"Once Upon A Time" is staging another "Lost" reunion this week (Sun., Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC), bringing Jorge Garcia back together with Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, the executive producers who wrote some of the show's best Hurley-centric episodes.
Garcia is playing the Giant who guards the beanstalk housing a magical compass that will help Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) return to Storybrooke, but it won't be an easy task. HuffPost TV caught up with the fan-favorite actor to find out whether we'll be seeing the Giant again, what his backstory might be, and whether he still gets questions from loyal "Lost" fans ...
"Once Upon A Time" always puts an interesting spin on familiar characters, so is there anything unique about the Giant that makes him different from the fairytale version we know?
Yeah -- it wouldn’t be “Once Upon a Time” if they didn’t skew him in a direction that we weren’t expecting, so that’ll definitely be part of the thing, but you know ... that’s part of the secret! [Laughs.]
How did Adam and Eddy approach you about this role? Have they been looking to get you on the show for a while?
Yeah, we’ve talked about it for a while, whenever I’d run into them. We’ve been talking about them wanting to find a way to get me on. At different times we’ve talked ... but suddenly, this came up and they pitched the Giant to me and it sounded like an inspired fit, so we went for it.
Will there be an opportunity for you to return? Can we expect some Giant backstory or a trip to Storybrooke?
They gave me some hints towards what the Giant’s origin story is, and I think their intention is to tell it at some point and share it with the audience. I just got a call that they’re looking to bring me back a month from now, so maybe that’ll be the time.
I'm guessing you didn't share any scenes with Emilie de Ravin [Belle], but did you catch up while you were on set?
No, no one was in town while I was shooting, actually, because I’m also good friends with Lana [Parrilla] as well. I was like, "Hey, I’m here shooting" and she had to be in L.A. that week. It was the week before the Emmys, I think, so we just kind of passed each other ... Lana and I have known each other for many years and we were in an acting class together for a while, so it would be kind of fun to then have a professional scene where we get to act across from each other and bring it all full circle.
Can you talk a little bit about the Giant’s dynamic with Emma and Hook [Colin O'Donoghue], since they’re the characters you filmed with, I believe?
We know that they’re climbing the beanstalk and so it’s not that much of a stretch to know that I’m waiting for them at the top ... [Laughs.] The Giant doesn’t take too kindly to intruders, so if they think that going to get the compass is an easy task, they’re gravely mistaken.
“Lost” is still such a pop-culture mainstay. Which episode or moment do fans still talk to you about the most?
For me, it’s interesting because I’ll meet people who are just starting in on “Lost,” which is kind of interesting. There’s an aspect of “Lost” that feels like it’s so long ago at this point, and to have people coming up to me who are just now discovering it is kind of a trip. I don’t get a lot of specific stuff right now, it’s more just general and how much they enjoyed the ride that that show was.
I’m guessing not so many questions about “Alcatraz” -- just people who are sad that it ended?
Yeah, yeah, or people still asking when it’s coming back, and I’m like, "Ooh, yeah, don’t hold your breath." [Laughs.]
Would you ever consider doing a “Lost” movie?
Of course I’d have to consider it ... We’d have to see what the script is, but getting to shoot in Hawaii again is definitely something I would welcome.
While you were filming "Lost," did you have your own theories and backstory for what might have happened off-screen, or did you just go with what was on the page?
We did at the beginning, but then it just started getting so complex and in a way, we were too inside to be able to see big picture-y things, just doing the work of the show. We ended up just letting the audience do that part and seeing what they'd come up with.
What else are you working on right now? I believe you have a movie called “Get a Job” coming up?
That’s out next year. It was kind of a last-minute casting; I was going to Hawaii for vacation, and I got off the plane in Hawaii and got the call that they wanted to hire me for this movie and I’d be shooting the next day ... So it was a quick turnaround, basically getting back on the plane, and going to shoot the movie and then going back to extend my vacation later. Sometimes it works out that way, that when you make a plan, that’s when the jobs come down. [Laughs.] But it was a great group of people to work with. It was a lot of fun, and the best part was it shot just five minutes from my house, so it was the best commute I’d ever had.
"Once Upon a Time" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Are you excited to see Garcia on "Once Upon a Time"? Which other "Lost" alums would you like to see cameo? Share your thoughts and predictions below!
