'Lost' leader Huron grad fills key backstage role

[Sydney]

Javier Grillo-Marxuach is in no danger of getting lost. He knows right where he is.

"I'm on Maui," the writer and supervising producer of the hit TV show "Lost" told The News last week by phone during the first day of a Hawaiian vacation.

Grillo-Marxuach, who has also been a writer on shows such as "seaQuest 2032," "Charmed" and "Law and Order," graduated from Ann Arbor's Huron High in 1987 and was recently inducted into the school's River Rat Hall of Fame. Returning for the ceremony, he met with more than 300 students who wanted to quiz him on everything from how to achieve success as a writer to what's going to happen on the show's season finale, which will air Wednesday night at 8 on ABC.

Answering the first question was easy, he said. "You do the thing that you want to do, constantly. ... I always knew I wanted to be a writer, so I always wrote. If you want to write, never stop writing. It's something that's in your blood, something you do habitually, something you have to do as a means of expression."

He was much less forthcoming about the latter inquiry. "I'd be murdered by the powers that be," he said. Plus, he added, "part of the fun is you watch (the story) at the pace we are telling it. The journey is as important as the destination."

"Lost" concerns the survivors of a plane crash on a Pacific island. Stripped of everything, they scavenge what they can for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. The cast includes Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Dominic Monaghan, Naveen Andrews, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Josh Holloway, Terry O'Quinn, Ian Somerhalder and others.

While he was student at Huron, Grillo-Marxuach (Javi to almost everyone) founded Lunchbox Theater, a student group that offered all-original productions. After graduation, he earned a B.A. in creative writing and cultural studies at Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.F.A. in television writing at the University of California School of Cinema Television.

His first professional job was a two-year stint as a "script doctor" for NBC, working with writers submitting scripts for prime-time shows. He has also written several works for the stage, including the short play "Sudden Life," which was performed as part of the 1998 New York City Festival of One-Act Plays. His original comic book series "The Middleman" is expected this summer from Viper Comics.

"Huron High School was a launching pad for me," Grillo-Marxuach added. "My best friends remain the ones I made there and the memories I have from the school are a vivid part of who I am."

Desmond Ryan, retired Huron High communications teacher and drama coach, taught Grillo-Marxuach and remembers him well.

"He would write, produce, direct and sometimes act in the (Lunchbox) shows. ... There was no doubt Javi was going to make his mark in the world of writing. He was the consummate professional as a young person. He delivered the goods on time, all the time.

"He's still this whirlwind of creativity," Ryan, who hopes to catch up on missed episodes via summer reruns, added.

Trisha Saha, a junior at Huron and fan of the show, had the opportunity to interview Grillo-Marxuach for the school newspaper while he was in town, and was impressed with what she heard. "He's still so down-to-Earth," she said.

Saha said she became hooked on "Lost" after her English teacher showed an episode in conjunction with reading the book "Lord of the Flies."

"I love the suspense aspect of it ... and the twists and turns. You never know what's coming next.

"The genius of the show is just amazing. Not only are these people alone on an island, there's so much playing in ... their pasts, different connections. Almost all the characters are connected in some way."

Although "Lost" is set in an exotic tropical locale, Grillo-Marxuach said he spends most of his time laboring in his office in Burbank, Calif. "I went (to Hawaii) for the shooting of 'House of the Rising Sun,' which was my first episode. I enjoyed being on the set, but it's not a necessity. Mostly, I am in my office, writing away." Other episodes he either wrote or co-wrote include "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues," "Hearts and Minds," "In Translation" and the recent "Born to Run."

Grillo-Marxuach called the chance to work on "Lost" a "career-making gig.

"When you get to something like 'Lost,' it changes the playing field altogether. It's the kind of hit no one can predict. You work as hard on it as any other show, and then it comes out, and it changes a lot of things. It doesn't change you personally, but for (a program) to have this level of attention drives home the truth of how many people watch a television show."

He said he's used to comparisons between "Lost" and the 1960s hit island castaway comedy "Gilligan's Island."

"My stock answer is I think we are funnier than 'Gilligan's Island,'" he said. "'Gilligan's Island' is such a part of the zeitgeist it's hard to get away from that. But 'Lost' is very different."

The show's writers go out of their away to avoid "Gilligan" clich?s, he added. "We are very conscious that they were always building something to try and get off the island. ... If someone has an idea that sounds too 'Gilligan,' we don't use it."

By Roger LeLievre
The Ann Harbor News
Sunday, May 22, 2005