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Image via Fan Expo / Ben Ammon
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François Chau's presence on Lost is now inseparable from the show’s mythology. The Dharma Initiative orientation videos are iconic — eerie, funny, unsettling, and endlessly quotable, but according to Chau, none of it was ever supposed to last. Speaking to Collider's Maggie Lovitt during a Lost panel at Fan Expo Portland, Chau revealed that his role as Dr. Marvin Candle (aka Pierre Chang) began as a single, throwaway appearance — and only existed because of Alias.
“For me as an actor, I think luck plays a huge, huge part of everything, and I'm very lucky to be sitting here right now,” Chau said. “I got the part, and it was supposed to be just a one-shot deal.” That “one-shot” video was filmed on a familiar set, as Chau explained. And as he did, it became clear just how much he was correct when he said luck played a bit part in proceedings. “A couple months later, they called again and said, 'Hey, we need a little bit more.' And I said, 'Sure, I'm available!' And then it just kept going, because something about those videos really hit a note with people. Which was great for me because it kept me on the show, which is [something] I'm eternally grateful for."
While most of Lost was filmed on location in Hawai'i, Chau's first work on the series was filmed in Burbank, California. He told fans: "JJ had a show at that time called Alias,” Chau explained. After Alias wrapped for the day, the Lost team moved in and filmed the orientation video using the same space. “That first video is me standing in one of those offices [on] the Alias set." Then the calls kept coming. “They called again. I said, ‘Oh yeah, Hawai'i?' No, same place. Finally, the third time was, ‘Yeah, okay, here we go, Hawai'i.’”
Each return meant another orientation video, another layer of mystery, and another step toward making Dr. Chang one of Lost’s most memorable supporting figures. What started as a logistical convenience — reusing a set after hours — turned into one of the show’s most effective world-building devices. Chau admitted he didn’t even fully realize how significant the character would become until much later. The reveal also highlights how interconnected early-2000s TV really was. Without Alias, there’s no reused set. Without the reused set, there’s no orientation video. And without that, Lost looks very different.
Who Did Francois Chau Play in 'Lost'?
Image via Mario Perez / ©ABC / courtesy Everett CollectionChau played Dr. Marvin Candle, or Pierre Chang, just two of a number of aliases (appropriate, right?) on the series. On the show, he’s the face of the Dharma Initiative orientation videos, the eerie instructional films that explain (and complicate) the rules of the island and its research stations. He appears mainly via pre-recorded orientation films, calmly explaining experiments that are actually deeply troubling and unsettling. However, he became one of the show's most memorable recurring faces.
Lost is currently streaming now on Hulu and Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more news and updates from Fan Expo Portland.
Release Date 2004 - 2010-00-00
Showrunner Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse
Writers Jim Galasso, Christina M. Kim, Graham Roland, Kyle Pennington, Brent Fletcher, Dawn Lambertsen Kelly, Janet Tamaro, Jeffrey Lieber, Paul Dini, Jordan Rosenberg
English (US) ·