Thanks to Josh for the following.
Also, there is an interview with Mira Furlan's husband from a Croatian magazine which states that Mira Furlan asked to be written out of the show because she didn't like constantly being in Hawaii. Her husband also states that she might be back for the next season.
"Why did your wife stopped shooting ''Lost?''?
She got bored of Hawaii. She got ''island fever'' - that's how cast of Lost calls it in joke. Simply, she didn't want to be on that island, she didn't want to work that job, so she made a deal with the producers to kill her character off.
How did they kill her off?
Shot her. But, her character is pretty popular with fans of the series, so they leaved possibility for comeback next season."
Source: http://forum.lostpedia.com/showthread.php?t=13744 (post by Darthie: http://forum.lostpedia.com/showpost.php?p=679348&postcount=6)
Posted by: Josh
05-May-2008
Mira Furlan asked to be written out
(Comments: 92)
Labels:
Danielle,
Mira Furlan
92 Comments:
maybe she will 'come back' in someone elses ON ISLAND flashback, and through it, maybe she will get a flash or two as well. :)
What a great gig for an actor--you can get written out but still do a guest starring thing as Danielle With A Gaping Chest Wound warning someone about something. :-)
Oh yeah, I totally agree with Mira. I'd hate to be in Hawaii >.>
It's a shame but if you gotta go, you gotta go.
Zombie Danielle will return, as did Boone, Mr Friendly etc etc, I'm sure.
That makes her exit a little more palatable.
Now I feel guilty for being kinda peeved at TPTB for what I presumed was their call :/
Yeah, I could see this coming. Not that I ever knew this was the reason, but I always sensed something beyond TPTB's control was responsible for Danielle's death. They did it as well as they could, I guess.
oh yeah, it must be really terrible to be on a tropical island working in one of the best shows on TV right now....yeah i'd drop that too if given the chance......
bah, now i like her a lot less.
It would be one thing if they had actually given Mira any work to do in the last two seasons, it's another thing when they've just used her as a glorified extra, a filler for crowd scenes with no dialogue at all. It's insulting for an actress of her calibre to be treated that way.
TPTB haven't done anything worthwhile or interesting with "Danielle" character since David Fury left the show. I'd much rather see Mira in better projects than the disjointed, haphazard mess this show has become.
Furlan is from a country where the weather is absolutely the polar opposite of that of Hawaii. Some people get used to and love what they grew up with and have a hard time settling somewhere very different. Some people (like my husband) can't take hot or humid weather at all. Even TOQ, who initially loved Hawaii, sold his island home and goes back to Maryland whenever he's not feeling. Considering that her character didn't seem to be going anywhere much in terms of plot, I can't say I blame her.
...I meant "whenever he's not filming." I tend to type phonetically these days. Doesn't say much for my attention span.
I love Hawaii, but I can only take it in moderation. I even start to feel confined when I spend as little as a week there. I don't blame Mira at all.
She made a huge mistake. This was the role of her life. Too bad.
She's a very popular recording artist and star in her home country. I think she'll be fine.
I've only been to Hawaii once, but I can't imagine ever getting tired of it. I loved it so much that I would love to retire there someday. Of course not ever one feels the same way. After hearing me gush about Hawaii so much, my mother and step-father went there on vaction, and wouldn't you know it, they hated it. To each his own, I suppose!
I spent 4 years on Oahu while my dad was getting shot at in Vietnam. It's bound to better now, with satellite TV and the Internet and all that, but even as a kid, I felt cut off from civilization, stranded.
Danielle was always just a prop to lead the main characters somewhere (the Black Rock, the Tower etc.). Now that we can reasonably guess what The Sickness was that prompted her to kill her crew (i.e. the same thing that drove Minkowski and the other freighties crazy), her story feels complete, no need do a full-on flashback anymore.
It's mistaken to think that this is her "biggest role", in fact, most people say "Oh, Delenn from Babylon 5, yeah!" when I mention who she is.
Well you can't blame her really, like others have said her character was going nowhere and it just seemed like the only reason she was still alive was for the producers to tell her backstory. They were never gonna make her a series regular so what's the point of her staying? She'd been on the show for 4 years and she'd gone nowhere and i'm gonna guess that she heard they were gonna kill Alex off so there was even less chance of her having more story.
The producers wouldn't have killed her off had they not been able to tell her backstory.
surly: if croatia was the opposite of hawaii (climatic), what would latvia be then?
Oh not even close to "the role of her life".
