Het interview met François Chau (Pierre Chang)

Hi François, first of all, thank you for taking the time for this interview.

How was your role on Lost first presented to you? Did you also think you were just Marvin Candle appearing once in an orientation film or did you know you would get a more important role later on?
I believed that the character "Marvin Candle" was just going to appear once in the orientation video. There was no indication that it was going to be anything more than that.

When you found out that your character would become more than just a narrator of orientation films, what was your reaction?
Of course I was very happy when my character broke out of the orientation videos. It was great to have some interaction with other characters.

From an actor's point of view, how do you approach a role such as Pierre Chang? Seeing as you didn't know his real name for three seasons, how did you create a back story for him?
From an actor's point of view, it was easier in the first 3 seasons to play the character because he was just an image in the videos. I was basically doing a strait forward educational video. I knew there was something more mysterious about the character, but as an actor, you can't play that. The lucky thing for me was that the viewers came up with their own ideas about the character.

How would you describe Pierre Chang?
I think Pierre Chang is at his best when he is in his own element at his labs, doing his work. He is not comfortable in social situations. Let's just say he is not really a "people person".

Why did Dharma select Pierre Chang to present the orientation films?
I don't know yet why Dr. Chang was selected to do the videos. Let's hope we all find out soon.

Of all the orientation films we've seen, which one was your favorite to film?
I don't really have a favorite, but if anything, I think I like the first one.

Is it ever going to be explained why Dr. Chang used all those aliases?
I hope we all get to know why he uses all those different names before the end of the show.

Why do his aliases all refer to candles? (Halliwax, Wickmund, Candle)
Don't know why all the names refer to candles. Maybe the writers are just having fun.

Chang used an alias in every orientation film he presented, why did he just say his name was Dr. Chang to Jack?
I guess he tells Jack his real name because the aliases are only for the videos.

Do you know how Pierre loses/lost his arm?
I do know how Pierre looses his arm, and soon, so will you.

Did the producers ever hint to you that Chang would have a connection to a main character?
No hint about any connection to a main character.

When did you find out your baby was Miles?
Learned about Miles when I got the script for that episode.

Who do you enjoy working with most on the set?
I liked working with everyone so far. Working with "Miles" and "Hurley" was a lot of fun.

Can we expect to see much more of you in season 5? Have you even been approached for season 6?
You will see "Dr. Chang" more at the end of season 5. Hopefully, he will make more appearances in season 6.

What is Chang's order of command in DHARMA? First many people thought Chang would be the leader, but now it seems that Horace takes a leading role.
It seemed like Chang was in charge, but maybe he is only in charge of his own section, and everyone has to answer to "Ann Arbor".

When did Chang arrive on the island and how did he get recruited?
Don't know how he was recruited, but it seems that he had been working on the island for a few years already when the gang arrives in 1977.

Are we going to see a Chang flashback once? Or even a Chang centric episode?
Don't know if we'll get a Chang centric episode. It would be great.

Who filmed the Dharma Booth video shown on Comic Con 2008? The video in which Pierre implied the past can be changed. Did Daniel Faraday film it?
I'm told that you can find out who filmed the ComicCon video in the DVD extras for season 5 when it is released.

Have you filmed more orientation films for upcoming episodes?
Have not yet filmed anymore orientation videos, but this is "LOST", so who knows?

Thank you so much for having this interview with me, is there something you want to say to all the fans?
Thanks for being a fan of the show!