Lost’s Sam Anderson: Fans Fear Plane Crashes When He’s Onboard

Some Lost fans are apparently far from thrilled to see Sam Anderson on their flight.

“Sometimes, [L. Scott Caldwell] and I would be traveling on the same flight,” Anderson, 79, said in an interview with Variety published on Sunday, April 27. “And as we walked on, we’d see people’s faces like, ‘Get me off this plane; it’s gonna crash.’”

Anderson joined the sci-fi series in its second season, which aired in 2005. Lost follows a group of people who survive a catastrophic plane crash on a mysterious island in the South Pacific Ocean.

While some travelers are seemingly wary when they see Anderson on their flight, others have questions about the series’ controversial ending — are the characters really dead or is the island actually purgatory? Anderson admitted to the publication that sometimes he would get confused and have to check with his son about the show’s lore.

Anderson also shared that being on Lost “changed everything” for him. He played Bernard Nadler, the missing husband of Rose, portrayed by Caldwell. The pair, who are an interracial couple, ended up reuniting in the second season after their characters crashed on different parts of the island. Their reunion included an iconic TV moment where Jorge Garcia’s character Hurley, stated “So, Rose’s husband’s white. Didn’t see that one coming.”

While the line provided some comedic relief while simultaneously showcasing a diverse relationship, Anderson is glad that the show didn’t focus on the twosome’s races.

“One of the things I loved about it most was that I think many people thought that someplace along the line, we were going to do an episode about race,” Anderson recalled. “And they never did — they normalized it. We were just two people incredibly in love.”

Anderson remained on Lost until its 2010 finale. Currently, he stars on Matlock alongside Kathy Bates playing her dutiful husband, Edwin. Anderson added that when the role came his way, he had to jump at it.

“It has been such a gift,” he gushed. “I say that as somebody who is as interested in the craft and how it works as she is, I just landed in costar heaven.”

In addition to enjoying working alongside Bates, 76, Anderson also thoroughly enjoys the script itself.

“I get these scripts and it’s like reading a best-selling novel,” he told the outlet. “More often than not, I’m gasping because I can’t believe what Jennie [Snyder Urman] has pulled off. It’s a joy to read and a joy to play.”