Try "Ankica Vidmar" from "Otac na sluzbenom putu" ("When Father was Away on Business"), a film that won the Palme d'or at Cannes and was nominated for a foreign film Oscar in 1985, and was directed by one of the geniuses of Eastern European film, Emir Kusterica Or "Jaglika" from "Lepota poroka", for which she won Yugoslavia's equivalent of as Best Actress Oscar.
And that's leaving aside all the major stage roles she's had with some very incredible directors, including playing "Ophelia" in Dubrovnik the year Juri Menzel directed the play.
I'd even be willing to bet that "Sonja" from "Turneja" is a better role, and that film hasn't been released yet.
I find it funny when people complain about being in Hawaii.
I understand her reason. I'm from Quebec and during the summer months it gets so incredibly hot and humid, I can barely stand to be outside, so living in a place that is hot as hell all year long would be like being roasted alive IMO.
even if I'd get no screentime, no lines, no money and I should sleep in Jacob's cabin, I'd still be working there. DAMN YOU MIRA!
I loved how she played the character but she wasn't being used this season and I can't blame her for leaving.
I'm sure if TPTB told her "sure, we'll kill you off at the end of the season, but we need one flashback" she wouldn't have said no.
One other thing to take note of. Mira and Goran have a son, who is not yet 10. Goran is in Belgrade directing a TV series. Mira would probably rather be with their son in LA, than hanging out in Hawaii, being used as an extra. It's likely not so much that the problem is being *IN* Hawaii as it is being where her son is not.
I just hope she will be back for season 5 & finally see her flashback which we are all dying to see. Probably via Ben or Richard now she's dead.
She was my favourite Other or islander lol Her backstories could have been amazing to watch. Her character beisdes Richard & Jacob would have been one of the strongest connections to the island. I wish Mira all the best!! Danielle Rousseau rocked!!
PS: Danielle should stay with those artic guys, that wud keep her happy!! lol
Thanks, Zlatna! Sometimes us US tv viewers need to be reminded that there is a thriving worldwide film and television industry that gets very little play here. Mira has had plenty of fame and prestige in that venue...and then there's the whole Trekkie angle that has been mentioned. Lost is not the zenith of entertainment, as much as we may like to think it is.
No WAY. That makes me incredibly sad! Obviously that's not the way the writers intended for her to go... and it will probably limit her importance to the story overall.
Maybe it means that Claire will have a bigger role though? But if not... what a SHAME!
I have to laugh at the comments like--I dont blame her...I can only take hawaii in moderation or I understand, its just too hot and humid
People people..is this what humans have become? You wouldnt last 2 minutes in any other era in human history then. Lets see you get off that island in the 19th century. Maybe the Persians would have liked it in Canada---oops...no planes...guess they just had to tough it out.
They should do one of those tie-in one-shot episodes that takes place over the time that Danielle has been stranded (entirely flashback). Write it as a 1 or 2-hour episode and film it with a separate crew while simultaneously filming Lost (so they can have Michael Emerson, Nestor Carbonell, and other island oldies in it at their will). There's certainly enough time to do this, TPTB would be making good on their promises of a Danielle flashback, and it would tide LOST fans over until February. Maybe air the episode in the fall.
Unlikely though. :(
I just hope she will be back for season 5 & finally see her flashback which we are all dying to see. Probably via Ben or Richard now she's dead
I'm totally up for some Danielle FB action, but what would it be? Her going nuts and killing her team? That seems kind of.....not needed, now that we know what The Sickness was. That might have worked when they had to pad things out because they didn't know how many seasons they were going to run, but now, with the end firmly set, I really really really hate time-wasting scenes (not that there's been many since the end of season 3).
Gosh - people can be quite callous
She would have been in a position where a) her family wasnt around b) she was always having to speak in a second language c) she wasnt used to the climate and d) her filming hours were exponentially increasing as her character became more important. I can totally understand how this would wear on you.
The shame for me is that TPTB couldnt convince her that they would just have her run off into the jungle again after Alex was killed and not have to have too great a role, other than to tie up her loose ends.
I thought the whole, lets run away from the bad guy and now your dead, end of and now your buried was to quick and to sudden.
Soon as they found out she wanted to leave, they could have written her out better, have go out in a ball of flame, go down like a fighter, like they did with Mr. Eko, yes it might have been sudden but he when it a brill smokey (one-sided) match off.
i'm over it now that i've thought more about it.
it would suck to be away from your kids for such a long time. especially for less than a supporting role.
