise deaths throughout the six seasons of Lost. Eventually, losing major characters or deviating significantly from the original plot became commonplace for the beloved TV series. However, the sudden loss of Matthew Abaddon in Season 5 caught everyone off-guard, including actor Lance Reddick.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Reddick opened up about his time on Lost, saying that he didn’t think it was going to end so soon. He first appeared as Abaddon at the end of Season 4 and was poised for a bigger role in Season 5, only to be killed off after taking a role on Fringe.

“If I think about it too much, I’ll get pissed off,” Reddick said. “When I was cast on Fringe, I was told that I’d be able to continue recurring on Lost. And then, the very first episode that I did on Lost in the middle of Fringe season one — they killed me. So, that was annoying. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great episode … But, it was like, ‘What the fuck, guys?’”

It was apparent when watching the series that Abaddon was set up for something big after his introduction, as his story seemed to be tied quite deeply to Terry O’Quinn’s John Locke. Reddick explained that he was told that he would go on to be a much larger part of the show in Season 5, and that the Fringe casting wasn’t going to be a problem.

“To be perfectly frank, before I was cast on Fringe, the intention was to have the character [Abaddon] become a series regular and major character in season five,” he said. “And then being cast on Fringe just threw a wrench in it.”

Reddick went on to say that he wonders what could have been with Abaddon on Lost, but doesn’t “worry about it too much.”

According to THR, Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse originally wanted to cast Reddick fo the role of Mr. Eko back in Season 2, but the actor was busy filming The Wire at the time. The role ultimately went to Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje instead, with Reddick landing Abaddon two seasons later.

“I found out about that when I saw it in the trades after I was cast as Abaddon,” Reddick explained. “I never heard anything about that. Honestly, maybe my agent mentioned it to me once, but I’d like to think I’d remember something like that, only because of how hot Lost was at the time.”

Were you disappointed when Abaddon was killed off in Lost Season 5? Which character death was the most shocking of the series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!