Lost's Jeff Fahey on the Fate of Frank Lapidus and that Machete Trailer

So what was the actual shoot like for Machete, compared to shooting the trailer for it a few years ago?

Well, that's the wild thing! I mean, my God. When we finished shooting Grindhouse, of course Robert had talked to me about the trailer, and he said, "Let's put this little thing together." So on my last day of shooting Grindhouse, I just went to the trailer and changed into a new wardrobe, and he said, "Say a few lines here." We shot the one scene in the office, and then went outside and shot another little exterior, and then when [Grindhouse] was released, there was this wild trailer, which was very cool. And now, a couple years later, we've made a full-length feature of it, which is mind-blowing.

Machete is being directed not just by Robert Rodriguez, but by Ethan Manquis. How does that partnership work?

It was very easy and very cool working with Ethan and Robert at the same time. He gave Ethan a lot of leeway. And of course, Robert wrote the screenplay, and one of the wonderful things about Robert is that he writes something and then he allows you to bring all the jazz to the table. When you think of how it could possible be working with two directors, nah. It was very smooth. Very easy to deal with, and Ethan and Robert have known each other for years. They're like family, and it was like coming back home after Grindhouse.

What do you think it is about you that makes you so appropriate for his Grindhouse aesthetic?

You know, you'd have to ask Robert that. What I get from it when people ask me how he got a cast like this together, is that Robert hires people that he likes and that he's been a fan of through the years. Here, he saw an opportunity to put a bunch of those wild characters together, the characters being the actors. In an answer to that question, then, I would just say that he works with people who he digs.

You traveled the world after high school, and you have a career that often keeps you from settling down too long. Do you like it that way?

I've got a great life, Kyle. It's been a wonderful adventure, and I'm still out there on it. I've been very fortunate to travel the world, and I still travel. It's one of the great things about this job, is that it does take you to a lot of wonderful and different places. It's a whole adventure, and it's a privilege to have a job like this. It's so difficult for so many of the people out there that I feel fortunate to be one of the working actors.

I wanted to ask you a few questions about your personal life, which I found really compelling. I was surprised to learn that you danced with the Joffrey ballet for three years. Have you ever gotten a chance to use those skills for a role?

No, but everything is applied, you know? Everything you learn in life. Yes, I did study dance for a while, and it was part of the whole journey. I'm still out there exploring. I prefer to say that I studied dance, just as I'm still studying acting. Every job is a new study. I hope it goes another 50 years.

You've also been doing a lot of humanitarian work lately. You were heavily involved with an orphanage in Kabul before you began your role on Lost.

Recently this past year, I've been working a lot in the western Sahara, with the refugees in the camps in Algeria. I just go off for a while to these other places, and then I come back and work for a while and continue to another area. I actually just got back from the western Sahara a few days ago, and I'll be heading back in about three weeks.

How did you get involved with the Sahara, if I may ask?

Oh, I've been involved out there for years. I work with the U.S. Committee of Refugees and Immigrants, and I've been working with them for quite a while. It all was an extension of traveling over the years, Kyle. I end up in different areas and become involved, whether it's with the refugees or the schools. I prefer to look at it as part of the big adventure as opposed to being labeled a humanitarian. Of course, I know we have to identify people as such, and I think it's wonderful, but I just get involved in things. How's that?

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