I lived in Honolulu for a year and a half in the late 1970's. I didn't find the island confining nor the climate oppressive. The only reason I left was because I had to get back to family. I see the actors' families on the mainland as being the main reason they'd want to go back regardless of what they might say. Also an important factor for the actors is their being away from Hollywood and other side gigs that they might otherwise do. Oahu is comfortably large enough so that you don't really feel like you're confined to an island..and you're not..You can get on a plane and take a quick hop to one of the neighbor islands. The heat is usually not oppressive because of the trade winds and it's nowhere near as humid as Florida, which, unlike Hawaii, does get unbearably hot in the summertime.
Wait a minute. I could see one of the main cast members getting sick of Hawaii, maybe. But she wasn't required that much, right? I dunno. I hate hot weather, so I would be the perfect person to not like Hawaii. But if it meant being involved what may be the best show in television history, I think I could stick it out.
And honestly I don't understand why the show let's them go. They could force them to stay right? I would. I really liked Danielle. So instead of being less disappointed this just aggravates me.
I have only one question: Why do we have to read an interview with Mira's husband on her role in Lost, when the actress herself was (supposed to be) interviewed over a month ago. I'd like to hear what SHE has to say on this (and other) topics.
Did that interview ever happen???
I thought it was obvious that these guys screw around with characters without thinking about the actors. Michael, Walt, Charlie, Danielle, and Shannon were poorly used since the first season. In their attempts to hide all the answers until the final season, they truly lost potential in some great storytelling. The lost of Danielle is just another example.
And honestly I don't understand why the show let's them go. They could force them to stay right? I would. I really liked Danielle. So instead of being less disappointed this just aggravates me.
Force them to stay how? Mira did not have a contract with the show, she had never been offered a contract with the show.
If they'd actually given her something to do in the last two seasons, she might have felt differently, but I can totally see why she'd rather be with her son in LA (especially with her husband being away working in Belgrade)than hanging around on the set of LOST being used as an extra with no lines and nothing to do to speak of.
I also think she must have asked not to be back after the writers strike... So my idea of her running away after Alex dies is not practical.
Its still a real shame though.
Honestly what was left for Rousseau to do?
Last season she guided the Losties to the radio tower, turned off her message that had been playing for 16 years and was reunited with her daughter. While we may have wished there'd been a bit more focus on all this the fact is her story was over.
She was never that major a character to begin with. Her main role on the show was that of a guide to our survivors whom as many commented on earlier in the season have grown much more confident in their surroundings. They didn't need her anymore and neither did the show. Keeping her alive for a future flashback when the writers can just as easily tell her story post-death was pointless.
The writers have promised we'll still get to see her backstory and I believe them. We just need to have a little patience. They've obviously held back on it for a reason. If they didn't and Rousseau's story happened just as she described it in Solitary then there was no need for a flashback.
golden said...The shame for me is that TPTB couldnt convince her that they would just have her run off into the jungle again after Alex was killed and not have to have too great a role, other than to tie up her loose ends.
==========
Yeah. She served her purpose and she reunited with her daughter. They had already planned to kill Alex (I'd imagine) and it would have made her even more pointless to keep around.
She'd have been a follower anyway.
Though, I really would still like to have a FB of hers.
I dont mind Alex and Danielle being dead I just wish we could've had more scenes with them talking to each other. We hardly got any. I know there are other thing happening on this island of more importance but they should have had a conversation before they kicked the buckets. It's like it goes "Want to help me tie him up?"----"He's gone! We need to run! I love you very much Alexandra. 1,2,3!" That's all folks!
I am glad that she asked to be written out instead of the writers changing their minds (a flashback episode was promised).
Another ungratefull spoiled hollywood actor that dosen't apreciate that there in a spot most people would kill to be in. I'm a struggling actor, so I'd be thrilled to have one line in Lost
Oh god...
The whole point was she couldn't travel all the time to Hawaii and practically do nothing, she missed her family and that's it.
And whoever said her home country is the polar opposite of Hawaii concerning wheather - dude, you should really go back to school and learn about the climate. Again. Over here in ex-Yugoslavia it's not summer all the time, but our summers are like the one in Hawaii, but we have "normal" winter. :D
Anyhow, I hope we'll see her again in some FB. But it's really too bad they didn't make her a regular by season 4. I was always excited to see her in LOST.
Its her decision. She was one of my favourite characters, along with Richard Alpert. I suppose you can't have it all, you gain one, you lose one.
I'm sure she will be very successful in whatever she does.
I was disappointed to see Danielle killed. However, if the interview with her husband is accurate, I'm glad she is now doing what she wants to do.
I think she was the best actress on the show, and had a backstory with the most potential. A Danielle-centric episode would have been many times more interesting than one of Kate.
Some people are ridiculously immature, how old are they, five, complaining about a person's personal reasons for choosing where they work.
She was not spoiled, nor ungrateful nor from Hollywood, and it's insulting and telling of people's intelligence that they do not respect other people's right to choose what they want to do or may have to do. God forbid these ridiculously immature people grow some common sense and accept reality.
@ jake chambers--Sorry for my use of hyperbole regarding the weather, but it cannot be said that Hawaii is temperate or has a winter at all--it's tropical. However, I was not trying to imply that Eastern European countries have arctic temperatures. Apologies.
And classifying Furlan as a "spoiled Hollywood actor" is really hilarious.
Surly, no problem at all - I was more pissed with comments of Mira being spoiled, hence my strong reaction.
I love her since I was a kid and watched her in our TV shows and I'm really sad she's REALLY dead on the show, because I LOVED her... but alas... let's hope she'll be back in some way...
Mira's an amazing woman. I originally became a fan because of her work on Babylon 5, but have been seeking out and watching the films and TV that she did in the former Yugoslavia - a lot of it is incredibly good.
Anyone who is ignorant enough to think that she's a "spoiler Hollywood actor" should read the letter she wrote to the people of Yugoslavia, just before she left the country.
http://www.zlatna.com/celebration/mpismo.html
And if you want to get a small sense of just how huge a star she was there, before she spoke out against the war and became persona non grata, here is an incomplete selection of the magazine covers she was on. http://www.zlatna.com/celebration/magcov.html
I guess this explains the decision a little more. I would have liked to see a little more resolution before she went... just a little more dialog with her daughter telling her how glad she was to have finally met her. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered too much since Alex died the next episode.
First of all, I've been to both Croatia and Oahu. Honestly I'd take Croatia any day. Beautiful country. Serbia less so, but still a beautiful country not overrun by tourists.
Here's how they bring her dead character back in a flashback next season: We find another member of her ship's vessel alive. Maybe it's Brennan, he of the missing keys. Or Montand, with only one arm. Or even Robert, somehow not dead as Danielle said he was. This person has a flashback of the shipwreck and the first few months of their captivity. It'd make a great season opener, allowing some huge reveals and answering many questions about the show's mythology.
Now I have to go off topic :)
bongzilla, you were in Croatia and Serbia? :):) I live in Belgrade! :)
Now, for me as a native Yugoslavian - Serbia and Croatia have similar landscapes, just that Croatia has the seacoast, which Serbia lacks. :D
I'm disappointed that Danielle was killed, but I understand Mira's reasons for wanting to leave. As much as I love Lost, real life is more important. That said, I support her decision and wish her the best. Still, it'd be awesome if she comes back for season five. :-)
I'm really disappointed that she was killed, especially since Alex was killed too. And that their reunion was one of (in my opinion!!!!) the most hyped moments in the show's history. And it was the most anticlimactic moment of the show, lol. I'm glad she ASKED to be written out, which is why she's gone. Cause if the writers just chose to kill her, and then Alex. It sucks hardcore. but it was really harsh though, you're shot..we'll leave it open for an extra episode. oh now you're randomly buried. Her and alex's deaths were not necessarily the saddest, compared to other Lost deaths. But they were the most unexpected, especially after we had the knowledge Charlie would die since ep 8 of season 3..it just took another 14/15 episodes for it to happen..i spose as they didn't give her anything interesting to do since..ever, really. She got sick of it, i would too i suppose. Hope she's back in season 5 for flashbacks thoughhhhhhhhhh
lmfao @ some of you talking about how we'll NEVER get to see her backstory now.. lmfaooooooooooooooooo @ that.. Damon and Carlton said we'd still get a back story about her group and all that.. so some of you need to calm down...
I seem to remember rumors of a certain lady actor not playing nice with her collegues... People thought it was Elizabeth Mitchell... Was it really Mira? Has she been planning this exit since last year? That means she was being courteous and gave the producers a whole season to figure out how to write her away.
First, you could try and write someone's nickname properly. It's Zlatna, not zlanta, and it's not Latvian (how the heck did you come up with Latvia???), but southeastern slavonic languages for "the golden one".
And second, and more important, THIS is certainly not the US. This is the Internet.
@Joshua:
I think that one was just a bogus news piece by Kristen..
'THIS is certainly not the US. This is the Internet. '
I LOVE IT, well done, and rightly said.
To be honest, there could be plently more reasons why she left that are not being divulged to the public. Because they are private. People need to get over themselves.
Also Kyount0004, you can say whatever you want, and so can Mira Furlan, and she says she is going home.
kyount0004 : You are no longer welcome on this site you sad little person.
dang, i missed something good.
It really isn't hot in Hawaii.I suppose it could be a matter of opinion.But there is virtually no humidity.It's one of the most perfect climates,imo.But feeling isolated on that island could be enough to want to leave.
Trust me, it has nothing to do with the climate in Hawaii. Mira has lived in Los Angeles for the last 15 years, she's used to it being warm.
It has everything to do with her not wanting to leave her son with friends and/or neighbors while her husband is in Belgrade working so that she can go and stand around and be an extra body in a crowd scene a few thousand miles away. Which is pretty much all they have given her to do in seasons 3 & 4.
If LOST shot in LA it probably wouldn't be an issue.
DarkUFO said...
'kyount0004 : You are no longer welcome on this site you sad little person.'
LOL Dark. Well said.
sagasta said...
'Some people are ridiculously immature, how old are they, five, complaining about a person's personal reasons for choosing where they work.'
Also well said.
Maybe Jacob forced her to do it...
I'm sad with all this issue, She was a great character but the writers seemed to have forgotten about her, they couldn't use the excuse that she wasn't available cause when she was available they didn't used her! For me this is a huge mistake from the Lost production team cause she was one of the most interesting characters of the show and i love Mira... I hope at least that they will do a full episode centered on her and her crew, i don't know how but they better do it!
@jake chambers-
"And second, and more important, THIS is certainly not the US. This is the Internet."
Exactly. But I find that most US users ASSUME that everyone else who visits their sites and chats in the discussion sections is a US citizen. I think we need constant reminders that this IS the internet, and that it, like the entertainment industry, is a world property, not a US domain. So thanks for your comments!
The alleged "Danielle" flashback
If you think about it logically, just where do you think they are actually going to have room to stuff it in in the final two seasons?
We know that there are going to be 17 episodes in both season 5 & 6, a total of 34 slots.
Assuming that there will be a two hours season finale each year, that will be non-centric, that leaves us 30 slots.
So if we assign them to characters
Ben 3 (which could be low - being as the lying sociopath is the "good guy" *BARF*)
Jack 2
Kate 2
Sayid 2
Sawyer 2
Claire 2
Des/Penny 2
Locke 2
Juliet 2
Sun/Jin 2
MIchael/Walt 1
Hurley 1
Miles 1
Charlotte 1
Keamy 1
Widmore 1
Rose/Bernard 1
Richard 1
Daniel 1
And that's 30, and that doesn't allow for the MORE!!!! NEW!!!! CHARACTERS!!!!! that will likely get added in the next two seasons.
It ain't going to happen folks, it just ain't going to happen.
Kyount how many times can you post that? Why don't you go off and haunt somebody else's blog?
Lets remember that it is you who is pissing people off.
@Surly:
No need to thank me ;)
@Terry O'Locke:
Certainly it does. And my comment about this being the internet and not the US is because it makes me sick that some people thing that only in the US you can have freedom of speech and the whole rest of the world are some savages (and as far as I know, Dark is from England). So, I just HAD to point out that freedom of speech is a HUMAN right, not strictly tied to the holy constitution of the US of A.
Anyhow - it's never good to mix up freedom of speech and insulting people for making decisions about their own lives. You know, freedom is a funny thing. While our ranting buddy kyount0004 demands freedom of speech, he declines an actress to choose where and how she is gonna work. Now, isn't that actually a trespass against her human right of free will? Now, this sounds funny. Anyhow - no need to insult anybody and be even ignorant in a world-wide medium and expect to get away with it. No, sir.
PS. I meant "think", not "thing" up there... lol. :D
I'm a Canadian.
I feel I need to be somewhat careful about what I say while I'm in the US, especially since Bush has been president.
On the other hand I felt perfectly free to totally and openly express my opinions the four summers I went to Croatia while Mira was there doing Medea.
Zlatna,
Why are spouting off about "it's not going to happen". You don't know that. They promised us a Danielle flash-back, we'll get it. Season 5 or 6, we'll get it. Just because she wanted to be written off, doesn't mean she'll never appear again.
I'm "spouting off", because I'm completely certain it's not going to happen, it was never going to happen. Mira wanting off or not wanting off the show being a moot point.
As much as the boys give lip service to the idea, I honestly don't think that they were ever serious about doing it (cf the Vincent flashback). for three season now, it's been "later", "next season", "after we explain more stuff" blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more hot air in the podcasts.